Illinois' Family-Friendly Chicago Suburb Is An Artsy Village With A Quaint Downtown, Boutique Shops, And Trails

There's a water tower just a few miles past Chicago's city limits that bears the slogan: "Home Sweet Homewood." This message really sets the tone for Homewood, Illinois, a suburb of about 18,000 people just southwest of the Windy City. With its tidy, walkable downtown, quiet residential streets, and prolific public art, Homewood is indeed a sweet escape from Chicago's hubbub, especially for families with young children.

One of Homewood's greatest assets is the 193-acre Izaak Walton Preserve, with its many ponds and looping trails. Located in the community's northeast quadrant, about a mile and a half from downtown, the preserve is a popular spot for hiking, baseball games, and recurring outdoor concerts, a series known as Trail Mix. The Homewood Arts Center is a local nonprofit that spearheads concerts, markets, and artist spotlights.

Then there are the murals. Chicago Magazine once billed Homewood "the mural capital of the Southland." Visitors here can walk from one building-sized painting to the next. Strikingly, they are all trompe l'oeuil (optical illusion) landscapes, which make trains, diners, and vintage cars seem to stand out from their flat surfaces. There are more than a dozen in town, and all were created by the same artist, Richard Haas, who specializes in this kind of hyperrealistic painting. Each scene portrays Homewood in a romantic heyday. Haas has added murals to buildings across the U.S., yet this little town has the largest collection of his work in the world.

Homewood has a distinctive character: The town grew up around railroad tracks and a flour mill in the 1800s. When the Ravisloe Country Club was opened in 1901, wealthy Chicagoans started building fine domiciles here. Ravisloe is still a sizable club in the middle of Homewood and a popular setting for weddings and banquets. 

Today, most of the small businesses are clustered along Ridge Road, such as Gaia's Market & Refillery, a low-waste general store; The Villager, a gift shop displaying gifts, jewelry, and decor; and Loulou Belle, a gift and stationery store, among many others. After a good walk around the block, your appetite may lead you to 69 Prime Italian Steakhouse or a high-top at speakeasy-style Tin Ceiling Tavern sports bar. If you've spent time in Chicago and have had your fill of the must-visit restaurants for deep-dish pizza, Homewood has a good number of up-market small-town eateries. 

The downtown area also has its own Homewood Science Center. This small complex hosts a wide range of STEM activities for kids, as well as role-playing games, robotics workshops, and ecology fieldwork expeditions. The center is mainly for school field trips and summer camps, but it has public hours on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings; admission is generally free for most programs.

Homewood may seem like an obscure choice for out-of-towners, but it's actually easy to get to, thanks to a dedicated train station in the middle of town. You could hop a commuter train at Millennium Station and ride out here in about 45 minutes without a second thought. For road-trippers, driving here is also handy (about 35 minutes from The Loop), as you'll find plenty of parking on these wide streets.

The main drag of Ridge Road is right next to the platform, and it's a pleasure to explore on foot, owing to level sidewalks and rows of shops and eateries. Homewood provides just one more reason why Chicago is a city where you won't regret skipping the rental car. 

With so much to explore, you may decide to spend the night. There's only one hotel within walking distance of downtown: the beautiful La Banque Hotel. This building was first erected in 1925; today, the hotel embraces an antique aesthetic and offers luxurious rooms in the middle of town, within walking distance of most of these attractions. This is no backpacker crash pad; a night here will cost between $250 and $300 per night. If you're looking for classy lodging but want to stay in the city, Chicago's lavish hotel offers floor-to-ceiling window views, heated bathroom floors, and a luxurious spa.