Wander Woman: Bringing home the best ideas from elsewhere

A kayak tour through Starved Rock State Park has roots that reach to Alaska.

In the spring 2023 issue of Starved Rock Country Magazine, Janée Matteson described the inspiration behind her businesses, Kayak Starved Rock and Kayak Morris. Matteson embarked on an Alaskan cruise in 2010 and participated in a kayak tour where she experienced a new side of nature: vibrant-colored starfish, whales, eagles and towering cliffs.

It was an experience she believed she could emulate in her home tourism region of Starved Rock Country – kayak tours could introduce visitors to the rivers, sandstone bluffs, bald eagles, islands and lotus flower fields around Starved Rock State Park.

That’s one of the beauties of travel: inspiration abounds beyond the borders of our home turf. There are endless ideas to be found – and brought home.

During visits to national parks, my family spends an evening exploring the nearest gateway community on foot. Two of my favorite gateway communities include Medora, North Dakota (near Theodore Roosevelt National Park) and Grand Marais, Minnesota (near Isle Royale National Park).

One reason I adore them is for holding onto their small-town charm, but they also won my affection with their accommodations for visitors. One feature especially stood out: both communities offer centrally located public restrooms.

On trips when hiking is our main activity, we tend to pack picnic lunches and don’t have access to restaurant restrooms. Many shops don’t offer public facilities, so downtown exploration sometimes gets cut short if the need for a restroom arises and one isn’t available.

Utica is the gateway community to Starved Rock State Park, which has attracted 2 to 3 million annual visitors in recent years – through Oct. 31, the 2023 visitor tally hovered close to 2,016,000. That influx of visitors leads to more foot traffic in the village, which is why I was delighted after a Utica Village Board meeting in September. At the meeting, Mayor David Stewart outlined ideas to enhance the north end of Mill Street – one of those ideas includes the installation of a public restroom. That’s a benefit to tourists and locals alike.

Utica does a good job at drawing inspiration from other destinations and asking, “Can we make this work in our community?” A popular attraction in Batavia is the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, an outdoor retail plaza featuring 12-by-12-foot huts where artisans and small businesses can sell their wares Fridays through Sundays, mid-May through mid-December. Utica plans to begin development of a similar plaza in spring 2024. This not only serves as a tourism attraction, but also adds a shopping destination for local residents and a storefront option for small or developing businesses.

Many of our region’s favorite events and attractions have roots elsewhere. Take Ottawa’s annual Chris Kringle Market, for instance. The outdoor market is patterned after Christkindlmarkets in cities like Chicago and Aurora, which were inspired by German street markets commonly celebrated during the four weeks of Advent.

The Hocus Pocus Hags also have a German origin – the volunteer dance troupe rooted in Putnam County is a seasonal favorite for their elaborate witch costumes and performances each October. The troupe’s founders launched the group after seeing a viral video of the German troupe, Wolfschäger Hexenbrut.

As a Grundy County native and longtime La Salle County resident, I’m grateful to have these kinds of attractions close to home. I spend one to two weeks a year traveling; for the other 50 weeks, it’s nice to live somewhere with high quantity of options for entertainment, recreation and amenities.

Have you encountered attractions, infrastructure or ideas during your travels that you believe would blossom in our region? I would love to hear about them. Feel free to share your thoughts with me at jbarichello@shawmedia.com.

Julie Barichello is the editor of Starved Rock Country Magazine and is a graphic designer for Shaw Media’s niche publications. She can be contacted at jbarichello@shawmedia.com.