Archive for the ‘Central Illinois Attractions’ Category

FREE GOLF!

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Golf!  What a beautiful word which conjures visions of  sunshine, fresh air, challenge, fun, frustration, bets to be won on the next shot, camaraderie and liquid refreshment.  What could be better?  FREE GOLF!  Book your two night stay at the Market Street Inn and use our 4 passes to 18 holes per day.  The cart is on you. 

Taylorville Lake Shore Golf Course is rated 4.5 by Golf Digest and our golf guests tell us that it is a mature and challenging course.  Yes, there are some blackout dates and we urge you to check with us for those dates.


Tour of Homes in Taylorville

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Magnificent Mansions star at the Taylorville Home Tour which will be Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5 from 10 am to 6 pm.

The feature home is a 16,200 sq ft home built in the early 1960′s.Autumn & House Tour 009

The 1883 home shown here is also another of the fine homes on the tour. Autumn & House Tour 008

Additionally the restored Courthouse dome and rotunda will be on the tour. Tickets are available for $9.00 per person. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. A special “Winter Getaway” package is available for only $26.00 which includes the tour and “Taking Tea with Mrs. Lincoln” scheduled for Saturday only and tickets for this are only available at Cottage Rose Antiques and Crafts in Taylorville, IL. This authentically British tea will begin when the doors open at 10:30 am for a promenade amog tables set by local hostesses and serving at 11:00 am. Each guest will be served 6 sandwiches, a scone, three desserts and hot tea. A vintage and contemporary style show will be presented during tea time. For advance tickets, which are limited, call 217-824-9447. Make your reservation for your overnight stay at the Market Street Inn and ask for our Christmas Home Tour Special:   one night, single occupancy in whirlpool tub room w/ tea & tour     150.00;  one night, double occupancy w/ tea & tour, 175.00;   two nights w/ tea & tour, single occupancy –275.00;  two nights w/ tea & tour, double occupancy–295.00.   Act now due to limited ticket availability for tea.  Non-cancelable.


Simple Pleasures

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Sometimes the best times are not the big events. In fact, sometimes the simplest things create the most special moments. A spontaneous getaway to our Central Illinois bed and breakfast, with no plans other than serious rest and relaxation, can make for lovely lasting memories. It may not be as glamorous as jetting off to New York City or London, but heck, it’s a lot less expensive, too!

Taylorville Illinois is a peaceful, quaint town. We are close to Springfield, and often take advantage of all that great city has to offer, such as the historical sites about Abraham Lincoln, the Hoogland Center for the Arts, the Springfield Theatre Centre, and the Muni, Springfield’s Opera.

Often, however, we like to enjoy the simple pleasures of Taylorville. Walking less than a mile down the street to Gambino’s Family Restaurant, where we indulge in New Orleans cajun food and beignets. When we want a shorter walk, we head two blocks down the street to One East Market, Taylorville’s most upscale eatery. Live music happens at both of the restaurants from time to time, and that makes the food even better.

Lingering over coffee after a tasty breakfast here at our Taylorville b&b is another lovely way to pass the time, as is enjoying a soak in your whirlpool or curling up with a good book in our common areas. Be spontaneous. Let someone else pamper you for a while. Pack your bags and head down the road to Taylorville!


Visit a Frank Lloyd Wright Home

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Dana-Thomas House

Visit the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield

The Dana-Thomas House is a short drive from our Taylorville Illinois inn. Devotees of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural style travel all around the country to visit his buildings, and we are fortunate to have such a stellar example of his work so close to home.

The Dana-Thomas House is a renovation of an existing home. The Lawrence family, of Springfield Illinois, hired Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902 to renovate their home and create a showcase as well. By the time the work was complete two years later, the original Italianate style Victorian was entirely engulfed by the new structure. From the outset, it was recognized as “a symbol of artistic and architectural excellence” and today it is still considered “the finest example of the creativity and uniqueness characteristic of the Prairie School of Architecture” (quotes from Governor James R. Thompson, 1983).

The Dana-Thomas House is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from 9am to 4pm. Fill your tummy with a delicious home-made breakfast at our Springfield area inn, and then head out for a fascinating tour.


Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Alex Rodriguez

Throw your heart into the game, even if you are just watching.

Baseball season is underway. Fans gather around televisions, listen to radios, and fill stadiums in pursuit of this great American past time. The porch of our bed and breakfast in Taylorville Il is the perfectly spot to enjoy a pitcher of lemonade, a bowl of nuts, and the lulling voice of the announcer giving the play-by-play. Outdated, some might say, in this age of television. We have t.v., too, but sometimes it is worth revisiting old pleasures.

The front porch or the parlor chair in front of the television might just be as close as one can get to a major league baseball game here in Taylorville Illinois, but the spirit of the game is alive and well in the area nonetheless. Just a few miles up the road from our Central Illinois bed and breakfast is the B-R-S Baseball Museum. If you are a baseball fan, this museum is a lovely way to pass an hour or two while you are staying with us.

The Nokomis area of Central Illinois has produced many excellent baseball players; three of them not only made it to the big league, they made it the Hall of Fame: “Sunny” Jim Bottomley, Charles “Red” Ruffing and Ray Schalk. This museum is dedicated to them. Whether you are visiting the Springfield Illinois area for business or pleasure, if you have a spare hour, check out the B-R-S Museum.


