A Slower Pace...

This past weekend we made a trip to Arcola, IL to visit Rockome Gardens.  Arcola is Illinois' largest Amish settlement.  Rockome Gardens is a bit of a "theme" park that showcases how the Amish live.  It is truly serene and strongly reminds me to simplify and slow down.  To share it with you, I've picked out some of my favorite pictures.

This is the view from the entryway.  Very quaint, isn't it?

Intricate rock sculptures enclose their beautiful gardens.

Buggy rides that symbolize their pace of life

For the young choo choo enthusiast, there's a child's playground too.

Just thought this was too cute.

Fun times :)

An enclosed stone wall hanging fern garden ~  One of my favorites

It was a very peaceful day that everyone enjoyed.  We strolled through the gardens, enjoyed the playground, watched the blacksmith at work, took a buggy ride, rode the train and visited the educational museum.  The kids also liked the "haunted" caverns.  Unfortunately, most of those pictures didn't turn out.  One that did, however, reveals a sense of humor...

I even made a stop at the onsite Amish grocery store.  There were lots of goodies to be had - a couple I plan to share later in the week ;)