Sunny days are here! Make the most of them with the St. Charles, IL Spring/Summer Guide to make sure you can find all the spots to cool off, find seasonal activities and more!
Cool off with some cold treats
It’s always a great time to get some ice cream, but let’s be honest, ice cream on a summer day just tastes better. Especially when you can grab it from Kimmer’s or Kilwin’s and walk around the town, there’s nothing better! Grab a scoop of your favorites from these ice cream shops or you can also cool off with some frozen yogurt at Forever Yogurt!
Find the best live music performances
Get ready for nights filled with live music! St. Charles has it all around town for music of all kinds happening all throughout the week. STC Live! also starts the first Wednesday after Memorial Day weekend and runs all summer long on Wednesdays and Fridays! You can find performances on STC Live and all the live music happening around town throughout the week on our live music schedule!
If you’re considering heading out to watch some live music, check out our Happy Hour Hub as well to find some great happy hour specials while you wait for or watch live music!
Explore the Fox River
It’s finally time to get out on the Fox River! You can rent some kayaks or peddle boats over at the Riverview Miniature Golf Course – which you can play at after your time on the river – to get out on the water and get some great exercise and views! Or if you would rather someone else do the paddling for you, take a cruise on the Paddlewheel Riverboats at Pottawatomie Park! You can take a regular ride, join in on one of their themed events or rent it out for you and your friends or family.
If you’d rather take a walk along the river, there’s plenty of options close to the downtown that are easy to get to! You can stop by Pottawatomie Park and head north along the trail into Norris Woods for some shade if it’s hot or head south and see the sculptures at Mount St. Mary’s!
Jump right in to Otter Cove Aquatic Center or Swanson Pool
Have those beach towels and swimsuits ready – it’s time to hit the pool! Otter Cove Aquatic Park is your place to go and splash into some fun. Otter Cove has a lazy river where you let the worries drift away as you cruise along on a inner tube, speedy water slides to add some thrills to your experience, a swimming pool to lounge in and plenty of beach chairs to catch some sun rays. You can also head to the food court there to grab some snacks if you need some during your trip there!
You can also head over to Swanson Pool to swim in the pool or slide down their water slides. And with Swanson Pool being right in Pottawatomie you can head over to the park area, Riverview Miniature Golf Course or head downtown if you get tired of being at the pool.
Beat the heat with some indoor activities
Tired of being outside in the sun all the time? No worries, there’s plenty of fun to be had inside in the cool A/C! You can work on your bowling game at St. Charles Bowl, practice your axe throwing skills at Splinter’s Axe Throwing or head next door to IPanic Escape Room to see if you can solve the escape room puzzles or watch the summer blockbusters at Charlestowne 18! Or if you have kids, head over to Urban Air Adventure Park for some fun bouncing on the trampolines and more!
Grab a seat and enjoy the outdoor patios
Take a seat, unwind and relax with some time hanging out on one of our many outdoor patios at St. Charles restaurants. Enjoy a cool drink or some of the delicious local recipes, and throw in some great weather for an experience that can’t be beat!
Earn a shirt by doing the St. Charles Brewery Tour
Speaking of patios, you can hit up our six breweries here in St. Charles for some time sitting outside with a great beer and enjoying the sunshine or post up and sit at the bar area. and if you find a favorite, you can grab a six-pack, crowler, growler and more if you want to take some home with you!
But if you’re going to the breweries anyway, why not get a free t-shirt out of it? If you download our Visit Widget and visit/check-in at all six breweries in town, you can win a free brewery tour-t-shirt! It’s super easy!
Take a day or weekend to explore
There’s a lot to see and do in St. Charles so make some time and make it easy by giving yourself a day or weekend to try everything out! Our St. Charles hotels are all located within 10 minutes of the downtown and near a lot of the activities listed here.