John Deere green, that is!
We decided to play local tourist on Sunday. We went to John Deere Historic Site. It was interesting and has changed a lot since the last time I was there (in 3rd grade...).
This is Rick the Blacksmith. It was just the Mr., myself and the kids in our tour group (Patty was a great guide!). He gave us a fantastic blacksmith demostration and was SO funny and passionate about Mr. Deere and what Rick does for a living! (picture from the website)
It was $5/person over the age of 12. We thought it was worth the stop. Plan to spend about 2 hours there.
PS: We got the Deere/Reagan homes combo ticket for $7/person
We decided to drive on west and visit the John Deere Pavilion. We got to check out the equipment, play with the exhibits and check out all the JD merchandise.
We were a little disappointed by this but I would still like to do the JD factory tour.
Our next stop was the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home (our 40th President). We had taken that tour previously, but it was still fun to see where he lived and hear a little about his life. Little Miss didn't remember being there before...
It was $5/person over the age of 11. It was a worthwhile stop. You can make this stop in about an hour.
I did pick up a little souvenir on our 'travels' - this is steel leaf pendant made in the blacksmith shop at the JD Historic Home site. A little reminder that something as small as a plow blade made 177 years ago, has become the corporate giant it is now. A small dream that has become something he never would have dreamed of.
That pendant is awesome! So pretty.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to see history and have fun at the same time. Pres. Reagan's home must of been interesting, too.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like so much fun!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love playing tourist at home!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great afternoon visit. My grandfather owned John Deere equipment and I would find this interesting.
ReplyDeleteWe have been to the John Deere Pavilion and several of the other sites in Moline. Very interesting and well worth the time to check it out. The Quad Cities have a lot of John Deere things to offer. Unfortunately, we've never been to Reagan's boyhood home or to Detour at the original John Deere Museum. On the old 'to do' list. Maybe later this summer.
ReplyDeletemom
what a fun day! I really like the pendant as a reminder of the day, for sure! I wish I had gone to more of this kind of place when I lived in Illinois, but I just wasn't that interested in the history of where I grew up... I guess it was too 'ordinary' to me, or something. Your blog post makes me think I need to plan some 'hometown-tourist' type activities of my own for this summer!! (well, transplanted hometown tourist, anyway- lol!)
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