It is just next door to me a good place to come See great…read moremovies and also shoes like this and concerts Great for families and a new thing to come and enjoy

A night to remember!…read more I was overjoyed by ever aspect of my first visit to the theatre. From the people at the door, to those at the concession stand, everyone was so nice. They had adult frozen drinks, such a cool option. And not extremely overpriced. We attended the screening of the cult classic The Lost Boys. The quality was great, as was the sound. We enjoyed the whole experience. We arrived early to get the "good seats". So we got screens showing the history of the theatre and information about the renovations. The place looks great and they put on a bunch of cool events. I highly recommend the Egyptian Theatre.

I could have sworn I reviewed this already, but apparently not and someone should. I wasn't sure…read moreexactly what "GAR" was and was never here when it was open. This was a hall for the Union Army in the Civil War. There's not much to it and the hours are very limited (if you work during the day, come Saturday or during a First Friday, when it's open in the evening). However, it's free and it is interesting to read about what soldiers were faced with during the war, which was much less organized than our military is today, and when things like the VA and veteran's benefits did not exist. (The museum has apparently won several awards including the "Small Institution of the Year.") There is a beautiful marble "recording angel" at the center of the main room (to record the names of unknown soldiers) and there are panels and some exhibits; the display cases started life as bookshelves in Aurora's first library. The basement has some information on the building itself but is much less museum-y. The building was going to be torn down to make room for a parking garage and it actually butts right up against the one they built.

It's been several years since I've visited a dirt race track so this was quite an event!…read more Everything about our visit was wonderful. The evening started st 1815 and was filled with fun until about 2230. Thir lineup included standard racing but also a powder puff race, demolition, and spectator races. The confessions were reasonable price and their drink selection was fair and also listed at a reasonable price, i.e. $4/beer. A delight for families, couples, or friends. (:

All types of races from demolition dirby to circuit racing & stock racing and more. Yummy food,…read moremaintained well by the staff. Cold beer as well. Always a fun time here.

University of Illinois extension presented this new conference at Elgin Community College this…read moreyear. I learned about it and bought a ticket for something new to do on a Saturday. Ultimately I left with a lot more knowledge than I had and thought the ticket price was well worth the cost. It began with the main presentation by the horticulturist for Lurie Garden (in Millennium Park). She covered the topic of gardening for the seasons, with thoughts in mind of how your plants look in winter months as well as warm months, something not many take into consideration. Consideration was also given to seasonal management, how, when and what to cut back. Overall the level of detail was good, the presentation was educational without being excessively technical and I left with some good ideas for new plants for my garden. The main presentation was followed by three smaller sessions which attendees could choose from when buying their tickets. For the first, I chose Sustainable Landscaping presented by the Home Program manager of the Conservation Foundation. I again left with a big list of plants I want to investigate to add to my yard. For the second I chose Improving soil health for tree growth and longevity given by a Green Industry coordinator from Morton Arboretum. This presentation was heavily science-based and some of it admittedly went over my head but I got the gist of it and still left with some great ideas and knowledge of soil compaction issues and how to alleviate them (in particular, this one taught me a lot I was clueless about before). The third session I chose was about invasive pests, specifically the spotted lanternfly, which causes a lot of crop damage. Also very educational and now I can identify and help control this population. There was a lunch break with food provided and shorter breaks between the presentations. Overall I highly recommend this conference if you want to learn more about gardening topics and how to manage and improve your yard in general.

