Homewood, IL
Homewood, Illinois is a south suburb of Chicago and is located at the edge of where Lake Chicago used to be. Lake Chicago was formed by a glacier way before Lake Michigan. The Main road in running through Homewood, Ridge Road, got its name because it used to sit on the edge of where the lake used to be.
When people first think of suburbs, they tend to think there’s nothing to do. While Homewood is certainly no Chicago in terms of a variety of choices to make, if you live in downtown Homewood, you almost get the feeling of living in the city. There are a lot of places you can simply walk to. There are 6 bars to choose from including a local favorite, Ridgewood Tap. This bar sits right outside the Homewood train station, convenient for the after work and commute drink.
There are also a lot of places to eat in downtown Homewood. Aurelio’s Pizza is one choice. The restaurant was founded in 1959 by Joe Aurelio in Homewood. There are now over 40 restaurants in 6 different states.
Dairy Queen is another hot spot in downtown Homewood. The Shop is only open during the warm months and only serves ice cream. You can usually expect to wait about 30 minutes in line when going there on a nice day.
Homewood also hosts a similar event to Taste of Chicago, called Homewood Days. This takes places for a few days in the middle of July. It’s pretty much a scaled down version of the Taste, with live music, face painting, tons of food, arcades and carnival rides, rock climbing provided by the local Climb On facility, and of course heavy drinking.