Sometimes a free moment or a change in the weather can lead to an interesting afternoon.

We had been in Kankakee to have breakfast with my sister, Lori, who is from Seattle but was in town for a class reunion – not a celebration of their graduation from Central High, but that almost all their class turned 70 this year. They had much to do later in the day, and we planned to head to the Chicago Art Institute to see the exhibit of Gustave Caillebotte, of which I have written.

As we started to head north, we checked the radar on our phones and saw a downpour predicted for downtown Chicago about the time we planned to be there.

Recently, we had read about the tavern just south of Peotone that was supposed to be a 1920s hideout for infamous gangster Al Capone. I had read that this building had been restored and was still a bar.

We were already heading north on Route 50, so, “What the heck? Let’s see if it is open at noon,” we thought.

We pulled in to an empty parking lot, but we tried the door and were greeted by an older woman. We asked if it was open, and she assured us that it was. I asked if we could have a cup of coffee, and she responded that it wasn’t a restaurant but a bar. A bit early for me.

There was no one else in the place, and I started a conversation with her about the supposed history. I must have asked my early questions in a pleasing way, as we had her full attention, and the history started coming out.

We were told of the history here of Capone and even John Dillinger. We were shown other rooms, where fellow gangsters came, drank and slept the night. Even though it was a time of Prohibition, legally known as the Volstead Act, they were provided booze and often some women.

The walls are covered with photographs of the times and the people. Many were famous gangsters who made their millions through the illegal sale of alcohol. Our host told us several stories about Capone’s presence in this place, although this all took place before she was involved with the building.

Janice Teuscher and her husband had bought the building 40 years ago and returned it in many ways to its 1920s form.

We have all heard about how Dillinger escaped from a jail in Crown Point, Indiana, by using a wooden pistol the authorities thought to be real. Dillinger and another escapee stole the sheriff’s car and made their way toward Chicago and safety. It is believed, however, that they came to this bar, then and now named Miami Gardens, to hide from the police. They are said to have ditched their stolen sheriff’s car in the underground garage under Capone’s secret bar and used another car to make the rest of their getaway. That underground garage still exists.

There was always talk of an underground tunnel from the basement parking dug under the gravel road and the IC Railroad tracks for any necessary escape. When I inquired about that tunnel, Mrs. Teuscher replied that it long ago collapsed, and, of course, Route 50 is that former gravel road.

We agreed on a Coke instead of beer and continued our conversation. After about a half-hour, she got her first real customer, who settled in with us and added a point or two to the story.

Mrs. Teuscher then reached behind her and produced a large paperback book titled “Miami Gardens,” which was for sale for $20. I had to buy it. The name of the book and the tavern comes from Capone and an alternate hangout he often went to in Florida for whatever pleasure or personal business was required. He then at some point called his new creation by that name.

The book, which is a combination of many stories, articles and photographs that the author, William D. Tower, amassed, puts in a clearer picture of the times and the history of this corner bar.

Mrs. Teuscher even swore that the tales of bewitching on the premises were true, saying that, like others, she occasionally heard voices from rooms that were empty too!

We had so much fun with this lovely lady and her tour and history of those times that we never got to the museum. You can’t skip an opportunity when there is another day for the alternate.

If you have any interest in the rumors of gangsters, hideouts, crimes, murders and the like, it is a stop you must take, and it’s so close. It’s only a mile south of Peotone and on Route 50. But buy a drink. She will entertain you, and she lives right upstairs. The name out front says Edwin’s, but most really prefer the name Miami Gardens.

· Dennis Marek can be contacted at llamalaw23@gmail.com.