Outdoors, but not nature, between Chicago and Normal, Illinois?
July 12, 2021 7:07 PM Subscribe
I'm living with an immunocompromised person, so my vaccinated self and a vaccinated friend would like to meet somewhere outdoors. I would also like to avoid grass/ticks and water/mosquitoes. Are there wide-paved trails or restaurants with extra-spaced outdoor seating, somewhere approximately halfway between Chicago and Normal, Illinois? Unremarkable but ok restaurants, as well as especially weird/cool suggestions, are welcome.
Best answer: Slightly offbeat suggestion but there is a spooky monsters themed mini-golf course in Joliet called Haunted Trails that also has gokarts and a batting cage .
The food they serve is inside the arcade building and probably crappy but there's pretty extensive picnic tables on the grounds if you wanted to pick up sandwiches at Marishkas. There are also a lot of low-key iconic hot dog restaurants around Joliet, and great Mexican food.
Also this is not on 55, so maybe more of a triangle than in the middle but Peoria has a good downtown/riverfront outdoor
dining zone. Ottawa might be worth a look too.
posted by wowenthusiast at 9:31 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
The food they serve is inside the arcade building and probably crappy but there's pretty extensive picnic tables on the grounds if you wanted to pick up sandwiches at Marishkas. There are also a lot of low-key iconic hot dog restaurants around Joliet, and great Mexican food.
Also this is not on 55, so maybe more of a triangle than in the middle but Peoria has a good downtown/riverfront outdoor
dining zone. Ottawa might be worth a look too.
posted by wowenthusiast at 9:31 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hwyengr at 8:57 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]