According to U.S. News and World Report, Hawaii is the most popular destination for honeymooners in the United States. A round-trip flight for two from Chicago to Honolulu costs $3,337.92. Hotels on Waikiki Beach cost $200 a night. Not every young couple has that kind of money to spend. Suppose you’re looking for a romantic getaway closer to home — someplace you can reach by train, by plane. Someplace like La Grange Park, or Des Plaines, or Whiting.
In the interest of helping young people save money, I sent a variation of this email to a number of suburban chambers of commerce, to find out what they have to offer newlyweds:
“My fiancé and I are getting married in April, and plan to visit her sister in Blue Island soon after. Can you tell me about some places to go or things to do that might be good for newlyweds in Blue Island?
Ted Johnson
Carmel, Indiana”
Below are a few of the responses I received (grammar, spelling, and punctuation cleaned up a bit), along with travel prices if leaving from Union Station. It turns out that many of our local suburbs have zoos, beaches, bowling alleys, theaters, taverns, and restaurants — everything necessary for a honeymoon.
La Grange Park
Hi Ted
Well that’s exciting and congrats to you and your new wife! While you’re here you will have to stop by the Hop Dist on 31st street for a beer — they brew their own! Then there is Mattone’s ,which is right next door, and Posto 31 that is further East. Make sure you visit downtown La Grange as well. They have several Breakfast venues and eateries, too. There is also the Brookfield Zoo to visit. We are in the heart of many small towns with so many fun things to see and do.
Enjoy
Sheri
(Travel costs: $11 roundtrip on Metra’s BNSF line. Lodging: $65 a night at Rodeway Inn – Lyons/La Grange)
Whiting
Hi Ted:
Thanks for reaching out. Our Lakefront offers views of Chicago with hiking and biking paths and places just to sit and relax.
Some other places to consider:
Some of our restaurants such as The Bulldog and Standard Taproom offer entertainment.
There’s also a variety of restaurants from the Winey Beach Café to Keith’s.
Hope this helps and enjoy your visit.
Best,
Walter
(Travel costs: $50 round trip on Amtrak’s Wolverine. Lodging: $97 a night at Ameristar Casino East Chicago.)
Blue Island
Hello Ted,
Thank you for reaching out and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! We’re delighted you’ll be visiting Blue Island later this year. Without knowing your specific interests, here’s a quick list of things you might want to check out while you’re here:
Entertainment: In the heart of Blue Island you’ll find the recently renovated Lyric Theater, offering a variety of live entertainment and theater options. Just north of Blue Island is the Beverly Arts Center offering live performances on weekends. The Olde Western Avenue Historic District features breweries, bars, and restaurants with live entertainment on the weekends as well: Blue Island Beer Company, Natural Law, Rock Island Public House, Front Row, Cuzins and Van’s Maplewood Inn.
Dining: Studious Coffee offers some great coffee, tea and breakfast food options, as well as BUB Café, which has a more expansive menu and hours. In addition, Studious hosts a wine bar Thursday thru Saturday. La Vieja Castilla offers tapas, empanadas, paella and more, D’Masti Catering and Sandwich shop is great for a to-go sandwich or soup, along with great other options all throughout town.
Recreation: Blue Island has two bowling alleys, Burr Oak Bowl and Eagles Bowling Lanes, as well as access to the Cal-Sag Trail and Cook County Forest Preserves, perfect for biking, jogging, or walking along the water. Or, should you wish to visit downtown Chicago, our city center features the Rock Island and Metra Electric line stations for a quick train ride to the heart of Chicago.
I hope this provides you with some information to begin planning your trip! If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Kindest regards,
Sara
(Travel costs: $11 round trip on Metra Electric. Lodging: $69 a night at Knights Inn Calumet Park.)
Alsip
Hello Mr. Johnson,
Thank you for your e-mail.
