I finally found my way to the Grosse Point Lighthouse. I wasn't sure where I was actually supposed…read moreto go at first--Google Maps sent me to the driveway to the homes just south of the lighthouse--but finally found my way. There's a lighthouse next to this area that's shared with the beach just to the east, so I think it could be tricky to find a space if the lighthouse is your primary stop, given the hours that the light house is open. I haven't had a chance to explore the lighthouse itself, but I have wandered the grounds, which are maintained by the Garden Club of Evanston. There's a lovely little trail here and a trail that heads down to the beach. I'm looking forward to visiting the lighthouse and checking it out sometime soon.

Nice place, gorgeous lake with a beach nearby. Very pretty. The grass is little wet due to…read moreyesterday's rain. Parking is free for Evanston resident, but I'm coming from out of state, so i paid 3 dollar for one hour. Played balls with my daughter's dog. Beautiful place.

My organization has rented out their main space for a holiday party for families/kids for the past…read moretwo years and have had really good experiences with both. Parking is easy with their own lot. The space is beautiful and spacious. We were able to use several 6-foot long tables and chairs. You practically feel like you get the whole place to yourself, too. They also have cool birthday themes that you can check out if you're looking to host a birthday party. Such as an Animal Party whcih includes rubber stamps to make a take home project or "Space Out" to make your own model comet. There is so much here that I don't know if I can cover from summer camps to community gardening to Critter Care that you can volunteer for. Best of all, the Evanston Farmers Market goes indoors from December to April and is hosted here in the Ecology Center.

A great place for any large event. I was here for a wedding ceremony and they did an amazing job…read more You have to have your own coordinator but for the price it is totally unbeatable. Nice grounds with trees for wedding photos and plenty of space for up to 150 people. A friend had their kid's 16th bday here and said it is a great option even for dancing. Bring everything yourself or cater but save lots that way. A parking lot across the street as well, plus plenty of street parking around.

Blast from the past. It's a must see for a family pic! If…read moreyou are ever in Winetka stop by.

Such a fun Chicago tourist spot to come and see the Home Alone House! The house itself is owned and…read moreoccupied but currently going through renovations. The inside seemed to be completed in 2025 but the landscaping is currently being worked on. I loved the sign out front still nodding to the movie but this was such a fun and easy stop to make when exploring the Northshore.

Went to visit the mini Leaning Tower. A Historic place. Went early Saturday morning and no one was…read morethere. Glad to have gone during the summer. As the water was filled, grass was green, and green trees/bushes. Area was clean. Very small area. Lots of seating though facing the tower. We walked the area and took pictures 5-10min. Parking is at the wholesale warehouse or the Aldi parking lost next to the Tower.

It was so cool to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa replica right here in Niles! The entire area was…read morevery clean and nice to walk around. We visited at a time when there were no other people there, which made it a very peaceful experience. They have nice seating options and a water fountain on-site if you want to sit and take it in. The only minor issue was parking. There is currently some construction going on around the site, so it wasn't completely clear where we were supposed to park. Once we figured that out, it was a great quick stop. Definitely worth checking out for a fun photo op and a bit of unique local history!

It's a 4 star if you are into this type of thing...it's not really my thing, which is why it's a 3…read more This is Chicago's oldest house, according to the literature. Pros: The guides are extremely knowledgeable. Our guide was a history major & she knew every little thing about the house & and its history. She also grew up in the neighborhood. One guide was a biology teacher & when we were outside, she told us all about cicadas, more than the generic info you read about in the news. It's really pretty & the interior was filled with old wedding dresses & it's history. Interesting fact I observed... wedding dresses don't seem to go out of style. The wedding dresses were numbered & correspond to a phamlet detailing its history. It's a recommendation of $5-$10, affordable & you do your part on old building restoration. Cons: It's a very small house.

Check out some old Chicago history. If looking for the oldest place in the city then come here for…read morea look. The Noble-Seymour-Crippen House is the oldest structure. Even though it wasn't a part of the city for a long time, it is now and it's older than anything else. Pretty much this is used for banquets and stuff mostly even though it's also a museum but you can make an appointment to visit. Before coming here it should be known this isn't like a museum that a lot of people know about. It's used mostly for events. Things like weddings and that. It has pretty limited hours if just coming to look around. This is open only Saturdays. It's the oldest known structure in the city. The oldest part was built in 1833, and the addition was built in 1868 or so. Among the artifacts are a collection of things found in the ground collected in an archeological dig. There's objects like buttons, guns, toys, and more. Other exhibits show the history of Norwood Park and what it was like. This place is also the home of the Norwood Park Historical Society and is where they have meetings. Good place to check out if you can make the limited hours. It's a must if wanting to learn more about the local history and what it was like back then. This is also pretty popular for those looking to have some big event like a wedding or whatever.

