Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hemingway. Hemingway had no great love for Oak Park; he moved
away right after high school and later referred to his hometown as a
place of “wide lawns and narrow minds.” But that hasn't stopped
Oak Park from laying claim to the great American writer. A portion
of the ground floor of this former church, now the Oak Park Arts
Center, holds a small but interesting display of Hemingway memo-
rabilia. A 6-minute video sheds considerable light on Hemingway's
time in Oak Park, where he spent the first 18 years of his life, and
covers his high school experiences particularly well.
The
Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home
is 2 blocks north, at
339 N. Oak Park Ave. The lovely Queen Anne house—complete
with wraparound porch and turret—was the home of Hemingway's
maternal grandparents, and it's where the writer was born on July 21,
1899. Its connection to Hemingway is actually pretty tenuous—
he spent most of his boyhood and high school years at 600 N.
Kenilworth Ave., a few blocks away (that house is still privately
owned)—but the birthplace has been carefully restored to replicate
its appearance at the end of the 19th century, making this an appeal-
ing stop for fans of historic house tours (whether they're Hemingway
fans or not). The hours are the same as the Hemingway Museum's.
Allow 1 hour.
200 N. Oak Park Ave.
&
708/848-2222.
www.ehfop.org. Combined admission to
Hemingway Museum and Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home $7 adults, $5.50 sen-
iors and children 5-12, free for children 4 and under. Sun-Fri 1-5pm; Sat
10am-5pm.
THE NORTH SHORE
Between Chicago and the state border of Wisconsin is one of the
nation's most affluent residential areas, a swath of suburbia known as
the North Shore. Although towns farther west like to co-opt the
name for its prestige, the North Shore proper extends from
Evanston, Chicago's nearest neighbor to the north, along the lake-
front to tony Lake Forest, originally built as a resort for Chicago's
aristocracy.
Although a Metra train line extends to Lake Forest and neighbor-
ing Lake Bluff, I highly recommend that you rent a car and drive
north along
Sheridan Road,
which wends its leisurely way through
many of these communities, past palatial homes and mansions
designed in a startling array of architectural styles. Aside from Lake
Shore Drive in Chicago, you won't find a more impressive stretch of
roadway in the entire metropolitan area.