Wine Tasting near our Central Illinois Lodging

Monday, July 27th, 2009
IMG_2029_edit_sig_vig

Enjoy a glass of wine on Market Street

Summer can be hot, and it is lovely to drink a cooling glass of chilled white wine when you are hot. Right down the street from our bed and breakfast near Springfield Illinois is the Market Street Wine Co., where there will be wine tasting on Saturday, August 1 from 2 – 4 pm. Owners Tim and Robbie Hamel are friendly and knowledgable hosts. We hope you’ll stop by and visit with them while staying at our Central Illinois bed and breakfast.


Come To The Christian County Fair

Monday, July 6th, 2009
Clarence the Bull

See Great Livestock at the Christian County Fair

This week, guests at our Central Illinois Bed and Breakfast will be able to attend the Christian County Agricultural Fair, hosted at the fairgrounds from July 7 – 15. The Fair is a meeting place for people from all walks of life, especially folks who live and work miles from any city. For them, this is an opportunity to learn about new products and techniques, and to swap tales with people in the same line of work. For city-dwellers, this event provides a rare glimpse into American agricultural/rural life. How often do folks from Chicago or St. Louis get to watch bull riding and tractor pull competitions? This is a great opportunity to learn about where our food comes from. What makes a prize-winning pig prize-winning? What characteristics do people look for in their beef cattle and dairy cows? The livestock shows are fascinating when you consider these questions.

Our Taylorville Illinois Bed and Breakfast is the perfect place to stay while you attend or participate in the Christian County Agricultural Fair; we are located just twelve blocks away from the fairgrounds. Fill up on a tasty homemade breakfast before heading out for the day, and share your experiences during our social hour over complimentary wine, beer and cheese after you return. We look forward to seeing you at our Victorian Bed and Breakfast in Central Illinois.


Taylorville Garden Walk

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

Looking forward to Taylorville's Garden Walk

Taylorville’s thirteenth annual Garden Walk is June 21, from 8 am to 4 pm. This year’s theme is  “Legends and Lace,” and it will take place rain or shine. The price of admission entitles guests to a free plant, a garden hat, complimentary tea at Hickory Estates all day, and entry into flower arranging contests.

Highlights this year are: “Lilies of the Field”, a double wide garden filled with 600 varieties of lilies; a high-profile vegetable garden on a high-traffic corner; a container garden at an apartment building; river rock lined garden beds filled with a wide variety of perennials; and more than one garden with a water feature. A “red Angus burger farmhouse lunch” will be served from 10 – 1 at the Christian County Farm Bureau, so bring your appetite.

We are really looking forward to the garden walk at our Central Illinois bed and breakfast. It is always fun to see what members of our community are up to in their gardens. There is always at least one garden that is unknown to us, hidden away somewhere and full of delights; and we always enjoy hearing about what guests of our Illinois bed and breakfast have discovered during the Garden Walk.


Fun Happenings at Taylorville Market on the Square

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
cherrys

Fresh Produce at the Taylorville Farmers Market

Farmers Markets are experiencing a resurgence in America as people become more and more aware that locally grown food tastes good. But traditionally, market days provide more than fresh produce; they showcase locally produced crafts ranging from candles to furniture to clothing; they offer food booths and baked goods; and they bring the community together with outdoor music.

Perhaps it is the music that creates such a celebratory air at the market. Shopping to music must feel good, or supermarkets wouldn’t bother piping it through their speakers. But live music feels as fresh as the carrots grown at the local farm. Listening to it feels as good as it feels to eat eggs hatched this morning.

This Saturday, June 6, the Illinois Heartland Brass Band will be at the Taylorville Market on the Square. Saturday, June 20, The Dixie Daredevils, a traditional jazz band from Peoria, will take the stage as part of the Great American Music Series. So plan a couple of Illinois weekend getaways to Taylorville, sashay through the market, and let your feet dance while you shop. It will feel good.

Our Victorian Bed and Breakfast in Taylorville is close to Springfield but feels far removed from the bustle of the city. This June, come stroll through the market, eat fresh food, and listen to good music.


BBQ, Blues & Cruise near Springfield Illinois

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Phatnoiz in Taylorville on May 30

Phatnoiz in Taylorville on May 30

The Taylorville Main Street Association is presenting a number of great activities here in Taylorville, less than 30 miles southeast of Springfield, Illinois. Come check out Barbecue, Blues & Cruise on June 4th & 5th at the Christian County Fairgrounds. Friday evening (no admission charge) from 5 to 10 PM “Talk to the BBQ Pros” and enjoy the Michelle Merker Memorial Concert.  Saturday ($5 admission)  From 10 am until 10:00 pm folks will be engaged in a Kansas City Bar-B-Q cook off, an Iron Chef competition and a Backyard grillers competition. While some folks cook and others taste, still others will be enjoying fantastic blues music from Big Babe Martin and the Chump Change Blues Band and The Manhattan Project.  

Start your day with a trip to the Farmer’s Market on the east side of Taylorville Square and pack a picnic, or enjoy good food from local vendors, and plan to make a day of it.  Also on the Square will be “Art On the Square”, a juried art fair which features beautiful paintings and sculpture and jewelry.

As if cook-offs and blues music aren’t enough, there will also be a Car and Bike Cruise and Show. This is guaranteed to be fun for vehicle aficionados of all ages. Taylorville is a perfect spot for Illinois Weekend Getaways. Come stay with us at our Central Illinois bed and breakfast and enjoy the Taylorville Main Street Association’s BBQ, Blues and Cruise on June 4th & 5th.


220 East Market Street | Taylorville, Illinois (IL) 62568 | (217) 824-7220 or (800) 500-1INN | Email: innkeeper@marketstreetinn.com