If you are looking for a place to move, Northbrook may be it! Not only do residents feel a sense of pride, but they also feel a hometown love for Northbrook. If you are looking for a weekend day trip, here are some reasons to visit Northbrook - but be careful - once you visit Northbrook and meet the residents, you may want to look for a Northbrook home of your own.
The following favorites were voted on by residents for reasons they fell in love with Northbrook.
Techny Prairie Park and Fields
Although the land itself is older than Northbrook itself, Techny Prairie Park and Fields, in its current state, was born in 2006. It has a total land area of 107.82 acres and a list of park features that is so impressive you will definitely want to spend the entire day here; just be sure to pack a picnic! It has multiple trails for exploring, playgrounds, a sledding hill, four picnic areas, four baseball diamonds with six batting cages, and a nine-hole golf course. Be sure not to miss one of the parks most notable aspects, an award-winning "Trail through Time," a trail that weaves its way through our beautiful tall prairie grasses, a gazebo surrounded with rose bushes, and ending with a picture perfect view of Techny Towers.
Believe it or not, 60% of the park was approved to be purchased by the Park District by an overwhelming majority on a public referendum and the remaining 40% was gifted. What a great village to have residents who can come together and accomplish such a wonderful thing for the town and themselves.
Sarah Stegner's Prairie Grass Café
When you come to Northbrook, be sure to plan ahead, make reservations and stay for lunch or dinner. This is home to the local outpost for Stegner's culinary empire; proving that excellent cuisine can thrive even in the suburbs. Since 2004, Wilmette native Sarah Stegner, her partner George Bumbaris and her husband Rohit Nambiar have been spoiling Northbrook with their Prairie Grass Café. Not only has their simple approach to cooking given them local fame; they enjoy regional acclaim as well. "We have many customers that drive up to Northbrook from the city," Stegner writes on her website. The secret? "The highest quality ingredients, seafood, and cuts of meat," all as fresh and locally sourced as possible.
Northbrook Public Library
The Northbrook Public Library is very impressive, taking over a year to build and covering more than 85,000 square feet. It hasn't always been so large, however. In 1919 it started as a single room above a shop and has been growing ever since. The needs of Northbrook and its love for learning expanded to the point of needing this massive library. So, in 1998 construction began on the present building. Notably, our library was one of the first libraries in the nation to offer free public wireless internet access. A visit is well worth it as you'll see its great architecture, tireless walls of windows, large children's area, and great gift shop.
Sunset Foods and Ron Bernardi
When you pass through Northbrook, Sunset Foods may just seem like a store to you, but its history and owner are legendary. You will see the store's old-fashioned cart at every village festivity, and the colorfully painted car parked outside has never missed a local parade. It reminds us how our residents bring a sense of community to Northbrook and stand together.
Sunset Food's Ron Bernardi was recently honored by the Northbrook Civic Foundation's Foundation Award, an honor bestowed only 13 times in the foundation's 41-year history. In fact, they call Bernardi a "treasure" for his humanitarian efforts, which lists 80 causes to which Bernardi has donated. One such effort includes employing locals at Sunset Foods when they needed work through the recession and then helping them find work elsewhere. It is stores, business owners and residents that pull together best to help their own neighbors in need.
There is also Northbrook Days in the summer to attend. However, if you want a day trip now, just visit Northbrook for a day. Walk through the downtown, enjoy the scenery, feel the warmth of residents, and take a hike or sled at Techny Park and Prairie. Top it off with a great meal at the Prairie Grass Café. You may want to come back sooner than you think to have The Marla Schneider Team show you some great Northbrook homes to make your own.
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