Lindsey and I went home for the weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday and for Easter Sunday. On Saturday, my mom, dad, sister and I went to Top Golf in Naperville. 

When we got to Top Golf, we knew it was going to be crowded because it was a beautiful, sunny and somewhat warm day. We were told it was going to be about an hour and a half wait for our spot. We started going through the process of registering and getting our membership cards, which everyone is required to have. 

Next, while we waited, we went up to the rooftop terrace bar to get a couple of drinks and appetizers. It felt really strange to be on an outdoor terrace in March, but we definitely had to take advantage of it. There was a large bar as well as tables and a few seating areas with couches, a bags set and a couple of other lawn games. 

I had the red sangria and the others ordered beers. For food we ordered the pickle fries and the queso. My sister and I are fried pickle fanatics, but we never tried pickle fries before. They were so good! They were just like normal fried pickles, but cut into thin strips and deep fried with a necessary side of ranch. 

The queso was really good too. It was a cheesy dip with a hint of beer and salsa. My dad said the accompanying tortilla chips were the best tortilla chips he's ever had in his life. 

We finished our food and drinks and almost right on time, we received a text message that our bay was ready. We ended up getting a second floor bay, which I think was more ideal than a ground level so you can see the targets in the grass a little better. 

I was a little nervous at first because me + golfing = not a thing. Unless we're talking mini golf, but this was full on swinging a club and hitting a ball. I didn't really understand the whole concept of Top Golf until I was taking my first turn. Actually, I still don't really understand how it works because the technology is so bizarre.

Everyone's name was entered into the computer monitor and we were instructed to pick the "classic" game to start. The facility is set up like a typical driving range, but in the grass area, there are colored targets that contain rings that are worth a certain amount of points. Each colored target is worth more points the further the target is. 

When it is your turn to swing, you just step up to the mat and wave your club over a sensor which then releases a ball. Somehow, and I have no idea how, if you hit the ball into a target, the information is communicated to the computer monitor almost instantly. But I didn't think about it too hard. I was more concerned with drinking and trying not to knock out the group of people next to us with my club. 

My dad was up first. Like most things in life, if he doesn't understand it, he thinks it's stupid. At first, he didn't really realize that you had to aim for the targets and he was just swinging like he would at a normal driving range and ended up with only 9 points. You have 20 turns and can take them all at once, or break it down into five swings at a time, which is what we did. 

I was up next. By some insanely rare miracle, I was able to hit each of my balls into a target! Also, I didn't think ahead and only had my booties with me when I left my apartment, so that's what I had to wear (because I know you're all judging me). 

The game ended and the winner was none other than my dad, who kept hitting the ball all the way to the back fence for 50 points each time. 

The next game we played was TopScramble which divided our family into two teams. My parents were on one team and my sister and I on the other. I made a comment that whoever loses would have to buy dinner, but I immediately regretted it because I knew we didn't stand a chance against my dad. And I'll just leave this right here... 

I blame the beer.

Top Golf is a really awesome group activity if you're looking for something different and fun to do for a birthday party or just hanging out. There are a ton of locations in several different states and it is open year-round. Even if you're not a great golfer and are wearing heels -- If I can do it, you can too!

Later on we went to CityGate Grille in Naperville. It is actually located inside of an office building which is kind of odd. You probably wouldn't notice it just driving by. The food was really good. We started with bread with roasted garlic. Lindsey and I split the burrata salad. 

It was pretty and really tasty. For my meal, I ordered the spinach and artichoke flatbread. 

It was a cream cheese base with mozzarella, spinach, and artichokes on a pizza crust, but there's nothing wrong with that. I deserved it. 

After dinner we went back home for gifts and cake for my mom's birthday. It was a super fun family day!