Guidebook for Gurnee

Ron
Guidebook for Gurnee

Entertainment & Activities

The Disney World of the area (kinda). Lots of great rides, carnival barker sorta stuff (if you love stuffed animals and don't mind losing dollars), water park, great photo ops with cartoon characters & kids, karaoke stage. What's not to love? Of course it all depends on good weather! Bring sunscreen, this is not the indoor mall!
135 locals recommend
Six Flags Great America
1 Great America Parkway
135 locals recommend
The Disney World of the area (kinda). Lots of great rides, carnival barker sorta stuff (if you love stuffed animals and don't mind losing dollars), water park, great photo ops with cartoon characters & kids, karaoke stage. What's not to love? Of course it all depends on good weather! Bring sunscreen, this is not the indoor mall!

Neighborhoods

My home is about a 40-minute drive to Milwaukee and about the same to the Loop, what us Chicagoans call the downtown part of the City. Milwaukee has museums, great restaurants, tons of craft brew pubs (hence the name of the baseball team Milwaukee Brewers) and an awesome retractable-roof stadium to watch the Cubs beat the Brewers at home, so definitely worth checking out if your schedule permits. Keep that top of mind for those visiting in June because Milwaukee's Summerfest outdoor venue gives you a lot of bang for the buck. And if you have German ancestry, Milwaukee was a major hub of German immigration in the 1900s, also where Golda Meir grew up before she emigrated to the "Holy Land" and became Israel's first female prime minister.
43 locals recommend
Milwaukee
43 locals recommend
My home is about a 40-minute drive to Milwaukee and about the same to the Loop, what us Chicagoans call the downtown part of the City. Milwaukee has museums, great restaurants, tons of craft brew pubs (hence the name of the baseball team Milwaukee Brewers) and an awesome retractable-roof stadium to watch the Cubs beat the Brewers at home, so definitely worth checking out if your schedule permits. Keep that top of mind for those visiting in June because Milwaukee's Summerfest outdoor venue gives you a lot of bang for the buck. And if you have German ancestry, Milwaukee was a major hub of German immigration in the 1900s, also where Golda Meir grew up before she emigrated to the "Holy Land" and became Israel's first female prime minister.
An outlet mall just off Highway 41 and a 15-minute drive from my home is a go-to place for the serious comparison shopper. I've gotten some deals on designer coats and jeans. Check out their website to see if your favorite stores are there as retail spaces are constantly changing.
Pleasant Prairie
An outlet mall just off Highway 41 and a 15-minute drive from my home is a go-to place for the serious comparison shopper. I've gotten some deals on designer coats and jeans. Check out their website to see if your favorite stores are there as retail spaces are constantly changing.
A general contractor and self-employed builder has a big-time love of all things Egyptian and built his family residence to replicate the Cheops pyramid, including a three-pyramid garage surrounded by a moat. Hieroglyphic obelisks and King Tut styled statues are scattered across the humongous lot his property sits on and it's worth a stop to see or snap a few selfies with the gold-plated roof as backdrop. In 2018, during some refurbishment work, a fire severely damaged the structure. As of this writing (September 2019) remedial work has not been completed and some news sources have reported the owner may tear it down and start from scratch. The home is about a 10-minute drive from my home.
Pyramid House
954 High Road
A general contractor and self-employed builder has a big-time love of all things Egyptian and built his family residence to replicate the Cheops pyramid, including a three-pyramid garage surrounded by a moat. Hieroglyphic obelisks and King Tut styled statues are scattered across the humongous lot his property sits on and it's worth a stop to see or snap a few selfies with the gold-plated roof as backdrop. In 2018, during some refurbishment work, a fire severely damaged the structure. As of this writing (September 2019) remedial work has not been completed and some news sources have reported the owner may tear it down and start from scratch. The home is about a 10-minute drive from my home.

City advice

Customs and culture

Transportation

If you're budget has razor-thin margins and you don't have a car, and you do not want to stay home all day...you can catch the Pace 565 bus for $2.00 and head east to the Waukegan Metra train station. The Pace 565 bus stops on Grand Avenue/Route 132 just on the south side of Grand and about 50 feet east of Almond. (Note: Almond Avenue extends south of Grand Avenue, and the same street is called Hutchins Road north of Grand Avenue. One side is Village of Gurnee; the other is unincorporated Lake County.) At the Metra station in Waukegan, you can catch a very comfortable Amtrack-type commuter train into the City for about $7.00. Be sure to check the schedule online for "Metra UPN Schedule" (UPN = Union Pacific North line) and allow time to buy your ticket at the station if the station is open, otherwise the conductor on the train will charge you a penalty of ~$5.00. If you have a little more fiscal leeway, but you still would prefer not to pay $20 to $60 to park your vehicle in Chicago's downtown, then drive to Waukegan Metra, park your car for $5.00 all-day charge, and hop on a relaxing train ride. The last stop will take you to the Ogilvie Transportation Center.