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Excursions

For a Half Day

Oak Park Neighbourhood:
This area, 16km (ten miles) west of the Loop, is associated with Chicago's two most famous residents, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the writer Ernest Hemingway. The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation, 951 Chicago Avenue (tel: (708) 848 1976), was Wright's laboratory, in a sense, for developing his new approach to architecture between 1898 and 1908. The area has many examples of his Prairie School of Architecture buildings - several of which can be visited. The Foundation offers daily tours (usually between 1100 and 1500) and special educational programmes or maps to explore the area alone. The Ernest Hemingway Museum (tel: (708) 848 2222 or (800) 625 7275, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.hemingway.org) is the best starting point for discovering aspects of the author's life and history, and also organises special events.

For a Whole Day

St Charles:
One hour west of Chicago, there is a small-town feel in St Charles, which brings life back onto a human scale after the immensity of the 'Windy City'. Not being famous makes St Charles, sitting on the River Fox, calming. Nothing has to be visited out of duty - even the city - as the rolling scenery of hillsides and open prairie en route are equally appealing. Even St Charles itself is as much about the great outdoors as the urban pleasures of shopping, eating and museums. A Paddlewheel Riverboat Cruise (tel: (630) 584 2334) is a good way of covering four miles along the Fox River for only $5. Alternatively, canoes and pedal boats are available at Pottawatomie Park, 8 North Avenue, where canoes and pedal boats are available. Other relaxing parks (website: www.st-charlesparks.org) include the Ferson Creek Park, on Route 31, two miles north of Main Street, or Mount St Mary Park, also on Route 31, to the west of Fox River and south of Prairie Street. Another way to enjoy the river is the Fox River Trail, with spring and summer bike and hiking routes that become cross-country ski trails in the winter.

In the town itself, the historic area is attractive with its antique shops and individual stores. The Charlestowne Mall, 3800 East Main Street, has a range of the big-name stores and small individual shops. On the first Sunday of every month and the preceding Saturday afternoon, the Kane Flea Market, Kane County Fairgrounds, Randall Road and Route 64, has over 1000 dealers inside and out hoping to catch your eye and your wallet. If books and browsing over a coffee seem more entertaining, then Town House Books & CafÉ, 105 North Second Avenue, is a wonderful place. The Convention and Visitors Bureau, Suite 100, 311 North Second Street (tel: (630) 377 6161 or (800) 777 4373, toll free in the USA and Canada; fax: (630) 513 0566; website: www.visitstcharles.com), can provide more information.



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