While I usually have to beg and plead my husband to visit STC, he was a good sport and accompanied…read moreme with to the Holiday Electric Parade. He grew up around the area, and isn't the biggest fan of parades, but was a good sport. I love visitng St. Charles and think it's a quaint little community. A lot of people showed up and the residents and visitors were out in droves claiming their piece of the concrete with their fold up chairs and blankets. J & I found a pretty good place to stand and watch the parade by Harris Bank. Harris Bank was giving out complimentary cocoa, coffee (big cups too) and cookies and the bathrooms were open. Very nice touch on their part! Parade pretty much started on time and moved along like a parade should. I can't stand big long gaps in between. It was fun seeing all the lights and all the whimsical christmas- floats trotting down Main Street. Nice that they had an announcer pointing out which float/ group people were from. Dragon Float was impressive with steam coming out. Didn't stay for the entire thing, had to beat the traffic out, but glad we went. Parking was free and treats were a bonus. It was a tad cold, but a fun thing to do and something new that we haven't tried. Great for kids. I appreciate the fact that St. Charles makes a point to engage the residents.

I love the history of Arcada Theatre. It opened in 1926 on Labor Day weekend (their 100th birthday…read moreis coming up!). I remember when I was a kid we went on a tour here and the tour guide talked about a few ghost stories and myths about Al Capone using this place as one of his hiding spots. He took us backstage and in the basement. It was one of the most memorable tours I've ever been on, and probably what triggered my love for historical tours. I used to come here as a kid to see movies too. I have a fond memory of seeing the Wizard of Oz here (which I remember being projected onto a screen), and their old concession stand. Back then, Arcada Theatre was pretty simple and they hadn't yet updated it to be what it is today. Seeing the changes done to it have been a little heartbreaking for me, but I do appreciate that the owner has tried his best to turn it into something fun and still on theme with 1920s vibe. Now, there is a huge focus on live shows and entertainment. It feels like over the past 5 years, the live entertainment here has exploded and become so much more popular than it's ever been. The theater now mostly looks like a concert venue with big stage lights, speakers, and screens. There are also multiple different restaurants on site. It's a little disappointing whenever I see slot machines at a business, especially one with so much history, but oh well. I came here recently because I saw on their website they do a Silent Film series every month and I thought it would be fun to see at a theatre that started out showing silent movies! They were playing The Kid starring Charlie Chaplin. Before the movie, I purchased a box of their popcorn for $6. There was a live organ player called The Phantom that played during the entire movie, which I enjoyed. Overall, the experience was good but during the movie, it started buffering for a couple minutes and when it started up again, you could see the bar at the bottom of the screen to press play lol--it definitely took away from the experience.

The Arcada Theatre is a really cool place to go. It is old and historic in a good way. We were at…read morethe St. Charles History Museum when the docent told my husband and I that you can go in the theatre and ask for a tour. So that's what we did. It was a Tuesday afternoon when we went, so there were no shows going on. We were able to see the performance area, the balcony, and backstage areas. We also got to see the restaurants and bars on the upper levels of the theatre. Around every corner is another historic artifact or interesting thing to see. I can't wait to go back to see a show or eat at one of their restaurants. I highly recommend the Arcada Theatre!

Went here on a weekend night with my family to mini golf. The arcade was popping! People were…read moreeverywhere, but only like 2-3 other groups began mini golfing while we were there. The course is clean, unique, has a fun glow theme, and had a few challenging holes. My only complaint is the air doesn't seem to be on or have good flow in the mini golf area. I would bring my son back; my husband said he wasn't impressed.

This place is HUGE! They have so many bowling lanes, an arcade, and even a skating rink! It's such…read morea good price and has great deals on drinks. We went here for my nieces birthday and there was something for everyone. The skating rink brought so much nostalgia, we had a ball!

A free drive thru Holiday Light Festival held in Phillips Park in Aurora…read more This free event runs from late November thru late December daily from 5-9pm. You will have to check the website for exact dates. They advise you to pre register which is not required since no one checks you in . I wish the local authorities would have been assisting with the fllow of traffic entering and leaving the park . Especially for people not familiar with the area. It a fun family event during the holiday season.

Nice, free. park district drive through lights display for a cold winter night. Good for families…read moreand the young at heart. Traffic moved pretty well but signs to find the correct entrance are not as helpful as having someone live directing. Many people showed up to the wrong entrance and had to reroute..