Will County Fair 2026: Dates, Prices, and the $1 Day

For one Wednesday every August, the Will County Fair lets you in the gate for a dollar and puts your kids on carnival rides for a dollar apiece. We just moved to Manhattan, fifteen minutes from the fairgrounds, so this will be our family's first fair as locals. I did the homework before we go, and h

Free Splash Pads in the Southwest Suburbs (And Which Ones Charge)

Every splash pad list tells you where the water is. Almost none of them tell you the thing you find out at the gate: some of these are completely free, some charge your kids but not you, some charge everyone including the one year old, and non-residents pay double at most of the paid ones. Same wate

Moving to Manhattan, IL: Should You Buy a Home Here?

Ask most people in Chicagoland about Manhattan, Illinois and you will get a blank look, and honestly, that is part of the appeal. Manhattan sits at the southern edge of Will County's growth, a small town with farm roots, new subdivisions, and a train that starts here. I know the town well, because w