Anderson Gardens is a 12-acre Japanese Garden, and has actually been named one of the highest quality Japanese Gardens in North America since 2004! The garden is filled with koi ponds, winding paths, gentle streams, cascading waterfalls, raked gravel gardens, pines, and more

Experience a world of hands-on investigation and fun-filled exploration at this children's museum with more than 250 hands-on art & science exhibits, planetarium, and TV studio. There is also the nation's first community built outdoor science park, with 15,000 square feet of wooden fun, including a two-story maze, water play area, dinosaur fossil dig pit and a Secret Garden.

The Burpee Museum of Natural History has four floors of engaging exhibits, including Jane: Diary of a Dinosaur, Windows to Wilderness (nature in the Rock River Valley), and the Burpee Green Roof, the first rooftop garden in Rockford. There is also a viewing lab, where visitors can watch Burpee Museum staff work on specimen's from the museum's collections and recent dino discoveries.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House in Rockford, Illinois is the only building designed by the famed architect for a person with a disability.

The Laurent House is also on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, created by Enjoy Illinois. The Trail highlights 13 different Wright-designed buildings open to the public in Illinois. More information can be found at www.enjoyillinois.com/flw.

Reservations are required for all tours of the Laurent House.

Check out one of Kayla & Ian's favorite restaurants in the area!

Prairie Street Brewing Co. offers world-class beer handcrafted locally in a range of styles. Every glass poured is consistently delicious. The food menu changes with the seasons, and there is always something new to try!

Cool off at the coolest place in town! Hurricane Harbor has speed slides, tube and body slides, a wave pool, the Splash Magic River, an interactive water play area, and Little Lagoon for kiddos 5 and under.

The Nicholas Conservatory brings the tropics to the Midwest! This is the 3rd largest conservatory in Illinois, with 22,000 square feet. A tropical setting includes an 11,000 square foot plant exhibition with water features, seating areas, and sculptures. There is also changing seasonal floral displays, a butterfly garden and the Sinnissippi Rose Garden.

The conservatory is open from 10a-3p on Saturday and Sunday.

Cherryvale Mall has more than 130 stores, a large food court, and ice cream & coffee shops.