|
Each trip has a designation of a yellow N or a blue S at the top. Trips marked with the  are Northern trips and will generally have pick up locations from LaSalle/Peru north. Trips marked with the  are Southern trips and will generally have pick up locations from LaSalle/Peru south. Please be sure to check pick up locations at the bottom of each trip description before registering, as this is where you will need to meet the bus for departure.
2024 DAY TRIPS
 Wednesday, March 13, 2024
BILLY ELLIOT
PARAMOUNT THEATRE
We will begin our day with a behind the scenes tour. The Paramount is an award-winning theatre and you will get to learn about what makes it so! Over the last 11 years, the Paramount Theatre has been honored to be part of the Jeff Awards (Joseph Jefferson Awards celebrate the vitality of Chicago theatre for the past 50 years, recognizing theatre excellence) with 97 nominations and 27 wins, most recently taking home six awards in 2022 for their production of Kinky Boots! Now you will get to learn about what it takes to produce these award winning shows!
Following our tour, we will enjoy lunch in the Meyer Ballroom. Conveniently located directly across the street from the theatre, our buffet lunch will get us ready for an afternoon of entertainment.
Then it’s time for the show! The music of Elton John brings to life the story of Billy Elliot, an 11-year-old English boy who stumbles upon a ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson. His surprise love for dance must be hidden at all costs, especially from his coal miner father. With the help from his sharp-tongued teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy gets the chance to attend a prestigious ballet school and must decide what is most important: doing what he loves or doing what other people want. Billy Elliot is a coming-of-age story that inspires us all to do what you love no matter what other people think. BE TRUE TO YOU.
Cost: $110 per person
Fee includes: Transportation, tour, lunch, show admission, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart LaSalle Flying J at 8:30 a.m. / Mendota Civic Center at 8:50 a.m. / Rochelle Petro at 9:30 a.m.
Return to Rochelle at approximately 4:50 p.m. / Mendota at 5:30 p.m. / LaSalle at 5:45 p.m.
AND
 Tuesday, May 7, 2024
SANFILIPPO SPRING SWING
Travel with VISTA Club to Barrington Hills, IL to experience the beautiful Jasper Sanfilippo Estate, featuring the world's finest collection of automatic musical instruments. Before there were jukeboxes and radios, there were nickelodeons and orchestrions, ingenious mechanical music machines that played the music of the day to entertain the public. The Sanfilippo Collection has on display the largest variety of these restored instruments in the world!
We will begin at noon with a sit-down, elegant luncheon in the Sanfilippo Carousel Pavilion. Demonstrations of Dance, Band, and Fairground Organs with Big Band favorites will follow lunch, and guest may roam the pavilion collections, including boarding the train cars. The 1890 Eden Palais Carousel will also be demonstrated. Guests are encouraged to dress in their best Spring outfits and most striking hats!
At 2:00 pm we will head over to the Sanfilippo Residence and into the theater for an 80-minute live Theater Organ Concert with Organist Zach Frame on the 7,000+ pipe Wurlitzer Organ. Selections will include Big Band favorites, Swing, and music from the Great American Songbook. Re-live the nostalgia of one of the greatest eras in music!
Following the concert guests may roam the Sanfilippo Residence and its Collections of Automatic Music Instruments for 45 minutes, with many machines being demonstrated by Docents.
Swing into Spring at the Sanfilippo Estate with an afternoon filled with a delicious meal wonderful music!
Cost: $150 per person
Fee includes: Transportation, lunch, concert, tour and all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart Schnuck’s in Normal at 8:30 a.m. / LaSalle Flying J at 9:30 a.m. / Rochelle Petro at 10:10 a.m.
Return to Rochelle at approximately 6:20 p.m. / LaSalle at 7:00 p.m. / Normal at 8:00 p.m.
 Wednesday, May 29, 2024
DEATH BECOMES HER
CADILLAC PALACE THEATRE
Madeline Ashton is the most beautiful actress (just ask her) ever to grace the stage and screen. Helen Sharp is the long-suffering author (just ask her) who lives in her shadow. They have always been the best of frenemies…until Madeline steals Helen’s fiancé away. As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that’s to die for.
After one sip of Viola’s magical potion, Madeline and Helen begin a new era of life (and death) with their youth and beauty restored…and a grudge to last eternity.
Starring Tony Award nominees Megan Hilty (Wicked, Smash) and Jennifer Simard (Company, Disaster!), Death Becomes Her, based on the classic 1992 film, is a drop-dead hilarious new musical comedy about friendship, love, and burying the hatchet…again, and again, and again.
