My friend and I had an errand out in this area and decided to see what else there was to see while…read morewe were here. This museum (the home of the Hegeler and Carus families, who were involved in a local zinc company and also a publishing house, Open Court Press) is a national historic landmark and is unique because it was owned by the same family the whole time, & they never made any fundamental updates to the house so it's largely as it was when designed by WW Boyington (who also designed Chicago's Water Tower and the old Joliet prison) in the 1870s. Several rooms have been restored, but you can see in areas where it hasn't where time is taking its toll (for example, the main hall was painted with egg tempera paint, and that organic element [the egg] is now degrading after 150 years). Still, the parquet floors are amazing, and details like pocket doors, carved wooden decorations and historical elements like the speaker tube system in the walls for speaking through the house are unusual! The house also contains the only German-style turnhalle (gymnasium) in a historic home in the US. Other interesting details include an ornate butsudan (buddhist cabinet shrine) due to Hegeler's interest in Eastern religions. We just took the general tour ($15), but you can do half house (upper or lower half for $50 each) or whole house tours ($100). The longest one is apparently 3.5 hours with two breaks and children are discouraged since it is long. You must register for the tours as they max out at 6 people. Despite it saying "masks are required" and our temperatures taken at the door, our guide was initially trying to take his mask off to talk and the other couple on the tour followed suit. When my friend and I left ours on, they all put them back on at some point. The rooms do have 6 foot markers on the floors, but since some of the rooms aren't big, if you had a full tour group this would be an issue. There is an elevator so the Mansion is handicap accessible. Overall, this seems to be one of the bigger attractions in LaSalle, so take a tour if you're in town.

This mansion is beautiful and a amazing historic site to see!! The house tour is incredible! I…read morehighly recommend going here and learning about this incredible family!

It's quirky, creative, a bit creepy, and oddly moving. Worth a detour through scenic backroads…read more A visit to nearby Norway, Illinois is also worth your while. Never seem to get there in-season to see the museum, but the general store does sell some lovely Scandahoovian kitsch, and about the widest selection of locally sourced preserves as I've seen.

The Agricultural Crash Monument is a hysterical historical site!…read more You'll find it along Route 71 a few miles south of the village of Norway, IL. It's a local monument that dramatically illustrates the fatal crash of American agriculture in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Be prepared! When you're zipping along Rte 71 and come upon the monument, your first thought will be, "QUICK! CALL 9-1-1!"

The heart of the city. Better and less crowded than the Bean…read more This fecal fountain is a fun little photo op when you're in the city, and it's right down the street from Kasama, making them an unlikely but excellent pair.

Exactly what you'd expect: a statue that looks like poop. There was also a super friendly outdoor…read moreorange cat nearby named Mister that made my entire day. He was so cute and so worth the visit to the Shit Fountain. It's also near Kasama, so you can definitely make a trip out of this or take a quick detour if you're in the area.

Pretty trails. I highly recommend downloading the all trails app when hiking here. The trails were…read morenot marked that well. Plenty of parking and various picnic tables around as well.

Growing up not far from the Starved Rock State Park I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to gorgeous…read moreparks but Castle Rock is nice if you are in the area. The lookout portion is on the side closer to the river and there are some paths & picnic areas there. Across the road is the rest of the park with several prairie and some wooded walking/hiking paths and several picnic areas both with and without shelters. There is a restroom in each of the picnic areas. There was a sand volleyball court and small baseball diamond there as well when we visited. The paths aren't too rugged in my opinion but the stairs up to the lookout point on the river could be challenging for some.

I learned so much today! The mansion history was very interesting and the history about Ottawa was…read morefascinating too. The tour was ten dollars and was well worth it. I was told Christmas is a really great time to visit. I didn't even know about this mansion until a few days ago. I searched for other things around Starved Rock and foind the mansion. It was the best part of the day.

Beautiful turn of the century home. The docent was very knowledgeable (maybe a bit too…read moreknowledgeable). She shared the history of the home, it's pervious uses and work being done to restore it to the time of the Reddick family's occupancy. We stopped as an activity during a road trip but had to leave a before the end of the tour to get back on the road. The home had beautiful plaster detail, original wood work, windows, doors, and fireplaces. Definitely worth visiting to appreciate the architecture of days gone by.

