St. Charles, Illinois—always has been, always will be charming
Visitors from around the Midwest are beckoned by the natural charm of St. Charles, Illinois
An hour west of Chicago and nestled in the Fox River Valley, St. Charles is the quintessential Midwest community.
Founded in 1834, many of St. Charles’ original buildings still stand. As the Fox River winds its way through the charming center of St. Charles, the east and west banks offer striking architecture, excellent dining, and historic shopping districts: “Old St. Charles” on the west and “Century Corners” on the east are great examples of historic buildings put to great use, and St. Charles’ Main Street Bridge offers spectacular views and easy access to both sides of the river.
On the west side of the St. Charles Main Street Bridge and just south of Main Street/North Avenue/Route 64 stands a testament to the city’s vision of blending contemporary amenities with the charming ambience of our riverfront community. St. Charles’ First Street, a $100 million dollar redevelopment project initiated in October 2006, will be completed in 2012 and already boasts retail, residential and commercial development choices on 7.42 acres of Fox River frontage property. In addition to the new marvelous retail, entertainment and dining offerings, visitors will enjoy a lovely public plaza and riverfront pedestrian walkway—all created to “reflect the historic character, atmosphere, and uniqueness” of St. Charles.
Just as the river nourished the city’s early economy, today’s river fosters outdoor recreation. North of the bridge lies Pottawatomie Park, the first established for public use by the Illinois Park Act of early 1900s. During late spring, summer and early fall, paddle wheel boats, reminiscent of the days of Mark Twain, depart from the park, enabling visitors to cruise the river, while the park’s stately pavilion graces expansive, lush, green lawns.
Adding to St. Charles’ tradition as one of Chicagoland’s most significant visitor destinations, the community’s “antiquing” reputation dates back forty years when the famous Kane County Flea Market launched its monthly gathering of Midwest merchants. Still going strong, the flea market draws 15–25,000 treasure-hunters to St. Charles on the first Sunday and preceding Saturday from March through December each year.
Though the days of “bathtub gin” are long gone, St. Charles boasts an authentic 1920’s speakeasy, where patrons of Al Capone’s Hideway are lured by the famous gangsta’s reputation. Others are enticed to experience casual yet elegant dining at Nueva Italia—a beautifully restored church building from the 1800’s. One of St. Charles’ newest choices and an anchor of First Street, Wok ’n Fire, is one of Illinois’ top restaurants and serves Pan Asian cuisine from Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan. The Harvest, nestled into a renovated barn in the heart of the Pheasant Run Resort, has won raves as one of Chicagoland’s finest, and Townhouse Café in Century Corners is one of a multitude of independently owned restaurants delighting St. Charles residents and visitors alike.
Theater lovers are pleasantly surprised to find that St. Charles is a literal hot bed of performance choices. All year long, buffs choose from a host of award-winning performances by the Fox Valley Repertory at Pheasant Run Resort to boutique offerings at the 80-seat Steel Beam Theatre on Main Street. Chicago’s own Zanies has a comedy club at Pheasant Run, and the historic Arcada Theater, with its splendid 800 seat auditorium, pipe organ rising from the floor, and echoes of performances by such greats as Fibber McGee & Molly, George Burns & Gracie Allen, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, features outstanding live entertainment. The Norris Cultural Arts Center, located north of Main Street, also provides enjoyment opportunities throughout the year.
St. Charles is home to several signature events, the largest and most famous of which is the annual Scarecrow Fest, coordinated by the St. Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau. Every October, over 100,000 festival lovers flock to St. Charles to enjoy one of Illinois’ finest family-oriented events.
Lodging choices abound in St. Charles. Some prefer the superb dining, entertainment, golf and children’s activities of Pheasant Run Resort. Others, the intimate setting and riverfront ambience of historic Hotel Baker. Still others choose from a wide choice of select service hotels close to the heart of St. Charles.
In addition to St. Charles’ long-standing appeal to leisure guests, our Fox River community offers a “perfect portfolio” of venues for meetings, conventions, and trade shows. From the lavish surroundings of Pheasant Run Resort to the nationally-recognized corporate training facilities at the Q Center to the VIP amenities of Hotel Baker; the expo space at the Mega Center, DuPage Expo and Kane County Fairground’s Prairie Center, St. Charles can host events with attendance up to 3500.
Convenient to O’Hare and Midway Airports and Metra rail lines into the city, St. Charles is located between I-90 and I-88 and is less than 15 minutes from I-355.
The St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau is funded by the Illinois Office of Tourism and a portion of the hotel/motel tax collected by St. Charles hotels to promote St. Charles as a destination for leisure tourists and meetings and conventions, sports events, and motor coach trips. For additional information, contact the bureau at 630-377-6161, 800-777-4373, sales@visitstcharles.com, and visitstcharles.com.