Prior to the show, we will enjoy lunch at Randolph Tavern, directly across the street from the theatre. Menu selections include Cadillac Chopped Salad (market greens, tomato, corn, avocado, applewood bacon, bleu cheese, buttermilk ranch), Black Angus Burger (served on a potato bun with fries, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion) or California Club (grilled chicken, applewood bacon, avocado, Swiss, ground mustard on multigrain).
Join us for this World Premiere of Death Becomes Her. Life’s a bitch and then you die. Or not!
Cost: $125 per person
Fee includes: Transportation, lunch, show admission (lower balcony - center), all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: LaSalle Flying J at 8:15 a.m. / Mendota Civic Center at 8:30 a.m. / Rochelle Petro at 9:15 a.m.
Return to Rochelle at approximately 7:00 p.m. / Mendota at 7:40 p.m. / LaSalle at 8:00 p.m.
AND
 Wednesday, June 19, 2024
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S LAURENT HOUSE AND ANDERSON JAPANESE GARDENS
Travel with VISTA Club to Rockford, IL to experience beautiful Japanese gardens and an architectural gem! We will tour Anderson Japanese Gardens, a beautiful, outdoor setting that inspires the mind and energizes the soul. Construction of Anderson Japanese Gardens began in 1978, when Rockford businessman John Anderson was inspired by a visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon. With the ongoing assistance of renowned Master Craftsman and designer Hoichi Kurisu, the Anderson's swampy backyard along Rockford’s Spring Creek was transformed into a Japanese-style landscape. From groundbreaking to today, the placement of every rock, alignment of every tree, and layout of all paths has been made with careful consideration by Mr. Kurisu. Their twelve-acre landscape of streams, waterfalls, winding pathways, and koi-filled ponds has been rated one of North America's highest quality Japanese gardens for more than a decade.
We will experience a farm to table fresh lunch at Fresco at the Gardens. Fresco has partnered with local suppliers to provide you with the ultimate dining experience. Lunch selections include Fresco Club, Tuscan Chicken Sandwich, Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad or Mango Berry Salad. Be ready to make your selection when you call to reserve your spot.
We will tour an authentic Frank Lloyd Wright home located in Rockford, Illinois, the Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent House is one of only 11 hemicycle Usonians in Wright’s extensive portfolio of work. It is also the only home designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright to be wheelchair accessible. In the fall of 1948, the Laurents, impressed with Wright’s Usonian style architecture, commissioned him to design a home that would allow Ken, a paraplegic, to move about freely in his wheelchair. Forty years before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Wright created a blueprint for an open-plan, single-story home that could accommodate Ken’s unique needs. In reflecting on the functionality of his home, Kenneth Laurent shared, “This house helps me focus on my capabilities, not my disability. That is the true gift Mr. Wright gave to me.” The Laurents lived in the home from its completion in spring of 1952 until early 2012 when it was purchased by the Laurent House Foundation. It opened as a public museum in June 2014.
Cost: $125 Per Person
Fee includes: Transportation, tours, lunch, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart Schnuck’s in Normal at 7:00 a.m. / LaSalle Flying J 8:00 a.m. / Mendota Civic Center at 8:30 a.m.
Return to Mendota at approximately 5:00 p.m. / LaSalle at 5:15 p.m. / Normal at 6:15 p.m.
Friday, August 16, 2024
MATILDA THE MUSICAL
FIRESIDE DINNER THEATRE
The Tony Award-Winning Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is a captivating masterpiece packed with high-energy dance numbers and catchy songs. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind, a vivid imagination, and psycho-kinetic powers dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results. Unloved by her cruel parents and evil headmistress, she impresses her teacher with courage and cleverness in a joyous celebration of one girl’s triumph over what’s “not right”.
Prior to the show we will enjoy browsing the spectacular Fireside gift shops and have a memorable dining experience in one of the Fireside’s beautiful dining rooms. Menu selections include Chicken Alfredo with Linguine, Roast Pork Tenderloin or Grilled Atlantic Salmon. All meals include a signature salad, fresh baked bread, coffee, tea or milk and Pecan Turtle Ball Sundae! Please be ready to make your menu selection when you call to reserve your spot.
Cost: $125 Per Person
Fee includes: Transportation, lunch, tickets, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart LaSalle Flying J at 8:00 a.m. / Mendota Civic Center at 8:20 a.m. / Rochelle Petro at 9:00 a.m.
Return to Rochelle at approximately 5:35 p.m. / Mendota at 6:15 p.m. / LaSalle at 6:35 p.m.
