Northbrook offers several distinct highlights: local history at the Northbrook History Museum, cycling at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome and nature trails of varying lengths. There are also events held on recurring dates. When planning, you can decide whether to focus on local history, nature, cycling or an event date.
Museum and Local History
The Northbrook History Museum is located in the former Northfield Inn at 1776 Walters Avenue in Northbrook, Illinois. Upstairs, a home from Shermerville dating from 1890 to 1910 has been recreated. This brings together the former inn as a museum site and a home from a precisely defined historical period.
The Northbrook Historical Society’s “Walking Tours” program includes tours of Downtown Northbrook’s business district, along Shermer Road and west beyond the railroad tracks. The tours are available to groups. Unlike the museum’s fixed location, the tours cover several named areas.
Cycling and Outdoor Trails
The Ed Rudolph Velodrome is a major cycling attraction in Northbrook. It is owned by the Northbrook Park District, which also manages the facility. This adds a clear cycling focus to the museum and nature offerings. If you want to make cycling the focus of your stay, this gives you a specific point of interest in Northbrook.
The River Trail Nature Center offers free exhibits and on-site naturalists. There are three hiking trails on the grounds. This lets you plan the nature portion of your visit around different interests: exhibits and naturalists on one hand, and trails as an opportunity for exercise on the other.
The Trail Through Time offers a distinct connection with nature: it includes a restored prairie and two wetlands. Both provide habitat for mammals, birds and insects. This brings the landscape itself into focus alongside the trail.
The Des Plaines River Trail System includes Northbrook and offers everything from short walks to full-day outings. Techny Prairie Park and Fields is a few blocks from Downtown Northbrook. It has more than two miles of trails, including a 5-km loop that connects to a trail system in Meadowhill Park. The planning details emphasize different things: the Des Plaines River Trail System specifies the time commitment, while Techny gives the length of a loop. This lets you weigh whether you would prefer a flexible time frame or a specific distance.
Events and Dates
Shermerfest is a fall festival first celebrated in 1979. It typically takes place on the third Sunday in September at the Village Green in Downtown Northbrook. Techny Prairie Park and Fields is also the venue for the Liberty Loop 5k Run and the Liberty Lap Fun Run, held annually on July 4. These events offer different seasonal opportunities: Shermerfest in September and the runs in July. If you make one of these events a fixed point of your trip, check the details for the relevant year; for the Liberty Loop, this also includes registration and the schedule.
Discover more destinations: Melrose Park, Oak Forest, Elmwood Park, Maywood, Niles, Evanston, Mt Prospect, Winnetka.
For the broader travel overview: Cook.
