How is your summer bucket list going? We know what you need to add to your list! You need to go glamping at Sankoty Lakes near Starved Rock with your family and friends! The Messy Mommies booked two tents at the last minute for the Saturday of 4th of July weekend and our way to brief visit was so awesome!

 My parents have a beautiful cabin at Lake Wildwood which is near Lacon, IL and for the 4th of July weekend we had lots of family and dogs at the lake! A few days before the 4th weekend Messy Mommy Holly and I were talking about that maybe our two families should try to stay near somewhere near the lake so they rest of the family would have a little more sleeping room at the cabin. We started googling options. Stared Rock was sold out and there are not a lot of hotels or airbnbs in the area. I stumbled upon Sankoty Lakes and the glamping tents and the gorgeous property looked amazing! I sent the link to Holly and shared that it looked like they still had two tents available at this beautiful Midwest wilderness retreat!

We knew the 4th of July weekend was so busy and crossed our fingers that we could still get in! Kim with Sankoty Lakes was so helpful! We were able to book the last two tents that happened to be right next to each other for Saturday night! I explained that we wouldn't be arriving until after the fireworks so probably around 10:30 pm and Kim said security would be able to check us in when we arrived. I have to give a shout out to the security team! They were fantastic with our late arrival and helping us check-in to our tents! 

The girls and our sweet dogs, Ginger and Rocky were as excited as the grown-ups to check out our very cool two bedroom glamping tents! We quickly unpacked and tried to build a fire. We didn't have much luck with our fire but enjoyed sitting out on our deck drinking wine and chatting with the bullfrogs and lake noises in the background.

Now, you may thinking that you are not sure if glamping and tent living is for you! Well, Sankoty Lakes glamping is fabulous! Our glamping tent walls were canvas and then there is a wood floor and wood walls! We had one bedroom with a queen bed and one bedroom with bunk beds. There is a nice kitchenette with a table with chairs and a TV that connect to your streaming platform. The girls had YouTube on in the morning! And, one of the best features - a great full, indoor bathroom! You also have a firepit, picnic table and so nice sitting area outside your tent. Great glamping design!

In the morning Rocky, Ginger and the girls loved walking down the road to check out Sankoty Lakes and I was impressed with the great attention to detail in the design of each glamping tent site and the beautiful grounds. As we walked you could tell families were well prepared for their glamping adventure as bikes were near tents, coolers, and outdoor lawn games dotted the area. The RV path seemed packed with happy visitors as well!

Our Messy crew was way less prepared! Holly and I had been planning with my mom for our fun 4th of July at the cabin and we didn't spend much time prepping for our glamping adventure! I had packed muffins and cereal for breakfast but had forgot the milk! Tony ran to a near by gas station and picked up coffee, milk, eggs, bacon and rolls for more provisions! Tony and Matt had a great time in the morning building a roaring fire and they cooked breakfast over the fire which was great fun! 

Matt, Holly and Eleanora had to get back to Chicago for other 4th of July fun and we had to get back to Lake Wildwood so unfortunately we did not have time to explore and experience more of the fabulous features of Sankoty Lakes on this trip. We did swing by to check out the pretty clubhouse that overlooks the lakes and check out the lovely Woolly Bugger restaurant. You could sit outside and have drinks while overlooking the lakes while the kids play yard games. There is a great place for swimming with cabanas and of course there is incredible trout fly fishing and other areas to fish at Sankoty Lakes! You can also rent kayaks and bike around the beautiful lakes!

Thanks to everyone that entered our July Messy Mommies Gas Cards Giveaway! Congratulations to Angela from Texas for winning two $25.00 gas cards! We hope the gas cards put some sparkle into your July! We thought this was a great way to kick off the 4th of July with a bang! We love to celebrate America with family and friends at the lake! We knew driving plans might be fizzling with the crazy gas prices and we wanted to help! We loved seeing all of our Messy friends' comments about their 4th of July plans and what they were making for the festivities! From backyard cookouts with BBQ and potato salad to pool parties with pasta salad, patriotic fruit trays, and red, white, and blue drinks, to fire pits with s'mores and so many other great celebrations - we loved hearing about how you all planned to celebrate! We hope your 4th of July celebrations were filled with great fireworks and great fun with your family and friends! We'll see you soon again on Instagram with another fun giveaway! Thanks Messy crew for joining in the 4th of July Gas Cards Giveaway fun!