We have many restaurant choices in Alsip, and for breakfast, I would recommend Country House, and or Pappas Restaurant. You might enjoy a meal at Burrito Jalisco. The location of these restaurants can be found on Google. There is a movie theater in Crestwood, just south of Alsip. You might also look into “The Lyric Theater” in Blue Island. They often have great entertainment. I hope that this information is helpful. Congratulations to you, and I hope you enjoy your visit!
(Travel costs: $9.50 round trip on the CTA Orange Line and the 383 Pace Bus. $108 a night at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel – Alsip.)
Bloomingdale
Hi Ted,
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Although Bloomingdale is a small town there is plenty of shopping and restaurants to patronize. Old Town is in the heart of Bloomingdale and has Wolfden Brewery or Alcentro Trattoria. Along Army Trail Road there are plenty of shopping and restaurants to choose from as well. We do have Bloomingdale Golf Club if you or your fiancé like to golf and Coopers Hawk Winery just opened in town, too.
Here is the Village of Bloomingdale website to get you more acquainted with the town.
http://www.vil.Bloomingdale.il.us
Depending on what month you will be visiting, if Bloomingdale doesn’t have an event going on our neighboring larger villages such as Schaumburg or Oak Brook have a wide variety of places to visit as well.
Hope this helps you a bit in planning your visit.
Sincerely,
Kari
(Travel costs: $11.50 round trip on the Union Pacific West Metra line and the 715 Pace bus. Lodgings: $103 a night at the Courtyard by Marriott Chicago Bloomingdale.)
Des Plaines
Good morning — thank you for reaching out to the Chamber as you plan for your arrival. Des Plaines is thriving and has options for your visit. Not sure what you are looking for but I am sending the link to our Des Plaines Chamber website so you can look through dining options and activities. Look through and I am happy to help with questions. Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce Industry (dpchamber.com)
* Des Plaines Theatre for nighttime live entertainment: The Des Plaines Historic Theatre in Des Plaines, IL (desplainestheatre.com)
*Rivers Casino is in Des Plaines which has an Event Center for live entertainment: Rivers Casino – Des Plaines, Illinois
*Downtown Chicago trips (not driving) check the Metra Train Line from downtown Des Plaines (Des Plaines is on the Union Pacific Northwest Line from Harvard IL: Union Pacific Northwest | Metra (metrarail.com) … to downtown Chicago.
Hope this helps.
Best…
Jane
(Travel costs: $11 round trip on the Union Pacific Northwest Line. Lodgings: $68 a night at Best Western Des Plaines.)
Forest Park
Hi there…
Thanks for inquiring! Not knowing their preferences I’ll include everything I can think of. We have a vintage bowling alley (Circle Lanes); an escape room (Escape Factor); a fabulous new live music venue/friendly neighborhood bar (Robert’s Westside); a Spring Wine Walk on April 20 https://www.exploreforestpark.com/chamber-events/; an artists ‘Makers Market’ also on April 20 (at Robert’s Westside); a wide variety of restaurants (NRebozo has a fabulous/fun chef that interacts with customers) and restaurants/bars with great food, outdoor dining; Cooking classes can be booked at https://www.tablelain.com/ (they don’t have all their events listed yet but he may have some public cooking classes coming up…but they have private ones, too).
Hope that’s helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
(Travel costs: $5 round trip on the CTA Blue Line. Lodgings: $131 a night at the Carelton of Oak Park Hotel.)
Morton Grove
Hello Ted, Always willing to help someone from Carmel (family and friends live down there). The link is to our community guide, lots of information there. For restaurants…highly recommend the following depending on your tastes: Cooper’s Hawk, Moretti’s, TAVA (Indian) and China Chef in Morton Grove. Shopping close by…movies too, Old Orchard Mall in Skokie (adjacent suburb like Carmel to Zionsville). This site has a lot of information, too – https://www.visitchicagonorthshore.com/
Best wishes on the upcoming nuptials and hope you enjoy your stay. Best, Mark
PS…I do like Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream down your way!
(Travel costs: $6 round trip on the Milwaukee District North line. Lodgings: $57 a night at Super 8 by Wyndham Morton Grove/Chicago.)