Long Grove, Illinois: A Great Way to Spend a Day

My husband was off work yesterday in anticipation of today’s Independence Day holiday, so we decided to spend the day together doing some shopping. Neither of us had ever been to Long Grove, even though we live about 45 minutes to an hour away from it. Long Grove, Illinois, is a quaint little village located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. This festive community is a great place to spend the day window shopping the one-of-a-kind gifts, or immersing yourself in a mixture of today’s merchandise with a yesteryear look and feel.

We parked our car in the Tavern lot and walked up and down the streets, even traveling across the covered bridge a couple of times to check out the Community Center and Community Church. One of the first stops we made was a little shop on Robert Parker Coffin Road called Crock N’ Block. The store has a delightful collection of kitchen wares and hostess gifts, along with gourmet dips. We sampled a few they had on display and wound up buying two different types of dipping spices that will go well with either crackers or vegetables. Attached to this store is an old-fashioned candy shop, Ma & Pa’s Candy Store that reminded me of something you’d see in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory or perhaps Little House on the Prairie. There was candy everywhere, including sugar free candy, which pleased the diabetic in me to no end. We stuffed a bag full of various confectionary pieces before heading out to visit the other stores on the street. Our next stop was next door at Cleo’s Jewelry & Gifts, where my husband purchased a pair of cat earrings for me made out of Austrian crystal. He was quite generous yesterday with his spending.

In and out of the many stores we went, visiting an Irish collectibles shop, The Irish Boutique, with the most gorgeous Waterford crystal you’ve ever seen, and Viking Treasures, loaded with gifts from all over Scandinavia. Some of the items were fairly pricey in these stores, so we confined ourselves to ogling the precious tidbits and looking forward to our next visit when perhaps we can make a purchase.

From there we crossed the street and went into Mangel’s Gifts, where we purchased a tiny cookbook for our slow cooker. If I’m going to start cooking, using the slow cooker is going to be a must for me. Half the book contains beef recipes and the other half chicken. Using the cookbook and the slow cooker should be interesting. Next on the walking tour was The Popcorn Shoppe on Old McHenry Road. Hubby is not a fan of popcorn, but I am, so we purchased two bags of flavored popcorn, which I like to mix together to eat. Good times!

We checked out a coffee shop called Beans and Leaves Coffee and Tea Café and found flavors we’d never before discovered. The choices were almost overwhelming, but hubby could not be tempted into a cup of java or a bag of flavored coffee beans. He was tempted at our next visit, the Farmside Grocery and Winery, where we purchased some Raspberry Razzle Dazzle wine from Door County. We nearly purchased some fantastic chocolate liquor that would be outstanding over ice or ice cream, but decided one bottle of alcohol was enough since neither of us are heavy drinkers.

After a brief respite on one of the many benches available for the walk-weary shopper, we found our way into the Long Grove Apple Haus, where we purchased two jars of BBQ sauce that we’re going to test out this weekend over ribs. It should be a culinary treat. We ventured into Paddy’s on the Square to be greeted by more sights and sounds of Ireland, and from there we stopped in The Tuscan Table for a little visit to Italy.

It was getting late and our walking tour was coming to an end, so on our way back to the car, we stopped briefly into the Long Grove Soap & Candle Co., where I had to be pulled away from the many scented candles that I love so much. Next time I will buy something. Just try to stop me.

There were many more tiny shops and stores we didn’t discover during our all too brief stay in Long Grove, so we will definitely be returning. If you’re ever in the Chicago area, make a little detour to the northwest suburbs and check out the village of Long Grove. You won’t be disappointed in the charming town or perhaps one of the many festivals they have throughout the year.