My husband and I had our wedding at The Woman's Club of Evanston in October 2025, and we truly…read morecannot recommend this venue enough. The space is gorgeous on its own -- not a blank slate at all -- so we didn't need nearly as many decorations or flowers as we did at other venues we considered. Our guests raved all day about how beautiful and unique the building was. One of the biggest advantages is that the entire venue is yours for the day. There are no other weddings or events happening at the same time, which makes everything feel calm, special, and centered on your celebration. We had a Sunday brunch wedding, held our ceremony downstairs (very cozy and intimate), and our reception upstairs in the ballroom. The flow between spaces was seamless, and the ballroom floor is amazing for dancing. The sound system was excellent -- speeches and music were crystal clear. Gretchen was wonderful to work with throughout the planning process. She provided vendor recommendations, kept us on track to meet deadlines, and answered all of our questions. We used J&L Catering for our food and Schaffer's for alcohol, and both were excellent and the liquor from Schaffer's was a significant cost savings. Another huge bonus: so many essentials are included with the rental, such as tables, chairs, silverware, and plates. At other venues, those items can be surprisingly expensive to source. Logistically, this location is hard to beat. There are several hotels and great restaurants within walking distance, making it incredibly easy for our out-of-town guests to enjoy an entire weekend in Evanston. Our local guests appreciated that parking is free in Evanston on Sundays and close to the venue. There are also plenty of bathrooms on the same floors where all the events take place -- a small detail that makes a big difference for guest comfort. Finally, it felt meaningful to support a historic building and philanthropic organization rather than a large hotel chain. Overall, we highly recommend The Woman's Club of Evanston as a premier wedding venue in the greater Chicagoland area. We couldn't imagine having celebrated anywhere else.

A perfect wedding venue. I fell in love with the Women's Club of Evanston the moment I walked in…read morefor a tour. It is a gorgeous old mansion with deep roots; the manager (Gretchen) is kind, reliable, and so easy to work with; the preferred caterer we used (Catering by Michaels) was raved about by our guests; and the gift of bringing your own alcohol was huge. Our guests kept commenting on the uniqueness of the space, how great it was to have a pianist playing during our cocktail hour on the first floor, and how joyful and bright the ballroom looked. It was honestly beyond anything I imagined. A few extra things of note - our guests stayed at the Graduate Evanston which is barely a block away (no shuttles needed!); there is a huge parking garage across the street so nobody was looking for parking; and have I mentioned how beautiful the space is? I wish I had a reason to throw a huge event again - I would go back to the Women's Club every time. Huge thank you to Gretchen and her team!

I am a new member of the Chamber of Commerce in Evanston and feel our business was welcomed with…read moreopen arms. Thanks to Brooke Saucier for his assistance with our Grand Opening event our business is off to a great start!

From the owner: Helping area businesses owners connect with each other to leverage ideas that benefit community…read moregrowth. As well as helping visitors to the area find business and services they need to make the most of their visit.

My daughter and I saw a play here that we really enjoyed and it encouraged me to get on their…read moremailing list and follow them on social media to learn about future events. But what impressed me yesterday was that my cousin passed away and the venue where my family planned to have his celebration was booked for the date we wanted. His sister called around and learned that Noyes Cultural Center rents space for special events. We got a room that was perfect for our event. We were able to bring food, music and a slideshow and the staff there were very helpful. They have a small (metered) parking lot adjacent to the entrance and additional street parking nearby, plus a park on the side of the building. They have art classes, the theater, and a lot of other offerings that we weren't aware of, making this center even more impressive.

Sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone. We bought tickets to Circus in Progress (part of…read morethe Actor's Gymnasium) and found ourselves in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for the very intimate and impressive show. What we first noticed was the large space. The building is obviously older and has the wide halls and high ceilings you can only get in an older building like this. Upstairs there is an open art gallery which we enjoyed checking out before the show. It would actually be a cool place to host a party or two there as well. There is a small parking lot. I mean tiny considering how many people can be there. But it's literally a jump off of the L and you are there. And there is public parking just a block away. Classes abound in this local arts community. There were tons of flyers, brochures and post cards for upcoming shows, classes (for ALL ages), productions and art shows. Noyes Cultural Arts Center is located in Nothern Evanston and houses a number of art-related organizations, including The Actors Gymnasium, Evanston Children's Choir, Piven Theatre Workshop, Arlen Music / Ken Arlen Orchestra, Art Encounter, Evanston Art Center and the Next Theatre Company. Next time you're in the area, take a peek inside. Or check out what's playing. Tickets are ridiculously cheap and the production we saw was a lot of fun.

During Parents' Weekend at the University of Chicago, the university offered tours of the…read moreneighborhood through Chicago Detours. My wife did this tour a couple years ago and highly recommended it, but I wasn't especially interested because I had also gone to school here and figured I knew enough about Hyde Park already. However, she insisted that it would be worth our while and so I agreed to climb on the bus. And it was the absolutely right decision, because the tour was excellent. In fact, it wasn't just a tour of Hyde Park. It included the surrounding neighborhoods of Washington Park, Kenwood, Jackson Park, and Woodlawn. Since this was a UChicago sponsored event much of the information related to the University's investment and involvement in the area. Our tour guide and founder of Chicago Detours, Amanda, is herself a graduate of UChicago and thus she had some additional insight into the relationship with the community. Though the 75-minute tour felt a little slow-going at times, there was much to learn about the vibrant but sometimes troubled history of the area. Amanda has tremendous knowledge and the excursion was both fascinating and entertaining. I can imagine that Chicago Detours would have equally interesting tours of other neighborhoods in this diverse city.

Virtual tours are such a cool thing to do right now. I attended a Yelp Elite event that was a…read morevirtual food tour of Chicago. It was incredibly informative and a good balance of history and current trends. Looking forward to attending more virtual tours, like the World's Fair and the Cruise From Your Couch Boat Tour. I loved seeing the pictures of the in-person tours and can't wait to attend some of those too.