What a cute town! I have been told about this town for years and somehow never got there until now. If you are a history buff or appreciate quaint towns then Naperville is the town to visit. Some things to mention....
First, I am for sure going back as I know there's more to uncover that I just brushed over. The drive from my house is about 1 hour 10 minutes which I deem perfect for a day adventure. Truly you feel as though you're taking a vacation day and having a break.
We went to town and had a picnic lunch on the DuPage Riverwalk a must see and do when you visit there. Once you're there you'll see there are many restaurants to choose from if you want to take this option - we didn't know so we picnic-ed this time. What we did do once we were there was get a yummy treat. We found an adorable cupcake store called Sugar Monkey there is an ice cream parlor right near by if that's what you prefer. Be prepared to spend $3 each for both ice cream or cupcake treat. That's why it's a treat!
For those of you who love Egg Harbor like my family does, there's a restaurant right across the Riverwalk - which we didn't know this visit but will check it out for our next visit.
The town is full of shopping options of those of you who want that experience. Something interesting to mention if you're a shopper....Crate and Barrel and Land of Nod has an outlet in Naperville.
What we wanted to do was visit the Naper Settlement. I have been told about this historic center for some time. The mini historic village has everything to engage children AND adults. You will walk from building to building and step back in time with docents appropriately dressed in period clothes offering you a historic perspective. The various structures just to name a few are visiting a blacksmith, printing press, chapel, log house, schoolhouse, fort, prairie wagon, mansion and MORE.
Sadly the village is under construction right now until September 30th. We weren't able to tour the entire village but had a sampling for sure we'll return. My oldest and I went to the Martin-Mitchell Mansion and had a docent tour for 30 minutes. Our docent was wonderful and took us through the house with historical facts about the family and local history while relaying historical perspectives and innovations for that time period. We had two adults and a 5 children of varying ages in our group and the children were pretty much engaged. The chapel and main building (which has a great exhibit with overview of Naperville's history located in the basement of this building) gave you a taste of life in the historic village. If you go after reviewing the website, I would wait until the construction is over. They're re-doing the pathways from building to building. The full settlement closes I believe end of October so there is still time for a fun fall activity or a fun option for next year. One thing to add, the Settlement is right near the town so you can park and walk - very close by.
If you are a Geocatcher they've got a section on that on their website - take a look!
Another reason to visit Naperville with your kids....DuPage Children's Museum is right in town hands on indoor fun! Sounds perfect to me. http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/
Bottom line, we'll be back. We thought the town AND Naper Settlement was adorable.
Visit http://www.napersettlement.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment