10 Things We Love About Glenview

It’s easy to understand why Glenview is such a popular suburb. Located less than 20 miles from downtown Chicago, the Village of 48,000 residents mixes big-city amenities, traditional suburban features, and remnants of its early days as a farming community. Glenview’s history is also tied to the former Naval Air Station Glenview. During the 1930s and 40s, this was home to the U.S. Navy’s largest primary flight training program, which trained pilots like President George H. W. Bush.

The village is about a 30-minute ride to Union Station on Metra’s Milwaukee North Line, and is situated between the Edens Expressway (I-94) to the east and the Tri-State Tollway (1-294) to the west, making it easy to get into the city or out to O’Hare and western suburbs.

According to data from BrokerMetrics, through the first three quarters of 2023, Glenview had an average home sales price of around $685,000 and a median price of $565,000.

With well-funded public service departments, an abundance of parks, a variety of home styles, and top-rated public schools, Glenview lands at the top of many homebuyers’ wish lists when considering the best places to live.

Here are ten things we love about Glenview.

1. Large Home Sites — While Glenview has plenty of condominiums, townhomes and tidy single-family homes on quarter-acre lots, there are also many home sites throughout the village that measure an acre or more, says Tony Repp, Glenview’s senior planner. Rarely do you find that kind of elbow room among Chicago’s established inner ring suburbs.

2. The Grove — This National Historic Landmark and nature museum encompasses a 150-acre preserve with miles of hiking trails through forest, marshes and prairie. A popular spot for elementary school fields, it’s also a great place to visit with friends, family or solo.

Once the home of horticulturist Dr. John Kennicott, it now includes historic homes, a native American village, log cabin, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse, wetlands, greenhouse and an interpretive center with a collection of live birds, turtles, snakes and fish.

3. Craft Beer– Glenview holds its own as a craft brew destination. Drink a pint at family-owned Macushla Brewing Company, which means “my pulse” (of my heart) in Irish Gaelic. If the weather is nice, enjoy the outdoor patio or hit the taproom. You’ll find a selection of lagers, IPAs, sours and session beers on rotation, plus tacos, burgers and pizza.

 Grab brunch or a chef-inspired meal and a variety of local craft beers on tap at Hangar Two by Tangled Roots Brewing Company.  The “Farm to Foam” beer is made with hops and barley grown on a farm in Ottawa, Illinois. Drink stouts, porters, IPAs and pale ales like the signature Forty 1 Eighty 8.

At Ten Ninety Brewing Company, try an American Pale Ale called the Angry Dragon, Belgian-style wit beers or a Saison. There’s also wine, cocktails and a taproom menu.

4. The Glen — Officially, it’s “The Glen Town Center.” In the 1920s, this was an airfield that became a naval air station. You can still see the original air traffic control tower.

 Now reimagined, The Glen is a neighborhood filled with hundreds of homes, high-end, outdoor shopping, restaurants, professional offices and a 10-auditorium movie theater that shows first-run and art house films. Get steak and sushi or shop boutiques. There’s also life-size chess and checkers to be played.

Image credit: Abt

5. Abt Electronics — Though few people pronounce it correctly (it’s “abt” not “a-b-t”) most locals know this legendary single-location retailer as the ultimate place to shop for appliances and electronics in the Chicago area. With nearly 900,000 square feet of retail and warehouse space, this is a behemoth, one-of-a-kind store, which means many manufacturers love beta testing their latest products here.

From refrigerators and dishwashers to home entertainment systems, mattresses, cell phones, watches, BBQs, game room accessories and more, this place has it all—even a massive 7,500-gallon saltwater aquarium. Abt’s 30,000-square-foot recycling plant and 1,500 roof-mounted solar panels have earned it the distinction of “Greenest A/V Retailer in the country.”

6. Naval Air Station Glenview Museum — During World War II, the Naval Air Station Glenview (NASG) was crucial to U.S. aviation and war-time defense. You’ll find decades of artifacts ranging from 1937 when Naval Reservation Aviation Base Chicago opened until the base’s closure in 1995.

All service branches—Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Army and Air Force—used the base, including the lower Lake Michigan Coast Guard patrols and the Navy’s Blue Angels.  Book a private tour or visit Saturday and Sunday 1- 4 PM.

Image credit: Shareway

7. Kohl Children’s Museum — Parents love this popular play place, also located within The Glen, that keeps everyone from babies to younger kids entertained. Kids can build with foam blocks, do pretend play at pint-sized children stores, move gears and launch balls through a water works area.

When the weather is nice, explore the two-acre outdoor habitat park. Kids can ride tricycles, go on a bug hunt, or navigate a prairie-grass maze.

Image credit: Glenview park district

8. Historic Wagner Farm — Learn about rural life in the early 20^th century on this 18.6-acre working farm, centrally located at the corner of Lake Avenue and Wagner Road. Tour a 1920s-style farmhouse and visit a two-story silo. See how bread was made in a wood stove or butter was churned.

Check out antique farm equipment, climb into a corn crib, swing from a tire or pretend to run a farm stand. Visit livestock, including dairy cows, draft horses, pigs and lambs, or feed chickens. On Saturdays, it’s also home to the Glenview Farmers Market.

Image credit: Kayak

9. The Glen Club — This 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed course offers dramatic elevation changes and stunning vistas including a view of the Chicago skyline on a clear day. Situated on 195-acres, this public venue required moving more than 2.5 million cubic yards of earth to transform it into a Golf Magazine Top 100 golf course.

Visit the driving range, large clubhouse, or stay at a 21-room hotel onsite.

Image credit: Glenview park district

10. Flick Park — At 39 acres, this is Glenview Park District’s largest park. In the winter, there’s great outdoor sledding and ice skating on a sled hill and ice rink that stay lit until 10 p.m.

During the summer, swim at Flick Outdoor Aquatic Center, a five-pool water park with water slides, splash blasters, water playground, lap pool, a zero-depth pool and tot spot kiddie pool.

There’s also pickleball courts, soccer and football fields, volleyball courts, walking paths, a basketball court, baseball/softball fields and a fieldhouse with a covered picnic area that seats 100 people.