They don’t call it Lake County for nothing. Home to 75 inland lakes and a beautiful Lake Michigan beachfront, Lake County is the perfect setting for fun on the water. So much so that Visit Lake County recently launched a new boating website, BoatingLakeCounty.com.  This new site will be updated all throughout the boating season, be sure to check back often for new information.

The website is not exclusively about boating, however. It features cool downloadable apps for your smart phone, updated weather conditions, local maps and suggestions for all sorts of fun activities on the water in Lake County.

If you’d like to while away the afternoon canoeing or rafting, you can find listings of rivers and marinas in the area that offer these services. The listings also offer information on sailing and campgrounds where you can canoe all day and enjoy the great outdoors at night.

On this new website, fishermen will find no shortage of locations to cast their reel. Whether you’d like to go it alone for some peace on the water or charter a fishing boat, Lake County can accommodate. From the forest preserves to the park districts to the Lake Michigan shores, opportunities for fishing are abundant in Lake County. At the harbors of Winthrop and Waukegan you can hop aboard one of over one hundred charter fishing boats and sail the blue waters of Lake Michigan. Whatever time of the year you go, you’ll find expert charter fishing captains ready to make your time on the water a great one.

Or if you’re looking to spend the day or the weekend with family and friends and want to

have options when it comes to activities, check out the Lakes/Rivers section on the site.

Sailing off Waukegan Beach by Mike Trahan

From Illinois Beach State Park that offers camping, hiking and biking trails, and picnic areas, to the award winning Lake County Forest Preserves, you’re sure to find something for everyone to enjoy.

Two of the attractions found on the site that offer the most boating and waterfront activities in Lake County are Chain O’Lakes State Park and the collection of Forest Preserves throughout Lake County.

Located in the heart of Illinois’ largest concentration of natural lakes, Chain O’Lakes State Park is a water oriented recreation area with outstanding opportunities for boaters, anglers and skiers. The park borders three natural lakes, Grass, Marie and Nippersink, as well as the Fox River. The park also contains a 44-acre lake within its boundaries.

Comprised of more than 6,000 acres, the Chain O’Lakes park includes two campgrounds with over 230 sites with a youth group area that accommodates 150 youngsters, seven picnic areas and trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding with horse rental and horse-drawn wagon rides during the warmer months. Hunting, ice fishing and ice skating are offered in the fall and winter months.

Sprinkled throughout Lake County, you’ll also find a vast collection of forest preserves that offer innovative educational, recreational and cultural opportunities for all ages. The Lake County forest preserves consist of more than 30,000 acres of land and visitors enjoy more than 150 miles of trail for a variety of outdoor recreation uses, fishing ponds and lakes, public access to the Fox River and the Lake Michigan shoreline, award-winning nature and history education programs and events, and three public golf courses. Open from 6:30 a.m. to sunset every day of the year, the forest preserves are home to notable attractions like the Discovery Museum, Greenbelt Cultural Center and Ryerson Woods.

BoatingLakeCounty.com also offers helpful resources for boaters. You’ll find boating

Sailing on Sylvan Lake by Mike Trahan

applications, waterway user fees and sticker information, and boating safety and education materials.

From finding fun to staying safe, BoatingLakeCounty.com is your complete resource for boating and water recreation in northeast Illinois, check back throughout the summer for new information. For more on Lake County and its other attractions, check out VisitLakeCounty.org.

Season Opening Car Nite at Miller’s Dog n Suds in Ingleside  
Ringing in its 46th year as one of the best hot-dog-stands in the Chicago Area, Miller’s Dog  N Suds is welcoming summer back with style at their season opening Car Nite on Saturday, May 25. The first 100 classic cars will receive a dash plaque and everyone will their favorite 50s and 60s songs, performed by Scotty Hicks 39 & Holding from 6:30-9:30.

Illinois State Beach in Zion 
If your inner beach bum has awoken from its winter slumber, and is looking for some sand and sun, then head out to Illinois State Beach in Zion where you’re bound to find the perfect spot to celebrate the start of
summer with your friends and family. It might be little too chilly to go swimming this early in the season, so bring some firewood and keep a look out for a designated fire pit to cook up your first bonfire of the summer.  Be sure to check beach advisories, through Lake County’s Swimcast, throughout the season so you can check out the water quality before you get there!

1st Drag Boat Races at Thunder on the Chain at Blarney Island on the Chain O’ Lakes
If you’re looking for a nice, quiet way to relax, then this event is not for you! Start your boat engine, or hop aboard the shuttle to Blarney’s Island for some more high paced entertainment. Professional drivers and enthusiasts alike will be revving up when they face off for the first of 16 weekly drag boat races on Thursday, May 30th. With great food, drinks and DJ dance parties, this might be your perfect start to your summer…but leave the kids at home.

Lambs Farm is a nonprofit organization that has expanded into a 72-acre campus that provides residential and meaningful vocational services to more than 250 individuals with developmental disabilities every year. Its businesses and attractions include Lambs Industries, a farmyard, Cedar Chest Thrift Shop, Sugar Maple Country Store, Magnolia Café & Bakery, and Dogwood Pet Shop & Boutique.

