Gas Tank Getaway: Six Flags Great America

Don’t let high gas prices keep you home this summer.  There’s no need to sweat it out in your backyard when extreme family fun is less than a tank of gas away. If you live in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan or Illinois, a mecca of mind-blowing adventure awaits at Six Flags Great America.  The popular theme park is located in Gurnee, Illinois; less than an hour’s drive from Chicago, Milwaukee, and a host of other major Midwestern cities. Great America’s convenient location is a major timesaver, but the savings don’t stop there.  In addition to banking gas money, you can continue … Continue reading

Ways to Save on a Six Flags Staycation

It’s never a good day when travelers are actually excited to see gas prices hovering near $4. Three dollars and 89 cents for a gallon of unleaded–SCORE!! While the cost of gas has fallen slightly in the last couple weeks, from its highest levels since July 2008, Americans are still paying nearly a dollar more per gallon than a year ago. As a result, families from coast-to-coast continue to restructure their summer vacation plans in order to preserve their household budgets, and still have fun in the sun. That goes double for clans living in and around Chicago. According to … Continue reading

Splash Into Summer Fun at Six Flags Great America

When was the last time you experienced liquid love… minus the nasty hangover? Forget about the Patron-laced tropical libations; now’s your chance to splish, splash, slide and surf your way into a wet and wild summer vacation you’ll remember for years to come. Soaking up the sun and hanging ten on cobalt blue water is easy when you live in Hawaii, but what do you do when you want to take a summer plunge in the Midwest? (Take the plunge at Riptide Bay!) Never mind Lake Michigan; instead, set your sights on Gurnee, Illinois. That’s where you’ll find Six Flags … Continue reading

Six Flags Minus the Scares

Bloody appendages, stabbed rats, decapitated creatures, knife-wielding, pig-faced butchers and intestine-covered caskets don’t make for sweet dreams, especially if you’re a six-year-old looking to meet Bugs Bunny for the first time. Thankfully, the folks at Six Flags Great America realize this. Hence the decision to keep certain portions of the theme park scare-free for its youngest guests during its annual Fright Fest extravaganza, which runs weekends throughout October. If the popular Gurnee, Illinois, attraction didn’t offer thrills without chills, then there would be no way that I could have spent last Saturday making magical memories with my daughter at Six … Continue reading

Get Your Wiggle on at Six Flags

My preschool daughter has never been a huge Wiggles fan. What’s more, she screams like a banchee every time I try to put her on an amusement park ride. And I’m not talking about those baby roller coasters that travel on a flat track, or those crazy toddler swings that spin around with modified reckless abandon. For the past three years my child has unleashed glass shattering, ear splitting, high-pitched shrieks each time I’ve tried to place her on merry-go-round horses (the paralyzed ones that don’t move up and down), baby boats (that barely move in a pool no bigger … Continue reading

Fun and Excitement at Six Flags

Just about everyone has heard of Six Flags and while most people know about the main locations such as Texas, Missouri, Colorado, and California, chances are the extent of Six Flags is not realized. In all, 29 Six Flags parks exist in North America! Other states that offer this type of amusement park include Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington state. Because of this, you and your family can reach a Six Flags park no matter where you live. In fact, there is even a Six Flags in Mexico and Canada. You … Continue reading

Six Flags Great America

How old were you when you visited an amusement park for the first time? How old were your children the first time you took them to an amusement park? I am contemplating taking my toddler daughter to a major amusement park near our home, but fear she may be a little too young to take advantage of everything the park has to offer. Six Flags Great America is located in Gurnee, Illinois. Right on the Wisconsin-Illinois border. My husband and I used to make the trip annually (in our pre-baby days). I have a problem with my equilibrium so I … Continue reading

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)

Ingrid Bergman stars as Gladys Aylworth in this deeply touching film about a woman who wants to make a difference in the world. She wants to go to China and work as a missionary, but when she applies with her church, the missionary department decides that she doesn’t have the experience she needs to undertake such a task. Always shy and submissive, she breaks out of her mold and decides to go to China anyway. She takes a job as a domestic and earns money for her passage, but when she arrives in China, discovers that it’s much harder than … Continue reading

Pop Culture Potpourri: Checkered Flags and Checkered Pasts

CHECKERED FLAGS I couldn’t be happier for actress Ashley Judd today. Her husband, racecar driver Dario Franchitti (also known in the tabloids as Mr. Ashley Judd) won the 91st edition of the Indy 500 yesterday. Judd was there cheering him on the entire time, but the moment that remains with me is the shot of her soaking wet in her flowery summer dress hurling herself over the pit wall and dashing towards her dear hubby. The couple has been married for six years now, though I still don’t understand how they ended up together. They seem like such an unlikely … Continue reading

Halloween Events for Kids

Your kids might be super excited about celebrating Halloween. While some Halloween events are specifically geared for children, there are others that might be too scary for little ones to attend. Here is a list of some kid-friendly Halloween events that are taking place this year. Disney Store Halloween Dress Rehearsal Event The Disney Store near you might be having a Halloween Dress Rehearsal Event. Children must be at least three years of age in order to participate. Kids are to arrive dressed in their favorite Disney character costume. The event will take place on Friday, October 5, 2016, between … Continue reading