Had never been to this small size farm and Café/Farm market in Lake Forest. Went for breakfast and…read moretook a nice walk around the property. You can sign up to hang out with the goats, and there are also chickens and ducks. The food and my lavender latte were yummy. I will definitely be back over the summer just to walk in the beauty of nature.

Went to Elawa Farm for a community dinner; truly farm to table. Chef Lee prepared a delicious…read morechili, green pepper/onion/rice, jalapeno corn bread and a plum cobbler. This was the first chili I had made without tomatoes and beans. Local meats were used. The green peppers were picked this morning. Elawa Farm has the best community dinners. They also do cooking demonstrations. Highly recommend looking into this amazing place.

This didn't exist when I grew up, but it's a favorite stop when visiting home with my family. On…read morethis last trip, we all came by for a walk in the snow. We then took the kids, (my son, niece and nephew), inside to check out the animals that are taken care of here. From owls to alligators, we even got a tour of the "venomous" room where they house the kind of snakes that will give you nightmares. It's all free, but be sure to leave at least a small cash donation in their bin so they can continue doing what they do.

We had the absolute best experience having our wedding reception at Highland Park Community House…read more Truly, it was perfect. We attribute that to the fact that Wendy, HPCH's Executive Director, is such a gem of a person, so easy to work with, very communicative, doesn't nickel and dime you, allows for flexibility, is accountable, and makes you feel at ease every step of the way. It's very clear that the operation at HPCH is smooth and positive because you feel it as a client. Wendy and HPCH made our vision and dream to have a 70s disco themed wedding reception a reality, and we wouldn't have been able to pull it off without Wendy and the HPCH team. Thank you for everything you did for us to make our event life changing and memorable. Please run, don't walk, to schedule your next event at Highland Park Community House. You will not be disappointed!!!

My fiancé and I were online looking for beautiful venues that were affordable. In our search we…read morecame across Highland Park Community House. From the pictures alone we were amazed and knew we needed to schedule a visit to see it in person. My fiancé sent an email over and a set time was created for us to come check everything out. Upon arrival we were greeted by Wendy. She gave us a complete walk through of everything and explained how the whole process worked. Everything about Wendy was genuine and we loved her positive attitude. We ended up booking the same day and left a deposit. Our wedding will be in October and we're just so excited to have it there. Thank you for making this process easy!!

Great community center! I had an office here for about 10 years and ran a non profit and watched…read morethe center grow from well appointed but not fully utilized community center into a bustling hub of classes, shows, private events, parties for the town. Rents are reasonable for private events. Shows are very reasonably priced. Classes are well attended.

Went to a Sneezy show last night at the Gorton center and the center was incredibly clean, spacious…read moreand the staff was very welcoming. The band they booked, Sneezy, was amazing as well & had the whole center jumping from children to adults.

This group's Jan. 2014 concert at Chicago Cultural Center included one of the most moving…read moreperformances of chamber music (a piano quartet) I have experienced. Besides playing flawlessly and with wonderful spirit, each performer was perfectly attuned to the mood and to each other. They blended in tone and, amazingly, in perfect time synchrony - despite the many places where the piano and a string instrument could have been off from each other by even a tiny fraction of a second.

From the owner: The mission of the International Chamber Artists is to present performances driven by the highest…read morestandards of artistic excellence while collaborating with communities and organizations to promote the viability and growth of classical music audiences for the future. International Chamber Artists is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

The Adult Ballet class taught by Rita Ockrim is absolutely wonderful!…read more The class is essentially all about you, about really warming up and strengthening all of your muscles, and you will leave having worked your entire body! Since Rita generally does the class with you, she can tell which muscles have been properly warmed up for subsequent combinations, ensuring that you feel safe and comfortable as you progress through the class. Rita has an immense knowledge and passion for ballet that she would like to share with you. She will take time to explain and to help you feel how to properly execute different movements - which muscles to engage, how to position your head, where to apply pressure to the floor, etc. - all of the details that are generally left out of adult ballet classes, but that make the class much more interesting and valuable whether this information is just a refresher, or if you are hearing these insights for the first time. It shows that Rita genuinely cares about her students and strives to provide whatever it is you are looking to get out of the class. She makes the class as fun and enjoyable as possible, and definitely puts a lot of thought into her music selection. Anyone that has taken ballet knows that there is quite a plethora of cut and dry ballet music out there, or that it can become that way when it's played repeatedly. Rita makes sure to play new music essentially every class, and only recycles the best pieces that you probably wouldn't mind hearing again. If nothing else, you could come to class just for the beautiful and varied music selection! If you haven't danced in a while, don't be intimidated that the class is taught at an intermediate level. Rita will go over and do the combinations with you, so there is no stress in memorizing combinations, instead, you can really focus on what your body is doing. If need be, you can always simplify the combinations, but it is nice to have the option of a more advanced alternative, and to see how it looks when executed properly. This may seem like a lot of praise, but all of it is well deserved. I have been quite frustrated with many of the adult ballet classes I have taken, and I have finally stumbled on a gem that I believe deserves more attention!

Rita Okrim is a superb ballet instructor! Her technique at the barre is outstanding with so much…read morevariety. Her center is so creative and original. A wonderful workout. The studio is enchanting, making you feel like you are on stage dancing. Very inspiring- I highly recommend classes from Rita! - Susan Wright

Edd Fairman's magic was fantastic and made our birthday party a lot of fun. The show was great for…read moreour audience of children and adults. There was a good deal of comedy and audience participation in addition to delightfully mystifying magic tricks. Edd's website offered us clear choices, his communication was prompt, and his confirmation emails leading up to the event were informative and useful. Edd made our party extra special, and we highly recommend his wizardry.

Edd was amazing! He entertained a group of around 30 kids, their ages ranged from 2 to 7 with the…read moremajority of them being 2 or 5:) They were all very engaged and he was hilarious to the kids and the parents! He even gave several parents the opportunity to talk to each other rather than chase their kids as they were so entertained by the show!

Never returned my call. I heard it through the grapevine that they are out of business and no…read morelonger a venue that can be booked for weddings. However, they are still being advertised.

Not sure which caterer of the four that Cuneo allows but the food at a recent wedding was inedible…read more We chose the beef medallion option and we couldn't cut the meat. It was like hard rubber. Sadly our whole table left the meal. They served it with broccolini that was steamed plain with no salt or seasonings. The potato patty had so much sage in it that it was inedible. We saw others at different tables having the same issues. We just know the bride and groom had to pay a pretty penny for this unacceptable food. Such an embarrassment for the family. Definitely stay away from the Loyola Cuneo Mansion for a wedding. Hopefully they will make needed repairs and add some fresh paint to the exterior of the building. It must be noted that the ballroom was lovely and the tables were exquisitely dressed.