The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage (COD) in Glen Ellyn, IL, is a vibrant hub for…read morethe performing and visual arts, offering an array of professional theater, music, dance, comedy, and family-friendly performances. While the MAC hosts a wide range of cultural programming year-round, what has drawn us back time and again, now three times, are their exceptional, large-scale art exhibitions, presented every two years. The most recent of these is the 2025 exhibition Hokusai and Ukiyo-e: The Floating World (on view from May 31 to September 21). This immersive experience transports visitors to the lively and refined world of 17th-century Edo-period Japan. The exhibit vividly captures a time when Edo (present-day Tokyo) thrived as the cultural and economic heart of the nation, defined by its devotion to the arts, nature, and the pleasures of daily life. A highlight of the exhibition is the U.S. debut of the Museum Galleries - Chiossone Collection, featuring a remarkable 70-piece selection of ukiyo-e masterpieces. Among these are 53 original paintings and woodblock prints by renowned artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, alongside 17 beautifully crafted objects. Together, they offer a captivating window into Japan's "floating world." The MAC consistently excels in delivering these world-class exhibitions. The experience is not only visually stunning but also engaging and educational. The staff are welcoming, knowledgeable, and always ready to enhance your visit. Last, but not the least, there is a very nice gift shop there. We bought some cute Japanese noodles and rice bowls with the "floating world" art theme from the gift shop. Attending an art exhibition there is truly a joy, and we look forward to each new one.

We came for the Hokusai exhibit on a Friday. It was a little hard to find, the address on the flyer…read moredidn't direct us to the right area. Saw some signs near campus but not enough. Was finally able to find it by searching McAninch Arts Center (MAC). The exhibit is cool, loved the eki (train station) stamps for the passport you're given. I wasn't expecting much and it lived up to expectations. After experiencing it do I think it was worth the $27/per person admission? Not for me. But it's still cool and definitely worth a visit if you're an art enthusiast.

I had been here a few years ago to see The Producers with my husband, since I knew he'd love it…read more(and he did). This theatre consistently provides excellent experiences with top-tier quality shows, often drawing from local and Broadway talent alike. However crowded theatres get in downtown Chicago, and however surly their employees can be at times, the Paramount is the opposite on both counts. What a breath of fresh air! Better yet, the sightlines are terrific. Even in the very back, you have a great view of the stage, and the seats' heights are staggered enough where short people's views aren't easily blocked. Although the Paramount is quite far from where I live, so it's not a super frequent visit for me, that is not due to any lack of quality in terms of the experience or shows!

I had an amazing experience at the Paramount Theater! I went to see The Full Monty, and it exceeded…read moreall my expectations. The venue itself is beautiful, with great acoustics and a classic atmosphere that really adds to the overall experience. The performance was fantastic, funny, energetic, and surprisingly heartfelt. The cast did an incredible job, and the production quality was top-notch. You could tell a lot of effort went into every detail. Staff were friendly and helpful, and everything from entry to seating was smooth and well-organized. I can't wait to come back for another show!

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!

We saw a ten act horror show. It was fantastic. The actors were really good and engaging in their…read moreroles. The studio was small but cozy. We sat in the front row, so we literally a few feet from the actors. About 20 people in attendance. The cost was pay what you want, so I gave $30 each for my wife and I. Afterward, you could give more for the actors, so I threw in an extra $20. The theater is a little tucked back from the street. It's small, and you have to go up a flight of stairs to enter the studio. All the people who worked there were nice and helpful. You could buy alcohol at a reasonable price, but I passed, as I didn't want to have to use the restroom in the middle of the performance. I plan on looking up more shows as they come out. I like the small setting and with only 7 actors performing, you could really sense their skills for each story. They also have art you can bid on in the studio, although we didn't place a bid. I'm not an artsy person but I like plays, and the theme was right up my alley. To the actors that performed that night; bravo!!!!

Just had a film screening for the cast and crew today. It was our first time here at this location…read more The location is perfect and not too far of a walk from garage parking. When, we arrived to set up early our contact person was more than helpful. He went above and beyond. He was enthusiastic to help us out if we needed equipment. I would recommend this place if you wanted to do an art show or a film screening.