 Friday, August 23, 2024
NUNSENSE
LITTLE THEATRE ON THE SQUARE
Join VISTA Club as we travel south to Sullivan, IL to Little Theatre on the Square for their production of Nunsense! Nunsense is a hilarious spoof about the misadventures of five nuns trying to manage a fund-raiser. Sadly, the rest of the sisterhood died from botulism after eating vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia Child of God. Thus, the remaining nuns—sister Leo, Sister Robert Anne, Sister Mary Amnesia, the Mother Superior Sister Regina, and mistress of the novices Sister Mary Hubert—stage a talent show in order to raise the money to bury their dearly departed. With catchy songs and irreverent comedy, Nunsense is sure to keep audiences rolling with laughter!
Prior to the show we will stop at Yoder’s Country Kitchen for lunch—featured on America’s Best Restaurants in 2022! Yoder’s not only has a buffet of Amish-style meals, but it also has a full bakery of tasty foods guaranteed to leave you feeling satisfied. Yoder’s is a one-stop shop for dining and quality Amish gift shopping. Be sure to try the finger lickin’ good broasted chicken and homemade pies!
Cost: $125 Per person
Fee includes: Transportation, lunch, show, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: LaSalle Flying J at 8:30 a.m. / America’s Best Wenona at 9:00 a.m. / Schnuck’s Normal at 9:40 a.m.
Return to Normal at approximately 6:00 p.m. / Wenona 6:30 p.m. / LaSalle 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
OKTOBERFEST
Join VISTA Club for all a day out enjoying all things German!
Our setting will be the beautiful Jacob Henry Mansion in Joliet, IL. In 1873, wealthy railroad magnate, Jacob A. Henry built his imposing mansion on Eastern Avenue, which was then referred to as "Silk Stocking Row." He employed a master craftsman from Germany along with three cabinet-makers to fashion the elaborate carved interior. It took three years to complete, and has 16,800 square feet consisting of over 40 rooms. The main floor is most elaborate in carving, and the black walnut and oak is hand rubbed to attain the satin finish. Each room contains an ornately carved fireplace. The deeply recessed windows are guarded with shutters on the inside. These fold back into casings for the sunlight to enter and also serve as storm windows in the winter. Sliding or pocket doors, carved and inlaid separate the rooms from the main floor. Its main feature is a magnificent staircase made of solid walnut with a half-landing surrounded by 119 hand carved octagonal spindles of burled walnut. The Jacob Henry Mansion won the Architecture Award at the American Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia in 1876, and is claimed to be the largest and best example of Renaissance Revival architecture still standing in the state of Illinois.
Then we will enjoy a German feast—slow cooker German-style pork roast, sauerkraut and potatoes, & pretzel rolls with coarse brown mustard. We’ll finish with a delicious warm apple strudel!
And finally, a German band will perform for us. Jimmy’s Bavariens range throughout the spectrum from the old "oompah" favorites to many of the newest stimmung medleys brought over directly from Munich. Some songs are originals, both in English and in German. Vocalists and instrumentalists are always featured.
Don’t miss out on this festive day with your VISTA Club friends!
Cost: $105 Per person
Fee includes: Transportation, self-guided tour, lunch, show, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Schnuck’s in Normal at 8:00 a.m. / America’s Best Value Inn in Wenona at 8:40 a.m. / Flying J in LaSalle at 9:10 a.m.
Return to LaSalle at approx. 3:30 p.m. / Wenona 4:00 p.m. / and Normal at 4:45 p.m.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
CHRISTMAS BAKERY BUS
Join VISTA Club on this sweet-filled Christmas trip as we visit multiple bakeries on the north shore of Chicago! We will visit 4-5 bakeries, enjoying samples, treats and shopping time at each location, and stop for an included lunch along the way. En route to each location, we will enjoy a fully narrated tour including the history of Christmas traditions from a variety of cultural groups such as the Greek, Polish, German, Italian, Irish and Chinese. The bakery tour will begin in Lake Forest, IL and end in Evanston, IL. In addition to visiting adorable bakeries, we will travel along the beautifully decorated Sheridan Road and even drive by the Home Alone House in the village of Winnetka! Get into the holiday spirit with your friends from the VISTA Club!
Cost: $130 Per person
Fee includes: Motor coach transportation, lunch, bakery stops with samples, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: 8:00 a.m. LaSalle Flying J / 8:15 a.m. Mendota Civic Center / 9:00 a.m. Rochelle Petro.
Return to Rochelle at approximately 6:45 p.m. / Mendota at 7:30 p.m. / LaSalle at 7:45 p.m.
For More Information:
|