Castle Park

Technically, this space is called the Jeremy 'Boo' Rochman Memorial Park, but locals know it as Castle Park, or Dungeons and Dragons Park.  You have to pass right by it to get to Giant City or Makanda, so we've passed it a good many times, never stopping.  Our son, KJ, took a school field trip here a few years ago, and talked about it often, but he had not been back, either.  So after stuffing ourselves on fried chicken at Giant City Lodge, we stopped on the way home.

Boo, the son of the president of a local investing firm, was tragically killed in 1993 at the age of 19, just a few hundred feet from his home (which, ironically, also resembles a castle.)  Boo loved the magical Dungeons & Dragons (quite popular back in the 90's) so dad Barrett Rochman hired sculptors from his Alma Mater, SIU Carbondale, to craft the fantasy park.  Some of the wizards seen around the park were sculpted after Boo's own D&D characters, found hand painted in his things.

Opening officially in 2005, the park focuses on the huge wood and stone castle playground in its center.  There is a plethora of tunnels for little ones, and many adults (including us) walk the ramparts and bigger spaces.  KJ was within for 15 minutes before we caught sight of him again, it really is much bigger than it appears, twisting and turning within itself.  Pennants fly in the breeze, swords, gargoyles, and lanterns hang from nooks and crannies.  

The grounds are just as amazing.  A beautiful iron tower holds a donation box and memorial to Boo.  A huge half-sleeping dragon lays in a corner.  A burial mound boasts of the knight entombed within.  Everywhere are musical wind chimes, hand crafted and hanging from the boughs of a good many trees.  Look up, things are everywhere.  A fountain sits near the entrance, a gathering place for adults.  All around are sorcerers, magicians, archers, warriors, on the grass, in the trees, upon the battlements.  A bell tower actually holds a large bell.  Everywhere is enchantment.

Jeremy 'Boo' Rochman Memorial Park
31 Homewood Dr,
Carbondale IL

Open 8am to dusk
Free admittance, but donations are welcome.

how to get there:
From Carbondale drive east two miles on Hwy 13, then turn south at the Wal-Mart onto Hwy 12/Giant City Rd. Drive 3.5 miles. Turn left, onto Homewood Drive to the parking lot. If you cross No Name Rd you've gone too far.

The W Restaurant - DuQouin

For my husbands birthday our good friends Molly and William made reservations for us at The W Restaurant in DuQuoin (we went to Rustle Hill for Molly's birthday last year, but I never got to blog about it, because I sent my camera through the washing machine the next morning. >_< )
I know what you're thinking (same thing I was) , 'A fancy restaurant in DuQuoin? Yeah, right.' But really, it's beautiful.  The W is right outside of town on a ranch (A ranch in DuQuoin? yes, really!) with big longhorn steers staring at you while you meander up the drive.

(picture courtesy of the Southern)

There was a class reunion going on the night we were there, so it was really busy (and I didn't get to wander around and take pictures like I normally would) but either way I do recommend reservations.  I would think it is busy enough that you will prefer, if not need them.
The W, beyond the pretty ranch it sits on, honestly doesn't look like much when you reach the building.  It's a big pole barn type building, with a fenced off area in back where people were on horses.  If you have a twinge of disappointment at the outside, walking onto the porch and in the door will more than make up for it.

The entire inside is warm, welcoming, and rustic.  The theme, of course, is ranches, horses, and rustic charm.  We sat right inside the door in one of several dining rooms, and the W also sports private dining as well as a bar and outside seating to watch the cowboys ride horses and rope cattle.

 (last 2 pics courtesy of the Southern)

The W has an impressively creative drink menu, and we took full advantage of it.  Kevin had a Jack and coke, and me, Molly, and William had a Georgia Peach, Raspberry Lemon Drop, and AppleTini, respectively.  I don't think I even need to say how amazing they all were :)

The menu is beautiful.  It has plenty of choices, but it's not overwhelming.  They have four or so salad choices, half a dozen entrees, anther half a dozen or so sandwiches, some A La Cart items, and just a few desserts.  But honestly, who needs a menu that takes an hour to read and even longer to make a selection?  Not to mention how they keep everything fresh by only having those few things they need on hand.  The W has something for everyone, and it's all amazing, and I commend them for a smaller menu.

I ordered the pork chop with fruit glaze, and it was probably the best I've ever had.  Sweet and salty and cooked to absolute perfection.  Not to mention that the chop itself was so big I took no more than three bites of my baked potato.  Prices are about what you would expect to pay at any fine dining restaurant, between $15 and $25 a plate. 

Of course, we couldn't go without dessert, but our entire table was stuffed, so we ordered one slice of Kahlua Pie, and let me tell you, even between the four of us, once slice is all we needed.

The staff was quick and courteous, even with a packed house.  We were not rushed through our courses nor our after dinner chit chat.  I didn't see the bill, but I imagine with the four of us it hovered comfortably around the hundred dollar mark.   After you've thoroughly stuffed yourself, it seems that a lot of people go outside onto the porch and 'sit a spell.'  It's lit up beautifully with globe lights and is super inviting.

