If you’re looking for a way to get out of the city, without going too far I definitely recommend spending a morning in Oak Park, Illinois. Today I brought my camera along with me because I thought it would be cool to show you all of the beauties of Oak Park. One of the first things I did was an informal Oak Park architectural tour, picked up some delicious breakfast from The Daly Bagel, then spend some time at the gorgeous Oak Park Conservatory before I wrapped up the evening at Montrose Harbor back in Chicago. You can follow my detailed itinerary below or even check out my YouTube video all about it here.
My Oak Park, IL Itinerary
Driving instructions from Union Station in Chicago, Illinois, to Oak Park, Illinois: Start your journey by heading west on W Adams St toward S Canal St, then make a left onto S Canal St. Next, take a left onto W Van Buren St and merge onto I-290 W via the ramp to I-90 W/Rockford. Continue on I-290 W and take the Harlem Ave exit toward IL-43/Harlem Ave. Keep right at the fork and follow the signs for Harlem Avenue North, then merge onto S Harlem Ave. Stay on S Harlem Ave for approximately 2 miles, and finally, make a right onto Lake St. Continue on Lake St for about 0.8 miles, and you’ll reach your destination in Oak Park, Illinois. As traffic conditions can vary, it’s advisable to check a navigation app or GPS for real-time updates before your trip. Safe travels!
Oak Park, Illinois
One of the first things I recommend you doing is completing and architectural tour around Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park is known for its stunning architecture, including the works of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Even if you don’t plan on joining a formal tour, you can appreciate all of the beautiful architecture from your car or on foot. You can see a compilation of all of the beautiful buildings I adored on my vlog here.
📍 Oak Park, IL, USA
The Daly Bagel
Now that we’ve worked up an appetite, I definitely recommend that you stop by The Daly Bagel and Oak Park, Illinois. One of my favorite on-the-go meals are bagels and The Daly Bagel is the perfect stop. Luckily I was able to stop by before the morning rush and snag a delicious turkey everything bagel. If you want to hear more about the food and see my reaction you can check it out on the vlog here.
📍 The Daly Bagel, 130 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302
Oak Park Conservatory
My most favorite place in all of Oak Park, Illinois is definitely the Oak Park Conservatory. The Oak Park Conservatory has thousands of plans that can make you forget how close to the city you actually are. Even though the space seems so small from the outside, you can’t help but spend so much time admiring all of the gorgeous greenery. My photos do not do the location justice and I highly recommend that you admire this from the vlog; you can check out my vlog and what I filmed at the Oak Park Conservatory here.
📍 Oak Park Conservatory, 615 Garfield St, Oak Park, IL 60304
Montrose Harbor
Last but certainly not least, I always have to end my day near the water. Today I stopped by Montrose Harbor to show you that not every beach day includes a swimsuit and getting wet. One of my favorite activities is picking up an Elote and admiring the water for a few hours until it’s time for me to go home.
📍 Montrose Harbor, 601 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