This is a jewel of a theatre in the western suburbs. A corner one room schoolhouse, it's small but…read moremight. They do four shows per year and get very creative in what they can do on their stage. Recent improvements include an outdoor space - currently utilized for a little show themed pre-show picnic with food and beverage for sale. And they go out of their way to do shows that are different from the typical fare at other venues. Truly community they're at its best!

Some of my family members had such a good time at the first World Cup Watch party that they…read moreconvinced me to come check out the second one that the city of Aurora put on for Mexico vs. England and I have to say that I was really impressed overall with how well the event went. Although the game had a disappointing outcome I can easily say that the moments of community and celebration among the crowd still made this watch party one of the more joyful and memorable experiences I've had at RiverEdge. I have been to the park a couple of times in the past for concerts and festivals and although I was originally of the mind that the space didn't need much more but the new design and updates seem to be worthwhile improvements. I was really surprised that the park was in such amazing shape following the crazy storms and flooding the night before. We parked across the river and walked the pedestrian bridge to get to the venue. My family was happy to see that this time they had a checkpoint at the start of the bridge and we were able to just enter the venue when we reached the other side of the bridge instead of having to join a line again like they had to previously. We got there about two hours before the initially scheduled start time and the place was already filling up but there was still plenty of space on the lawns for setting up chairs or blankets and I liked the amount of screens available for viewing throughout the venue. The beverage pavilion did a great job of serving fast and keeping wait times short. Both times that I went to get a drink I was able to order within 5 mins and it was nice to be able to still see the action going on with the big screen above the pavilion. Although there was a heavy security presence all of the interactions I witnessed were very friendly even when it came to more rowdy fans. I even witnessed a police officer spring into action to help a small child that seemed to be having a medical emergency which was very encouraging to see with such a large crowd. My only criticisms for the event are that the bottom of the screen we were camped at was a little glitchy at times (maybe due to storm damage?) and the lines for the concessions and the food trucks were very long throughout the night. We brought in a Jersey Mike's sub so we were able to avoid the lines for the most part but I saw some people with bags of popcorn that looked good and after searching all over for where I could get some I finally saw that they were available at the Strawberries BBQ stand but was bummed when after waiting in line for 15 mins I suddenly noticed that that they had a piece of tape over the popcorn on one of the menu boards to the side of the window. I didn't feel like waiting another 15 mins to confirm so I just went back. I think some clearer signage that is easier to update and a separate line for the quicker to shell out food items would be a big help. Hopefully they iron this out. Despite this I was still happy to see that Strawberries was brought in as an official concession provider. Had I known this prior I would have rather saved my money and just gotten some of their delicious ribs. Some of my friends have mentioned that they are going to the Australian Pink Floyd show in a couple of weeks and I think this experience might have got me off the fence about joining in.

Everything was great. Staff, sound, seating area, food vendors, access, no long lines, waiting…read more Just all good!

Cool venue; but when I purchase VIP and get an email that says " will begin at 4:00PM " but nobody…read morecomes out to see if there are any VIP in line at 4 it's pretty disappointing and very unprofessional to tell me I missed out when I've been in the parking lot the last hour and a half

My sister-in-law, wife, and I stopped by here for Ally the Piper's Show. The venue had some…read morereserved seats, and standing room was available on a first-come, first-served basis. It wasn't overly packed, which was nice. The bar line was a little confusing, as there was a line, but it wasn't really, since people kept walking up to the bar. Overall, they had a great drink selection and even offered some non-alcoholic options.

Wow wow wow! I am obsessed with the vibes here. Very elegant, chill, and upscale. I love that this…read moreis a bookstore, cafe, and a cocktail lounge. So fancy! It is very spacious with plenty of different areas of seating. I love that they also have a children's area with books too. Everything about the guild is stunning and perfect. I stopped in on a weekend morning and ordered an iced chai. It was probably 1 of the best chais I've had. Quality of it was top tier and the same is to be said about the service. Staff was friendly and kept up with the busy weekend crowds. This is a place where I will definitely be frequent at. I'm looking forward to coming back during an evening to try their cocktails and food.

This place had been on my list to try for awhile. On this visit, I tried the breakfast sando and…read morean iced coffee. My husband got a mocha and ricotta pancakes. I will say the cost of the items is a little high. For the 4 items it was about $50. The inside was cute and a decent amount of seating. I would like to come back and try one of their cocktails. Staff was friendly.