There was a bunch of lights on in the arena when we went out, so naturally we went to investigate.  Apparently we had just missed the bull roping, and they were getting the steers lined up to go back out the gate.  I mentioned how a brown brindle one was pretty, so then one of the cowboys said he'd sell it to me. Ha, Thanks?  No thanks.  The reunion was gathered mostly in the outdoor seating area right next to the arena, which was really neat because it was almost completely walled in yet still was (and felt) like it was outside.  I would really like to sit out there sometime and watch the action with a meal.

All in all, I highly recommend the W Restaurant.  It's definitely the kind of place I would return to time and again.

The W Restaurant & Lounge

7230 State Route 152

Du Quoin, IL 62832

(618) 542-2424

(888) 971-9435

http://www.thewrestaurant.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheWRestaurantLounge

Hours of Operation:

Wednesday - Saturday 5 p.m. – close 

Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m

Makanda Boardwalk (Makanda Trading Co, Visions Art, Rainmaker's garden)

The community of Makanda began with the building of a boarding house and construction camp for the Illinois Central Railroad. In the earliest documents known, the valley was known as North Pass.  Cobden to the south was referred to as South Pass, and Alto Pass to the west was, of course, known as West Pass. Through each ran a line of the railroad. By 1857 the name had changed to Markanda or Markands; historians are not certain.  When the first official postmaster came to town in 1870 the name was Markauda. In 1872, it received its present name which allegedly was the name of the Indian chief last inhabiting the section.  The Village of Makanda was established in 1845 and incorporated Feb 7, 1888.

The prosperity of the community was tied closely to that of the railroad. Fortune offered the advantage of being only one day’s train ride from the market of Chicago.  Many items were shipped and sold from here, including flowers, and in springtime daffodils will still bloom in the valley, left over from the fields grown for sale.

At one time a large business community stretched up and down the valley and hillsides. In fact, a boardwalk used to extend from H. L. Bell’s Buildings to the entrance of Giant City State Park. Business thrived. There existed numerous general or grocery stores, a bank and a coffee shop, a shoe repair shop, 3 or 4 barbers, 3 doctors, a dentist, a druggist, an undertaker, a photographer, a grainery, a flour mill, a haberdashery (men’s clothing store), a blacksmith, several sweet potato storage houses, hotels, a plant nursery, a blacksmith, a police magistrate with a jail, and many other establishments.

Allan Stuck, sculptor and jeweler, said the railroad made an impact on Makanda’s economic climate. The trains ran daily to Chicago to ensure the fruit arrived fresh. Then technology allowed fruit to travel farther, bypassing the village.  “All of the farms down in Cobden, in Anna and Jonesboro seem to get more water than all of us in the little towns,” Stuck said. “Then refrigeration came into existence and Makanda stopped being important as a shipping area,” Stuck said.

Makanda went practically overnight from a shipping hub to a ghost town. Because of multiple floods and a fire that claimed businesses in the valley, prices were low and the population had dwindled. 

The affordability led several Southern Illinois University Carbondale artists to change their residences in the early 1970’s.  Shortly thereafter, Makanda found its resurgence as an artist haven. Dave Dardis, proprietor of Rainmaker Art Studio on the boardwalk, moved to Makanda with a few art school friends from SIUC in 1973.  He and his two partners rented out studio space for $40 a month. Because of the strong artist migration, Makanda is a thriving center for arts. Local art shop, Visions Art Gallery features works from more than 100 local artists.

 Makanda boasts two fairs per year in celebration of their rich arts and crafts foundations, with the annual spring Makanda Fest and the fall Vulture Fest. (Makanda Fest is the first weekend in May and Vulture Fest is the 3rd weekend in October)  The festivals feature live music, arts and crafts and in the fall, hundreds of black and turkey vultures. “I think that between our little village down here and the state park behind us, people just swarm down here,” Addington said.  Stuck said that the swarming was because “people with aesthetic senses automatically wanted to move in here.”

We spent an afternoon in Makanda and spent some time in several of the shops, and in Rainmaker's amazing garden behind the boardwalk.  

Makanda Trading Company

Makanda Trading Company offers a vast variety of art and gifts from around the world. There is something for everyone at the Makanda Trading Company. Open daily from 9am - 5pm.

618-351-0201

Visions Art Gallery

Visions Art Gallery features local artists and their works. Ranging from paintings, stained glass, to ceramics it is a must see on your visit to the valley of the arts. Open every weekend.

618-549-5523

PB&J

Rainmaker's Studio and Garden

Rain Maker Studio displays amazing metal work from jewelry, sculptures and fountains made by an internationally known artist. Visit the 1 acre sculpture garden year round. Open daily from 9am - 5pm

618-457-6282

There is so much more to enjoy in Makanda, we couldn't fit it all in to one afternoon!

How to get there:

Take I-57 to exit 45 onto 148.
Follow 148 North.
Turn left onto Grassy rd.
Twice you will turn/veer left to stay on Grassy.
Turn left onto Giant City rd.
Turn right onto S Church rd.
Continue on to Baptist Hill rd.
From here you will meet up with main street, go left for Allan Stuck's amazing art gallery or go right for the boardwalk!