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Well, let’s see what happens here: for the Love of Chicago Southland! A recent trip led to an exploration of a few of the 62 suburbs that make up the area. The area includes most of the suburbs south and southwest of the city of Chicago. This post will give you some context on why you should visit the area while in the Greater Chicagoland! The adventure starts with Wind Creek Resort and Casino in East Hazel Crest, IL. While time limited us to a few of the cities, the time we spent driving to our scheduled destinations showed us more of the area.
By the way, our host for the two days is Visit Chicago Southland. Check them out here. To paraphrase their tourism information, there are so many things to do that the only thing you can’t do is see everything in a weekend! And here’s a link to more about Illinois.
Wind Creek is the second-highest-grossing casino in Illinois. Wind Creek Chicago Southland isn’t just another Illinois casino; it’s actually operated by Wind Creek Hospitality. (Check here for their online presence.) This organization serves as the gaming and entertainment branch for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians—a federally recognized tribe that calls Alabama home.
Check this out. It's the All Fifty Club! If you are interested in learning more, follow the link.
Wind Creek acts as our home – for the Love of Chicago Southland
Well, for two days! Our visit to Chicago Southland centered around Wind Creek, as we enjoyed the many amenities. Check out here for more about Wind Creek. While we had other adventures in the afternoon, the morning and evening were dedicated to Wind Creek
So, we toured the casino area and took in the spa facilities in the morning. Following our outing (see below), we had a delicious dinner at the Alto Steakhouse on the top floor of Wind Creek. Check out more on Wind Creek here. (Link to more about Wind Creek.)
A Day with Blue Pearl Candles and More
After checking out the new Wind Creek Chicago Southland, we hit the road for the day’s real adventure. While our route took us through several different spots, we decided to spend most of our time in Homewood, IL. With a population of about 20,000, Homewood definitely has its own distinct vibe. It shares that classic ‘Southland’ DNA you find in the suburbs south of Chicago, but it really stands out from its neighbors. From its unique layout to the specific local gems it offers visitors, it felt like a totally different experience than the surrounding towns.
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We had lunch at the Stoney Point Grill, made our own custom candles at Blue Pearl Candles, and toured the unique outdoor art by Richard Haas in Homewood before returning to Wind Creek for dinner. Check here for the link for more about the afternoon’s events.
Here’s the link to more information about our day in town. And here’s a link a the site about Homewood.
Gayety’s Chocolates (and ice cream!)
See below for more about Day two.
Fantastic place! Two of my favorite food groups! Chocolate and ice cream! (The others are pizza, burritos, and chocolate chip cookies!) Here’s a link to more about Gayety’s.
Flossmoor Brewery & Chicago Gaelic Park and more
For our second day adventures, we had breakfast at Grady’s Diner followed by Gayety Chocolates and almost immediately lunch. I ate too much! Lunch took us to Flossmoor Station Brewery, Lotton Art Glass for glass-blowing demonstrations, and Chicago Gaelic Park, an Irish club with many community activities. Here’s the link to more about the rest of the day.
Want to see a shop for my road trip photos? You can have them printed as wall art or puzzles. They also work on coffee mugs, t-shirts and more! So, take a look. Maybe you'll see something you will like!
Wrap up for Chicago Southland
The visit to Chicago Southland turned out to be a very educational and rewarding experience. We learned about a few places to eat and partake in activities. We learned that Chicagoland is much more than Chicago! And we learned that the area, while encompassing a large region with many cities and people, is like a collection of small towns!
I’ll leave you with one more thought. A number of cities in the area have names that also occur in other states, so if you are in any of these while in Chicago Southland, please don’t think you suddenly were teleported to the state listed to the right!
Burbank California
Glenwood Minnesota
Harvey North Dakota
Lansing Michigan
Phoenix Arizona
Riverdale New York
Thornton Colorado
Crete Nebraska
Frankfort Kentucky
Crestwood Missouri
Lynnwood Washington
Robins Iowa
Summit New Jersey
I hope that’s good for a laugh, or at least a small chuckle! (Or maybe a groan.) (By the way, if you can find an inconsistency in the city names in Chicago Southland and the cities in the other states listed above, please let me know here. You’ll win a prize – my eternal gratitude!)
In all seriousness, there are many city and place names repeated in many states. The most common names appear to be Washington with nearly 90 places, Springfield with 41, and Franklin with 35.
Thanks again for reading, and let me know if you want more information about anything here. Be sure to visit here for the Love of Chicago Southland!
Classic Rock Recollection
“Wind on the River” by John Stewart
There is something in the sound of drums
In the rhythm as the river runs
Tells me you’re the only one
Here for me
Written by: John Stewart
#thedrivebytourist #VisitChicagoSouthland #ChicagoSouthland #WhereBoringDoesntExist
