Rockford may not be the first spot that comes to mind where you’re planning a late-winter getaway. Yet this city, named for a rocky ford where the stage line once crossed the Rock River, has all the ingredients that make for a weekend of winter fun.
Take Rock Cut State Park, for example.
Despite the fact that it lies at the northeast edge of one of Illinois’ largest cities, Rock Cut offers a delightful mix of low-key outdoor adventure and winter solitude.
The park takes its name from blasting operations in a rock outcrop during construction of a railroad in 1859. You can still see portions of the old road bed below the spillway that holds back the waters of Pierce Lake.
One of two manmade lakes within the 3,100-acre park, Pierce Lake (162 acres) is a retreat for people who want to fish, ice fish or ice skate. The second lake, 50-acre Olson Lake, is set aside strictly for swimmers and, in winter, ice fishermen. Panfish and the occasional walleye have been the mainstay of ice fishing this season.
Rock Cut has an extensive trail system that includes 10 miles of marked and maintained cross-country ski trails. The main trail circling Pierce Lake is 4.25 miles long; trail maps are available at the park office.
Most park roads are kept open in winter. Keep an eye peeled for white-tailed deer as you drive through wooded areas. A variety of birds, including red-tailed hawks, juncos and cardinals are easily spotted in a few minutes’ casual bird-watching.
If you’d like to include an overnight stay in your visit to Rock Cut, the park keeps a number of wooded campsites with electricity open in winter.
If you prefer your winter fun less frigid, Riverview Ice House, in Riverview Park, offers year-round indoor ice skating. Olympic champions and Olympic hopefuls have trained here. Bring your own skates or rent them.
When you’re ready to come in from the cold, Rockford’s Time Museum–a five-minute drive south from Rock Cut–features an internationally acclaimed collection that includes some of the most beautiful, rare, ornate and unusual timepieces ever created.
Housed in the lower level of the Clock Tower Resort, the museum focuses on the historical development of timekeeping devices during the last 5,000 years. The extraordinary collection ranges from an ancient Chinese sundial to a cesium atomic clock. There are compendiums (a sort of portable sundial), 17th Century French decimal-dial clocks and watches, elegant clocks with cases made of rare woods, tortoise shell and hand-painted–all works of art from around the world.
The museum’s comprehensive collection of pocket watches documents the achievements of American watch production and contains watches produced by virtually every American manufacturer. Several noted manufacturers were based in Illinois–the Rockford Watch Co., the Illinois Watch Co. (Springfield), the Elgin National Watch Co. and the Aurora Watch Co.
The elegant galleries (thick carpeting, display cases that light up at a visitor’s approach, comfortable chairs when it’s time for a brief break) are filled with the gentle ticking of centuries-old clocks that mark the hour with an assortment of chimes, bells and the occasional “cuckoo!” A 20-minute introductory video is shown at frequent intervals.
Downtown, the Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum (“cottage” as in Newport, Lake Geneva or Mackinac Island) is the city’s historic home showpiece. Standing atop a low bluff just west of the Rock River, the 20-room Swiss-style home was built in 1865 by Robert Tinker, a wealthy collector, artist and world traveler.
The home features intricately painted wall and ceiling murals, elaborate parquet floors and detailed woodwork. Among its treasures are diamond dust mirrors, porcelain vases, Hawaiian artifacts from the early missionary era and oil paintings from around the world. Eight different types of wood are found in the two-level library, which features a magnificent spiral staircase that took craftsmen three years to build. The library alone is worth a visit.
If you’re traveling with children, Discovery Center Museum (downtown) is a hands-on, family-oriented museum for children of all ages. You can investigate scientific principles, make your hair stand on end, walk through an infinity tunnel and explore the universe in a planetarium. There are family programs, traveling exhibits and “Tot Spot,” especially designed for youngsters age 5 and under.
The Rockford Art Museum, located in the same building as Discovery Center, houses a permanent collection of 19th and 20th Century American art. Changing exhibits feature the work of regional and nationally known artists. Lectures and films are also offered.
Right next door is the Burpee Museum of Natural History, housed in two historic mansions. There are exhibits on animals and their habitat, birds, rocks and fossils, including North America’s second largest crocodile, and a huge collection of stuffed birds. “Indians of the Rock River Valley” tells the story of historic and prehistoric Native Americans who lived in northern Illinois.
Rockford has a lively performing arts scene that includes the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Rockford Dance Company and Rockford Community Concert Association. The season is September through May.
In theater, New American Theatre, Rockford’s acclaimed professional theater company, presents “Tartuffe,” Moliere’s hilarious classic (Feb. 11 through March 9). Rock Valley College’s Studio Theatre just ended a run of “The Star Rover.” The Clock Tower Resort Dinner Theatre, a highly regarded regional theater, presents “A Grand Night for Singing,” a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical review, now through May 10.
Rockford is 88 miles northwest of Chicago via Interstate Highway 90. For more information on the city’s attractions, contact Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 211 N. Main St., Rockford, Ill. 61101; 800-521-0849.
ROCKFORD’S WINTER ATTRACTIONS
– Rock Cut State Park, 7318 Harlem Rd., Loves Park; 815-885-3311. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily in winter. Admission free; campsites $10 per night, including electricity.
– Riverview Ice House, 324 N. Madison Ave., Rockford; 815-963-7408. Public skating hours vary; call for details. Skating fees, $3.75; skate rental $1.75.
– The Time Museum, Clock Tower Resort, 7801 E. State St. (at the junction of Interstate 90); 815-398-6000. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: adults $3, age 55 and up, and college students with I.D., $2, ages 6-18, $1.
– Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum, 411 Kent St. (one block west of Hwy. 2 south); 815-964-2424. Guided tours Tuesday-Sunday at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Admission: adults $3, age 65 and up $2, under age 17, $1.
– Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St. (Hwy. 2 north); 815-963-6769. Open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. Admission: adults, $3, ages 2-18 and over 55, $2.50.
– Rockford Art Center, 711 N. Main St.; 815-968-2787. Open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. Admission free (donation suggested).
– Burpee Museum of Natural History, 737 & 813 N. Main St.; 815-965-3433. Open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m. Admission: adults, $3, ages 3-13, $1, free admission on Wednesdays.
– New American Theatre, 118 N. Main St.; 815-964-6282. “Tartuffe” includes evening and some matinee performances, tickets $10, $12 and $14; reservations recommended.
– Studio Theatre, 3301 N. Mulford Rd.; 815-654-4296 (noon-5 p.m. weekdays). “The Star Rover” includes evening and some matinee performances. Individual tickets, $8.
– Clock Tower Resort Dinner Theatre, 7801 E. State St. (at the junction of Interstate 90); 815-398-6000. Show only tickets available. Call the box office for performance days, times and rates.
