After leaving Chicago, we headed to Rockford, Illinois where our first stop was the Anderson Japanese Gardens … what a peaceful oasis.
We loved the ducks swimming around various areas of the property. You can see two just coming under the bridge.
But sometimes they traveled in threes.
We loved the beautiful display of fall colors …
and all of the peaceful places to sit and enjoy the experience.
We also had an amazing supper at Brio dining by the fireplace … some of our favorites were the Asparagus Tempura and Hawaiian butterfish with a light coconut curry brother, caramelized asparagus & ginger rice … love this place.
The next day we headed to Madison for a tour of the Olbrich Botanical Gardens … another wonderful display of fall flora. This was the view from the top of the pavilion in the Rose Garden looking out to the lake.
The mums provided such vibrants pops of color to the landscape.
The grasses were amazing too.
The highlight for us was the gorgeous Thai Pavilion and Gardens. The pavilion is only one of four located outside of Thailand. The others are in Germany, Norway, and Hawaii.
We also enjoyed the Bolz Conservatory … a little tropical oasis in the middle of Wisconsin. There were vibrant blooms …
and fun little birds (this one is a Canary).
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And of course it wouldn't be vacation without more great food. Lunch was Monty's Blue Plate where our meals were delicious, the waitress kept us laughing, & dessert was out-of-this-world. Here's Rod enjoying his Coconut Cream Pie.
Supper was a Sa-Bai Thong, where you can never go wrong with one of their delicious curries.
And yes, in case you were wondering, there were quite a few stops at Stamping Stores too along the way, but I'll save that summary for the next post.