The things you find when you least expect in the suburbs. Tucked away on the river side a windmill…read morethat takes you back in time. Just a plain as and simple peaceful spot to take in nature and enjoy time with loved ones

I was at the Fabyan villa across the river before but missed this awesome sight, and you should…read morereally check it out! It's huge, it's unexpected and it's historic. Made in the 1800s by a German craftsman, it was originally in Lombard but was moved to the Batavia riverfront by the Fabyans, and later restored by a 3rd generation Dutch windmill maker. There's a lot of park land around here so definitely worth spending some time here.

Really cool. I recently did the evening tour which ends when the sun is almost gone for the day…read more The guided tour itself is really informative, you get 90 minutes of history and walk a total of about a mile inside the old prison grounds. You get to walk inside the West cellblock and a few other buildings. Sadly, several of them were burned by morons during the period between 2003-2017 when this was totally vacant and unused. But funding comes in little by little to make repairs. The old portion of the prison was designed by the same architect who designed the famous Chicago water tower. There are some newer elements as renovations were done in the 1950s and 1990s. The docents are very knowledgeable and have good stories to tell about the infamous former inhabitants of the prison. If you want to save a little money you can do a self guided tour as well.

We came for the haunted house. It was fun, and I enjoyed being able to walk around the property…read more There are multiple attractions you can visit, although one was full of flashing lights and no warning of such, so I had to close my eyes while my husband guided me through. There are too many people with neurological issues affected by strobes to not warn patrons. That was an awful experience. I hope to come back some day and do a tour during the day. The location is very interesting.

OMG. My family and I are huge Home Alone Fans. I have been wanting to come here for years. I…read morefinally stopped being lazy and took the ride out to Winnekta. This is a must see attraction and worth the drive. I turned the corner and there were lots of people standing in front of the house taking pics. I met a few people from other cities and even even other countries. This was just a dream come true to stand in front of the famous Home Alone House. You can also see the other houses that were filmed in the movie. Old Man Marley's house next door and The Murphy's house which is right across the street. The neighborhood is so beautiful. Just standing there felt so unreal. It Instantly gave me flashbacks from some of the movie scenes.

We had an adventure today me and my daughter Victoria we decided to stop by the home alone house…read more We weren't the only ones so if you want to get a photo opt in you just have to be patient. You can park on the street you can't get really close to the house because there's a fence. We had a lot of fun and then we went into town and got coffee from a local shop and just walked around for a bit.

Excellent roadside attraction. Completed in 1934, this is a water tower in disguise. Added to the…read moreNational Register of Historic places in 2019 the tower is closed for tours while the tower itself, the grounds around it and the parking area are getting a face lift. Keep an eye on their social media and/or website for updates on when tours will begin again. The tower bells ring out a song at 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm and gives a single chime every quarter hour. The bells are lovely. At the time of this review the parking area is unavailable during renovation. The Aldi's parking lot next to the tower would be a good option until their lot opens again. The gardens around the tower are filled with beautifully scented flowers. The reflecting pool in front is very nice and there are two tiers of seating facing the tower with gardens between the tiers.

Super cool to be able to stand next to a leaning tower in Pisa if you don't feel like flying…read moreoverseas to take a picture with the "Real" leaning tower. It is definitely leaning. It was easy to navigate to from the Des Plaines area of town. It is located in the parking lot of a YMCA that is not open so there is plenty of parking. I walked around and looked at the plaques that had historical information about the leaning tower. It was a fun and cold few minutes that I spent there getting a few pictures for fun.

Huge property well kept historical landmark buildings. Barn type hall great for large receptions…read more Wonderful place to get married!

From the owner: The Kendall County Historical Society was chartered in 1970 to preserve the history of Kendall…read moreCounty and to provide historical education for the county's residents. The Kendall County Historical Society has no paid staff, nor does it depend on support from any governmental agency. Operating income is derived from memberships, regular and memorial donations, events held at the Lyon Farm, fees for providing research material, the sale of books and other miscellaneous items. The everyday business of the organization is handled entirely by volunteers. Kendall County is located in the north central part of Illinois and was established in 1841. The Lyon Farm is the home of, and also the pride and joy of the Kendall County Historical Society. In 1974, Mrs. Frances Lyon donated 39 acres of her farm to serve as a home for the society and its artifacts. A large bequest by Mrs. Mae Dunbar along with the support and contributions of the many members and friends of the society have made it possible to restore many of the old farm buildings to their original outward appearance, and to establish display areas within. There are several buildings of historical interest that have been moved to the farm, and are displayed on turn of the century Dunbar Lane.