Thanks to a last-minute recommendation from our awesome photographer, Mindy, this is where we took some of our most beautiful engagement photos. The garden features waterfalls, streams, koi ponds, winding paths, and so many beautiful flowers!
A mom and pop shop diner, this is our favorite place to get breakfast on the weekends. Lydia's is a blend of traditional American breakfast and Tex-Mex classics. Steven's favorite is the Ice Hogs and Sarah always gets the Davis Park--fun fact, a lot of menu items are named after places in Rockford. And the coffee? Ridiculously good.
This local brewpub is one of the very first local restaurants we tried when we moved to Rockford. Its outdoor patio on the river is just a short walk from our house--even shorter when the footbridge is open. Try the Wavey Blonde or the Screw City, two of Steven's favorite local brews.
Rock Cut is our go-to camping, kayaking, and fishing spot. It has picnic areas, walking trails, a swimming hole, and RV and tent camping. We love to get ice cream from their concessions after kayaking on the lake!
This is one of our favorite local places, and we've gifted a good number of things from here to our friends and family. You'll love it if you're into offbeat antiques, taxidermy curiosities, and eerie historical artifacts.