Garden Gate Floral

I love to see historic buildings preserved and used for local businesses. I'm especially fond of train depots.
I was surprised to see a photo of a depot in Washington where Khoury's Cuisine now sits, and was sad to realize it was torn down. Actually, I have grand dreams of living in an old depot one day.
One town that has preserved their depot is Mackinaw. Last used as a depot in 1953, this is a beautiful brick Spanish-style building with a terra cotta tiled roof.
Located at 310 N. Main Street, the depot now hosts Garden Gate Floral, among other businesses.
Stopping in the Garden Gate recently, I found the shop filled with Christmas decor galore. Even if you are a petite person, you will probably feel a bit like a bull in a china shop in this cozy shop.
Garden Gate Floral does custom floral arrangements in addition to the decor and gifts carried in the shop. The prices on their Christmas ornaments actually seemed quite reasonable, compared to some shops I've visited.
There is also a tea room on site. I tried dining there one time, but was turned away because we did not have reservations, so if you want to check it out, be sure to call ahead.

Illinois Wine Festival

This weekend, June 2 and 3, the Central Illinois Wine Festival will be held at Mackinaw Valley Vineyard, on Route 9 in Mackinaw.
I would love to go, but we might not make it due to a benefit for Michelle from the Hofbrau, who was injured in a car accident.
The wine festival will feature live music (Sunday a blues challenge), food, wine tasting from several Central Illinois wineries, and even a car show. Tickets are $12 which scores you five tasting tickets and a souvenir glass.
Saturday the festival runs from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (gotta love drinking wine at 10 a.m.) and Sunday from noon-7 p.m.

Mackinaw Valley Vineyard

A great place we have discovered, thanks to some friends, is the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard on Rt. 9, four miles east of Mackinaw. On a nice Sunday afternoon, StfRon and I went so he could check out the place. I had been before with friends and knew that the grounds are very well landscaped and relaxing.
StfRon and I started in the tasting room and ended up buying a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers and sharing it down by the lake, where the area was still set up from a wedding the night before. This also gave us the idea to consider the winery for our upcoming reception.
The winery normally has about six or seven different wines available for free sampling, or you can buy a glass to enjoy indoors or on the grounds, or you can buy a bottle to share (or several to take home). They have cheese and crackers available for purchase. If you want something more substantial, you can bring along a picnic.
The grounds are very nice. You can walk along the grape vines, sit on the deck in a rocker or walk around the lake nearby. The owner told us about an historic cemetery out at the end of the lake, which was neat to see.
For more information, see the website at http://www.mackinawvalleyvineyard.com.