St. Charles: Scarecrow Fest trolley ride

St. Charles is gearing up to play host to its annual Scarecrow Fest, and getting around the expansive fall festival is as easy as hopping on the free trolley. The fun happens October 11-13, with trolley service available from 10 a.m. to 4:30 pm. One of these stops brings visitors to the "First State Bank Kids Zone" just south of the Main Street Bridge in downtown St. Charles. Activities at the kids zone will include scarecrow making, pony and carnival ride, Radio Disney and a live entertainment area. Children will also love other areas of the festival: scarecrow displays, petting zoo, car show, dog demos, pumpkin carving, ice cream eating -- the list goes on and on. So, pull up the schedule to plot your activities and your route around the fest. (There's also a handy shuttle bus to get you to and from parking lots.)

There's plenty more information about the festival online at http://www.scarecrowfest.com.

How time flies!
Here's one of my little guys enjoying the
Scarecow Fest petting zoo in 2007. 

South Elgin: Fox River Trolley Museum

A sign from local rail lines of the past. 

Stops included the

"Yeoman City of Childhood."

Red trolley! Trolley rides begin at the "Castle Muir" station
and gift shop at the north end of the property. 

Ooh, new velvet seats!
Keep your hands and heads inside the train, kids.

Waiting for the return train at the Jon Duerr Forest Preserve

Our brave girl and her dad on the hand car

Our family usually makes at least one trip to South Elgin's Fox River Trolley Museum each year. We often go in the fall for the Pumpkin Trolley, and many friends have made it a destination for their Polar Express Christmas program or other special events. This year we went during Trolley fest for the special treat of seeing and riding a handcar. For the fest, which was held concurrently with South Elgin's other RiverFest activities, the museum had extra rolling stock out for rides. We rode a car from the early twentieth century for the first leg of our journey along the Fox River, enjoyed the handcar and the beautiful scenery of the Jon Duerr forest preserve and then returned to the museum grounds via a Chicago CTA car. On the museum grounds, the kids enjoyed exploring other open cars and rail equipment. Some of collection is waiting for the time and resources for renovation, so there are a few cars that aren't much to look at, but the restored cars, the Fox River location and the knowledgeable volunteers always make it a pleasant outing. Be sure to watch for the Wood Cliff flag stop on the west side of the tracks during your ride.

Herself with the "new" train

Taking a look at the inside of a caboose

Some final words of wisdom