We've made the drive from Indiana to Iowa a few times now so that we can visit The Arrow's aunt and uncle. In fact, our most recent trip was for their wedding! It's a little over 6 hours and our son is 2 1/2, so we definitely have to plan at least one stop for him to burn off some energy. Since it is mostly rural from start to finish, there aren't exactly endless attractions and options for fun on the road in this part of the country.
The Peoria RiverFront caught my eye when I was planning our trip. It's directly off I-74, and pretty close to a halfway point for us. We found it to be a great stop for our restless little guy.
The Arrow wasted no time getting a good run in.
I wished I had brought along a little soccer ball or something to play with in this wide open plaza. Next time! But it was a great place to watch the big boats go up and down the river.
It didn't take The Arrow long to spot a playground at the
Joe's Crab Shack right on the water. We weren't hungry for a meal, so we just ordered up some drinks and let The Arrow loose.
(More on why I love playgrounds while traveling here.)
In The Arrow's eyes, the lemonade was almost as good as the playground.
And then it was time to run back to the car to finish our trip!
If You Visit:
Peoria RiverFront
Runs along several blocks of Water Street in Peoria
Features restaurants, shops, a marina, lots of special events, concerts, etc. We didn't even scratch the surface of what this area offers during our 45-minute stop.
Insider Tip: Free 2-hour parking is available at the RiverFront Village and the lot across from the Illinois Antique Center.
This post is a part of Photo Friday at
Delicious Baby.
Good to see Dad getting out for a run too!
ReplyDeleteWe have a 5 1/2 hour drive that we do semi-regularly and I live for that half way break. Looks like you've found a good one.