A mid-1800’s architectural wonder helped make Chicago the city it is today. The 96-mile Illinois & Michigan Canal (I&M Canal) connected the Great Lakes in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru, and amazingly unique towns sprung up that maintain their authentic charm to this date.
READ ON!Freedom. The Open Road. The American Dream. All are still alive on The Mother Road. The nostalgia of diners, museums, tourist stops and neon lights are there for you to visit as you make the drive from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA. You can still get your Kicks on Route 66!
READ ON!A visit to Starved Rock State Park consists of many sights to behold, including breathtaking views of its many canyons and awe-inspiring scenes of eagles flying during the winter month.
READ ON!The Heritage Corridor is filled with events that are waiting just for you. Live music, fun festivals, learning programs, and active adventures await.
READ ON!Are you looking for a specific type of place to visit in the I&M Canal Heritage Corridor? If you're a craft beer fan, you will love the Heritage Corridor Ale Trail? Seeing a thrilling journey or just an escape, check out Adventure Outside Chicago. We've got all the info to unlock your next trip right here.
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We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the up and coming Bishop’s Hill-Winery earlier this month. They have been working hard, renovating, building, cleaning and producing wine in Joliet. The building is an old castle that has been transformed! You enter the front large doors to a beautiful tasting bar and multiple large rooms perfect for groups or to enjoy a tasting. They will have regular tasting hours and you will be able to rent out for small and large groups events.
Speaking of events, they have rooms available upstairs that includes a dressing room for brides and wedding parties.
They made sure to keep the essence of the castle, the curved rooms, original moldings and each space mimics the history of the building while welcoming it into 2020. My favorite part of the house was the basement area tasting room, complete with a literal safe full of wine! The safe was used to hold priceless heirlooms of the Diocese back in the day. Now it holds priceless bottles of delicious wines.
Co-owner, Phil, gave us the grand tour including the next door building that was once owned by the Joliet Diocese as well. A large office space that they will be transforming to meeting, event space, retail area as well as where they store and ferment their wine. The outdoor area will be complete with tunnels, patios and additional event space. It is a huge undertaking that will be such a beautiful, historical statement near Downtown Joliet.
Like many other places and businesses, 2020 has given them their obstacles. They are hoping for their tasting room to be open in the next couple of months and the adjacent building will be a work in progress. We can’t wait to see Bishop’s Hill-Winery open in all of it’s glory!
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