Creativity is in abundance in Oak Park for Tourist to enjoy
When planning a trip to Oak Park, make sure you center your itinerary around architectural attractions and literary giants, from the Frank Lloyd Home and Studio to Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace
Group Attractions in Oak Park
Travel groups that descend on Northern Illinois often spend the balance of their time in Chicago—but they should put serious consideration into Oak Park, a western suburb with nearly as many thrills for a cheaper price tag. This lively town, just 10 miles from the heart of the Windy City, offers attractions, venue space, restaurants and accommodations to fill up a trip itinerary. There is Compound Yellow, a nonprofit art space where the community congregates to listen to music and create art. There is Addis Café, an Ethiopian eatery boasting one-of-a-kind spices and a welcoming atmosphere. Then there is the Oak Park River Forest Museum, where guests can dive into the fascinating history of these two suburbs and get the opportunity to walk around a century-old restored firehouse.
Though these offerings are some of Oak Park’s best, it has much more to offer. The attractions that pull travelers in from distant time zones are the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio; the Unity Temple; and the Earnest Hemingway Boyhood Home. After learning more about this trio, you will have the urge to start typing out your Oak Park travel plans on the spot.
Frank Lloyd Write Home in Oak Park
First, the Frank Lloyd Write Home and Studio sits in a tree-lined neighborhood in which the famed architect designed nearly 30 buildings—yet this single attraction is the centerpiece. A National Historic Landmark, it embodies the Prairie style for which Wright is renowned and showcases many of the architectural principles that he prized, like horizontal lines and open-plane structures. Guests can book tours for between $20 and $30, making this the sort of affordable hotspot perfect for a group excursion.
Unity Temple sanctuary in Oak Park
Next, the Unity Temple is another of Frank Lloyd Wright’s incredible creations, a Unitarian Universalist church that is considered by some architects to be the first modern building in the world. It was built between 1905 and 1908 and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. Tours vary in price between $15 and $40, depending on whether groups are interested in an audio self-guided tour, a guided interior tour, or the “in-depth” offering.
Finally, the Ernest Hemingway Boyhood Home, where the famed author was born in a second-floor bedroom on July 21, 1899. Tours, which take roughly 50 minutes and cost $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and people aged 18 or under, are led by docents of the Hemingway Foundation. Tour guides take great pride in exposing visitors to all that this famed house has to offer, including a journey up a staircase lined with Hemingway family photographs. Guests often try to imagine the stories behind these pictures, all the while learning about a Nobel Prize winner and one of the greatest minds in literary history.
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