Beans, Balls and Dunes — AB adventurz

I wanted to make the most of our stay in Chicago with my 11 year old. This is an age, where the kids are interested in pretty much anything as long as you, the adult, has a plan. No plan, well, those of us who are parents or caregivers, know what that can be like. Swimming at the pool everyday was fun, and a necessity to get out of the condo and away from the electronics. But outings? Outings are fun things, especially if you gear it to their interests.

Like most kids, my son loves candy. So convincing him that we take an hour drive into a different state, to go visit a jelly bean factory was easy-peasy. We dropped off Béla at his office, and headed north. It’s an easy enough drive, especially at 9 am, with very little traffic, and the factory is very easy to find. It’s called Jelly Belly, in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. They offer free tours, every day, and I would strongly recommend get there early, because after 10:30 am there is a line-up. The tour takes you around the factory, they hand out little hats to wear, like you would in an actual factory, and they introduce the public on how they make jelly beans. With numerous stops, and videos explaining the history, the methods and live interpretation, it is a very pleasant experience. Once the tour is done, the guide hands you a sample package of their famous Jelly Belly candies to take home. Then they make you exit through the store. As a parent, this is where you let out a collective groan - or say what the heck, lets get our candy fix. The company started out with 8 flavours, today they have over 50, which include sugar free, organic ones as well. There is a sample station, where you may request to try as little or as many of the different kinds, one jelly bean at a time. Robi and I did some damage, but all in all, the prices are reasonable. They have these great big bags of “Belly Flops” at a fraction of the cost. Who cares if they are a little misshaped, the taste is there. If you are in the area, this is a fun, outing, and the day can be extended by other activities in the area as well.

The next day, we swung by the mall (my least favourite thing to do, but it was made bearable by going to Cold Stone Creamery - magical place for the ice cream lover, where they mix your ice cream - and add stuff in it - on a stone. It’s not cheap, but it’s a fun thing to do at least once. You can add 3 different toppings to your 2 kinds of ice cream - anything from chocolate pieces to blue gummy sharks, or salty things. The portion is pretty large as well, once done, you need to find something to do to burn off some of the calories you just ingested. In our case we ended up going to play mini golf. Sounds dull ? Been there done that? Well not at this place. Par-King, is themed and very well set up, and all 3 of us had a bunch of laughs. The pics can explain better, there are two different courses to choose from, its a short but fun way to end the day.

Our last outing during this visit took us to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. This time, one state over to the east. We had just purchased new hiking boots for Robi, and they needed to be put to the test. This took a bit longer to get there, between construction and a busy Saturday, it was a little crazy. We eventually made it and the weather was perfect. However, we totally missed the information centre - something I strongly suggest you do, because apparently they explain a lot and there is a video to watch as well. No matter, in the park there was an interpretation center, we went in, got a trail map and looked at which one we would do. Originally we had planned to do two, but then my very adventurous 11 year old picked the hardest trail for us to do. The 3 Dune Challenge. It’s only a 1.5 mile trail (3 km), but the word “rugged” next to it is there for a reason. For starters, this particular trail, is made up solely of loose sand. There are little hills and many inclines to get to 3 different lookouts. The weather was also pretty hot, so walking in the sunny areas was challenging. Between the 1st and the second thankfully there isn't too much distance, which gives you the false hope that the third one is also around the corner. Once you do get to the 3rd one, you are faced with stairs. Lots of them. However, it was a nice change from the loose sand, and the view is incredible. You can even see downtown Chicago on a clear day. Done with the trail, and patting myself on the back for surviving, we headed over to the beach. The signs for riptides are many, and at first Robi was worried he wouldn’t even be allowed into the lake, but the rule of the day was, no further then waist deep by the lifeguards. The water was too cold for Béla and I, but Robi had a great time jumping around the waves. We checked out another lookout before we left, where apparently you can see 30 + kinds of birds - we saw maybe 2 or 3, but the view once again is really pretty so, no loss.

The upside to the Sand Dunes - the park is beautiful, great outing for the family, or hikers. Some families set up a whole portable charcoal BBQ near their cars after they are done with the beach. One very large family went all out and set up for the day, with hammocks between the trees, along with multiple coolers, music, BBQ and toys for the kids. I’m pretty sure there was siesta time, followed by happy hour and then a very tasty BBQ dinner.

Down side to the park, the interpretation centre, which has bathrooms, closes at 4 - so you need to go looking for another option - most picnic areas are equipped with outhouses. Parking near the interpretation is limited, however there is one picnic area a few minutes walk away, where there is ample parking. On a very windy day, swimming is not recommended, and can be dangerous.