The Safari in Central Illinois

It had been a couple of years since I visited AikmanWildlife Adventure in Arcola, Illinois, less than an hour from where I live. The first time, I was impressed and excited. I had never seen anything like this in a small town that’s basically in the middle of nowhere.

 

I had been anticipating having the same feeling when I returned recently, but I found it was even stronger as there was much more to experience as this adventure is like no other I’ve seen anywhere in the U.S.

James Aikman, whose family owns Aikman Wildlife, met me inside the shop, which  is also home to some of the smaller creatures, like Jax the McCaw, a lemur,  an iquana, and a sloth (for which they are planning encounters.

 

The dream for a park like this came from James and he and his wife, Kelsey, purchased the former Rockhome Gardens property in 2015. It is fittingly run with mostly members of their large family.

Just a walk around the property brings you next to free roaming peacocks, servals, spotted hyenas, wolf pups, and an aviary for  waterfowl. We went through a barn where some of the newer animals, many of who are rescues, are preparing to move to the petting zoo or drive through. We saw some pygmy goats who were on their way. This property is 40 acres and half of that is drive through. Five have not yet been developed.

 

There are many things to do at Aikman Wildlife, but my absolute favorite is the Off-Road Adventure, which you can get with the Behind the Scenes Adventure or on its own. It is what makes this place so unique.

 

You will feel like you are on a safari in an open-air jeep as the animals come right into the vehicle and you have a chance to hand feed them. This includes zebras,  donkeys, camels, bison, and more large creatures. They are friendly, especially when the prospect of food is there. It was something I repeated with Jim on this visit I took with my daughter.

 

If you aren’t quite so adventurous, don’t worry, Aikman Wildlife has many other options for your day that includes walking tours and wagon rides and walk-throughs.

Save some time for the Museum of Prehistoric Life. This wasn’t around on my previous trip and it’s an experience the whole family will enjoy. I love the fact that it’s all about hands- on. Touching the statues of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures is encouraged. All of them were 3-D  printed.

 

We also went to a building that was not there on my last visit, the Serengeti. This is the new venue center which is especially popular for weddings. Although the converted barn can have a reception for 200, you can have a ceremony in many different spots throughout the park.

The other thing that is new to me is the  Wildlife Manor, where they have opened the first of their cabins. You can sleep surrounded by animals right outside the building. The cabin sleeps up to six guests and can be booked through Airbnb.

 

Aikman Wildlife Adventure is located in Arcola, Illinois, in the middle of Amish country. Details on their offerings,  as well as the ability to purchase tickets in advance, is available on their website.

TWA Hotel Brings Back Lots of Memories

The first time I was in the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport in New York was when I was 11 years old. After years of taking road trips down south or cross country each year, we were taking our first flight. It was to Florida, and we were leaving out of this modern terminal on a jet plane.

It looked just as I remembered when I arrived at the TWA Hotel in the same spot as the old terminal. I had left the Viana Hotel in Westbury to spend  24 hours here before my flight home to Champaign the next day. 

From the moment I wheeled in on my scooter, I was transformed back into the 70s, with music from that period playing throughout the building, as well as photographs, memorabilia, and even cars. All was in bright colors, predominantly the TWA red.

 

Check-in to the TWA hotel was familiar at the counters previously used to check in to your flight. The ones that were not being used for that were spots for quick service food, forming a bit of a food hall with favorite New York comfort food such as Mister Softee Ice Cream and Feltman’s of Coney Island Hot Dogs.

 

I had a Deluxe Accessible Room, which overlooked an actual runway. It was designed to match the period and the airline, with things like a little amenity bag like you used to get on long flights, and a rotary phone. There was also luxurious robes and a very comfortable king bed.

 

I was really hungry and, even though it was cold and rainy, I headed up to the Rooftop Bar. There was a heated pool there from which you could watch the planes take off. I wasn’t that brave, but I stepped inside the bar and café, where I enjoyed a spiked hot chocolate and a delicious turkey sandwich with cranberry and brie.

 

It was time for me to put my feet up and get a little work done for  a few hours. There were blackout shades, and the rooms were very soundproof so the planes taking off did not disturb me.

My cousin, Marissa, who spent time with me in Chelsea, came to meet me for dinner at Paris Café by Jean Georges. It was far from airport food as we feasted on Shaved Broccoli & Kale Salad, Burrata, Tagliatelle Mushroom Bolognese, and Sesame Crusted Salmon, with carrot cake for  dessert.

 

I slept well in the quiet room with the shades down. In the morning, I met one of my oldest--in how long I’ve known her, not age—friends for breakfast at the Paris Café. Donna and I had gotten our journalism degrees and worked on the college newspaper at CW Post, now known as Long Island University, Post Campus.

 

She is now also a travel writer and we try to see each other at least once a year. We had a long overdue catch up and a delicious meal. I had banana pancakes and scrambled eggs, and Donna had an omelet (you can choose what you want in it, including smoked salmon). The coversation and the food was all great. 

There was time before my flight to explore more. I couldn’t help but smile as I made my way through the 70s, including a Sweet ‘N Glow Salon, Twister Room, displays of flight attendant uniforms through the years, and that famous TWA plane, Connie.

 

I opted to take an Uber to the  American Airlines  terminal as I had luggage, and it wasn’t that close. It was too much for me in the scooter. Most  people can walk and/or take the train that runs through JFK. There is also a direct door from the TWA Hotel to the Jet Blue Terminal.

It was a wonderful trip to New York, visiting family and friends, and discovering unfamiliar places. I thank the ILoveNY team for helping me with the latter and look forward to working with them again.

I was hosted for some of this trip, but views are my own.