Rockford: sock monkeys and Japanese gardens

On the Rock River in rural northern Illinois, Rockford holds the origin of the iconic American sock monkey along with splendid Japanese-style gardens.

The downtown, known for its sock monkeys and Japanese gardens, requires a car to navigate between distant neighborhoods.

The Anderson Japanese Gardens, among the finest Japanese gardens in all the United States, recreates evocative Zen landscapes with ponds, wooden bridges and meticulously pruned plants.

A few minutes away, the Midway Village Museum faithfully recreates an entire historic village with various original buildings dating to the nineteenth century.

Continuing along the river, you visit the Discovery Center Museum, an interactive science museum designed specifically for families and curious children.

Towards evening, the downtown neighbourhood comes alive with restaurants in converted textile factories from the city's industrial past.

The Rockford sock monkey, created in the early 1900s by a local factory worker using socks from the city's numerous textile mills, remains a beloved American icon still produced and sold locally today.

The Anderson Japanese Gardens, ranked among North America's finest Japanese gardens by international experts, was gradually constructed beginning in the 1970s on what was originally swampland.