From May 14 through May 21, Lambs Farm hosted some of the country’s most beloved horses – the Budweiser Clydesdales!  Visitors could see the nearly 2,000 pound horses outside the farmyard area, and Lambs Farm hosted a parade for a more close-up experience on May 18.

For young visitors, the farmyard is a favorite attraction, which is open daily from 10 am until 5 pm.  In addition to face-to-face encounters with farm animals and a petting area, the farmyard offers other attractions, including a miniature train ride, carousel, miniature golf, and a bounce house.  Admission prices are available here.

In addition to the Clydesdales, Lambs Farm hosted Train Days on May 18 and 19, offering children and opportunity to participate in train-related activities and view model railroads from the Valley Model Railroad Association.

Lambs Farm is located at 14245 W. Rockland Road in Libertyville, just east of I-94.  For more information on Lambs Farm’s businesses and attractions, visit their website.  Upcoming events include the Lambs Farm Charity Car & Bike Show on June 1 and a Father’s Day Brunch on June 16.

Don’t worry – the snack bar has better offerings than hay and carrots.

This Saturday, May 18 the farm will be having an open house from 10am – 1pm. You will be able to purchase organic plants, meet the farmers, visit the chickens and baby goats, and support the farmers growing local food in Grayslake. A wide variety of beautiful organic plants will be available for sale in addition to free-range eggs and other farm products from the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm, Gretta’s Goats, Midnight Sun Farm, Radical Root Farm, Sandhill Family Farms, and Yaw-Ye Farms. Organic vegetable Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares will be available from several farmers, pastured pork CSA shares from Yaw-Ye Farms, and free-range turkey from Midnight Sun Farm. Purchase handmade goat milk soap from Gretta’s Goats while visiting the baby goats born on the farm this spring. Come connect with the farmers at the Prairie Crossing Farm! A special children’s farm scavenger hunt will also be offered.

This is definitely an opportunity you don’t want to miss. I really enjoyed my time at the farm this week and I know all families will too.

The Prairie Crossing Farm is located at 32400 N. Harris Road in Grayslake. Despite what internet maps indicate, Harris Road does not connect to the farm from Route 120. Enter Prairie Crossing via Route 45 at Jones Point Road and follow the signs to the Farm. Event parking will be along the side of Harris Road.

Leaving the platform was not that bad, going up the hill was worse than I originally thought. From the ground it does not appear to be as steep of an incline as some of the other coasters have, but when you are going up, you are looking directly back at the ground. Seeing people we know standing on the ground watching and waving at us, I did not want to let go, but I did and waved back to them. They looked so small standing there watching us. The coolest view is when you hit the top of the incline and can see the whole ride, you are only there for about a second or two so take in the moment quickly. Then it is a fast 90 seconds back to the bat cave. The twists and turns where pretty sweet backwards, but going upside down backwards is definitely not for me. I will admit, that freaked me out a little bit. Otherwise, I have to say that riding backwards was a pretty amazing experience. Now, people have asked me, did you get dizzy or anything after it? My co-worker and I both said that our equalibrium was off. I would probably not ride it back to back, but it is something that I will go back to Six Flags this summer and ride again. I am hearing that it is only going to be going backwards for a short time, so I will head back pretty soon. I would encourage everyone to get there soon as well, to ride backwards before they turn forward again. I would recommend when getting to the park, to either ride Batman Backwards or Raging Bull first as both of them will have long lines.

With that, here is me screaming loudly on Batman Backwards! Like I said at the end of the ride, “That was Awesome!”

Anthony Massa, Front Desk Supervisor, Lincolnshire Marriott Resort

When I am on vacation I love walking into a hotel and being greeted by a smiling face at the front desk. I am already excited to be away from my normal day life and ready to kick back and relax. That smiling face makes me feel as if I am welcomed and they are glad that I am staying at their hotel. Anthony Massa is that smiling face that will greet you as you walk into the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort. He loves meeting new people and making sure that guests have a great time at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort. He found his passion for helping people when he worked at a summer camp when he was younger and helped campers check into their cabins and introduce them to their counselors. From that moment, he knew the hospitality industry was the place for him. Anthony started out as a bellman at the Marriott and quickly rose through the ranks while attending college. He enjoys the opportunity to hear guests say that they had the best time at his hotel and they will be returning. He really enjoys the outdoors. During his spare time you will find Anthony Scuba Diving and Rock Climbing as they are his two favorite activities, but he will also be found mountain biking, and participating in any type of water sport. Here are some questions that we asked Anthony on why he loves working in the tourism industry.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
The thing that I most enjoy about my job is being able to meet many different kinds of people. When working in a hotel you learn so much about the different types of cultures and lifestyles. Working at a hotel also gives me the opportunity to be able to make people smile and have a better day than what the where having.

How does tourism affect your job?
Tourism directly affects my job. We give accommodations to the people that travel into the area. If people do not travel then we are not able to sell rooms.

What gives you the most joy when serving guests?
I enjoy the most when a guest comes up to me at the end of their stay, and they tell me that they had the best time at our hotel and will be coming back to see us.

What lead you to joining the tourism industry?
I started working at a summer camp in the Florida Keys. My job was to check in campers into their cabins and show them their consoler’s. There were campers from all over the country. I was able to help make their time at our camp a great one. Ever since that time I have been tied into the industry.