Rockford Attraction Tops Yahoo’s List of Craziest; Wonderful Things in Illinois [LIST]

If you want to experience some of the crazy and wonderful things Illinois has to offer this holiday weekend, you won't even need to leave town.

If you are hitting the roads this weekend, god bless you. Memorial Day weekend travel is historically the worst. Airlines expecting the busiest summer in the history of U.S. air travel and on the roads, AAA is expecting 33 million people will be driving to their destination; that's a 10-year high.

Save yourself the time and the headache; one out of eleven of the most unique attractions in Illinois, according to Yahoo Travel, is right here in Rockford -  the Anderson Japanese Gardens.

Established in 1978 by John R. Anderson and Japanese landscape designer, Hoichi Kurisu, the gardens spread over 12 acres and were declared the best of their kind in the U.S. by the Japanese Journal of Gardening. I have yet to get there so I guess it's time to make a trip.

If you've already been to the Anderson Japanese Gardens, here's a list of some other great things taking place in the Stateline area this holiday weekend and most of the summer:

1. Young at Heart Festival, 100 Heart Blvd, Loves Park, Opens Friday at 6 p.m.

2. Magic Waters, celebrate warmer weather during opening weekend, beginning May 22nd, 7820 Cherryvale North Blvd, Cherry Valley. Weekend hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3. Memorial Day Parade, starts at 7th Street to Park Avenue in downtown Rockford, begins at 9 a.m. to noon.

4. Downtown Rockford Sculpture project, Downtown Rockford, see the sculptures everyone's been talking about at all hours.

5. Rockford City Market, opens today (May 22nd) on East State and Water Streets from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

6. Nicholas Conservatory, The Lego Exhibit, 1354 N 2nd St, Rockford

These events should keep you pretty busy, but is there anything I missed?

See a full list of all the events in the Stateline here.