Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary & Arboretum — Attraction in Village of Somers

Put this in your GPS now even if you can't go right away, if you love hiking and nature this is the place to be visiting! My visit was limited to a small portion of this nature sanctuary due to severe weather and other things. This place is kept tidy, as you enter the drive from the street it feels like you're imposing on someone's property. The driveway is maybe 1/4 mile and there's a small parking lot. There seems to be some sort of indoor facilities, I suspect a gift and information shop, but I hadn't entered. There are plenty of signs indicating which trails you're going to and there are maps and brochures by the building that you pass on the way.

I stepped on the trail to be welcomed by a bunch of mosquitos but I pushed on, the trail is well-kept and clean and the fauna is amazing. On this hot day in the 90s I anticipated the mosquitos would be much worse, and as I was wondering why they weren't I caught a glimpse of damselflies all over the place. Since they eat mosquito larvae it seems they were doing their part to keep this park in balance. The sights that I came upon were amazing and I can see why professional photographers would setup professional shoots for clients here. There are benches for resting or just to enjoy the nature around you. I saw a lot of options for the trails and some were themed such as the flower one. I enjoyed going alongside the river, hearing the water moving along the rocks. I sometimes have bad luck with wildlife and once again I heard more than I saw, and I saw more than I could shoot.

This hideaway is a hidden gem that I never knew about despite living in Kenosha for many years, and I will definitely be coming back often. I plan to explore every part of this sanctuary & arboretum. Please be mindful and respectful of ongoing...

Went to Planets and Pancakes the other day and it was such an ethereal experience!

We pulled up at 3am and it was a tad spooky! There wasn’t any signage really but we followed the red lights into the middle of the main field to the conservatory.

Once we came upon the observatory we saw a handful of people milling about. I think it might have been better if they had someone that was hosting: maybe welcoming people and explaining what was happening. I wasn’t sure who was in charge, but there were a handful of people that seemed to know what we were looking for. That being said, it was friendly enough and they had a supply of zero gravity chairs for star viewing.

They have multiple telescopes all of amazing quality: one specializes in seeing planets, another targets a star’s exact coordinates!

After an hour of being out there in the chilly morning air; I started to wonder when they might initiate the pancakes.

We wandered to the main building and noticed two children manning the griddle. I was a tad grumpy at 4:30am and started to wonder when we would get the pancakes we were awaiting. The kids seemed confused as to what was happening, but got along fine after some goading from the adult I can only assume was in charge of them.

The pancakes ended up being a cute menagerie of stars and planets that were different colors! They also provided maple syrup that had been tapped from the local trees.

While I loved our evening/morning, part of me felt underwhelmed by what was offered for forty dollars between my partner and me. I do understand they need to raise money though so I know it goes to...

I recently got married at Ozanne Outpost/Hawthorn Hollow and cannot say enough good things about this venue. When looking for venues, we wanted something outdoors and were blown away by this hidden treasure! Hanni and her team with Culinary Infusion made the entire day, from start to finish, perfect. Throughout the entire process, from booking the venue to the day of our wedding, they were so helpful and kind (even when I had a million questions). They set everything up the day of our wedding, provided the food and bar and truly made everything go so smoothly. Not once did I have to worry about anything on our wedding day! Our guests were blown away by the food and the entire venue.

Laura and her team at Hawthorn also did such an amazing job! The venue itself is so beautiful and tucked away. Laura made sure the grounds were set for the day and drove us around in a golf cart to make sure we were able to get photos around Hawthorn. We rented the Pike House on the property for us and some guests to stay at as well, and the house itself is absolutely amazing. Laura was so accommodating with us and let us view the Pike House numerous times to make sure we had the layout and could figure out guest accommodations.

Ozanne Outpost was the perfect place for us to get married and I highly recommend having your...