15 Great Things to do in Oak Park: Do You Agree?

Chicago Magazine listed its "15 best things to do in Oak Park," including landmarks like the Hemingway House and Unity Temple, and restaurants Maya del Sol and Marion Street Cheese Market.

Chicago Magazine recently published a list of its 15 best things to do in Oak Park.  It includes landmarks, stores, parks and restaurants. But do you agree, or do you think there are more fun things to do? See Chicago Magazine's list below and tell us in the comments if you agree or disagree.  Why were these places chosen? Read more on Chicago Magazine. 

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Park District Gets Grant for Environmental Learning Center

The learning center will be built in Austin Gardens in Oak Park and feature day camps, education programs and other community events.

The Park District of Oak Park has been awarded a $400,000 matching grant to develop an Environmental Learning Center and other improvements at Austin Gardens.  It's part of the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant program, which provides matching dollars for outdoor recreation space projects throughout Illinois.  Austin Gardens is a 3.6-acre urban forest located adjacent to bustling commercial and historic districts within Oak Park. With these funds the Park District of Oak Park will construct a 2,100-square-foot  multi-use “Environmental Learning Center” which will be host to children’s nature day camps, environmental education programs for adults and children and other community events. The facility will feature many energy …

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Last Nights to Catch Shakespeare's Richard the III

Play ends the 2012 summer season of the Oak Park Festival Theatre.

Oak Park's Festival Theatre will close out its 2012 summer season this weekend with its final two performances of Shakespeare's Richard the III. Shows will start at 8 p.m. Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 at Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave. in Oak Park.  One of the consummate showmen in the Shakespearean canon, Richard III uses his intelligence and skills of deception and political manipulation to overthrow his older brother Edward for the throne of England. Richard III deftly navigates between humor, terror, eroticism, and courtly nobility in Shakespeare’s timeless tale of political ambition. Belinda Bremner directs after her highly praised production of Faith Healer last year. Kevin Theis stars as the title character and David Skvarla returns to the …

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Get out and Enjoy the Weekend

Loads of music, drama, comedy, sports and stuff going on in the area.

Need local weekend plans? Look no further. Dave Rudolf Beach Party When/Where: 7 p.m. Friday at the River Forest Public Library, 735 Lathrop Ave. in River Forest. Why Go: Celebrate the end of the River Forest Public Library Summer Reading program. All sorts of other fun stuff will be happening. Price: Free Comedy Night, Local Musicians' Showcase When/Where: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Open Door Theater, 1010 Madison St. in Oak Park. Why Go: Catch some up-and-coming and popular talents of improv, sketch and stand-up comedy scenes on Friday; listen to some great music on Saturday. Price: Tickets are $8. Richard III When/Where: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday at Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave. in Oak Park. Why Go: This production …

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Scares and Stories on the Haunted Tales Segway Tour

Oak Park Segway's Haunted Tales on a Segway Tour promises an evening full of spooky stories and seasonally themed entertainment, all from the comfort of the electric-powered Segway.

There's something scary scooting around Oak Park this Halloween. It's Luke Thornton's Haunted Tales on a Segway Tour, a two-and-a-half hour jaunt through Oak Park packed with history and bone-chilling stories as told by Your Favorite Storytellers Foundation, Inc. Thornton's Oak Park Segway franchise opened shop in town this past April and he said he's accommodated more than 800 riders in its first six months of operation. Wanting to draw even more attention to his thriving business got Thornton thinking big. “We were looking at how to get Oak Parkers more involved, and this is what we came up with," Thornton, said of the Haunted Tales tour. "We started thinking, 'What do people like? People like Halloween.'" The Haunted Tales riding tour …

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Oak Park Festival Theatre Stages Henry V

Austin Gardens again becomes medieval England in latest production.

  Austin Gardens once again became home to English kings as the Oak Park Festival Theatre mounted its second Shakespearean production of the season. On Saturday, Henry V took to the company’s outdoor stage for opening night as about 140 theatergoers brought lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets filled with fruit and cheese to make themselves at home under a clear evening sky. The play is one of William Shakespeare’s historical plays and is the final in a tetralogy of plays that includes Richard II, Henry IV Part 1 and Henry IV Part 2. The last two plays were adapted earlier this season into The History of King Henry the Fourth. Henry V tells the story of transformation of the undisciplined Prince Hal into King Henry V, the mature head …

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Patch in the Parks

Patch in the Parks: Carroll, Austin Gardens and Maple

Our progress report for the Park District of Oak Park continues.

Back in 2005, the Park District of Oak Park sought a referendum that raised property taxes in exchange for the promise of more robust park offerings throughout the village. Six years and more than a dozen master plans later, renovations for many local parks are either underway or nearing completion with more in store in the future. This is the second in a continuing series that offers a comprehensive look at the progress of the work, and we'll add up the totals for how much the renovations have cost. In other words, it's a look at what your money's been paying for the past several years. Where: 1125 S. Kenilworth at Fillmore, two blocks west of Oak Park Avenue, one block north of Roosevelt Road. Size: Approximately 2.48 acres. History: …

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