Wilmette

The spectacular Bahá'í House of Worship

Wilmette is 16 miles (25 km) north of Chicago. It is part of the affluent corridor of lakefront Chicago suburbs known as the North Shore. It is the location of the world's oldest still-standing Bahá'í House of Worship.

Get in

• Close by Interstate I-90/94, known locally as the Edens Expressway.
• By taxi, from O'Hare airport
• By Pace bus from neighboring suburbs

By train

• The CTA Purple Line 'L' terminates at 1 Linden Station, located on Linden Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, a few blocks west of the Baha'i House of Worship. The Purple Line provides all-day service to Evanston and Howard Station in Rogers Park on Chicago's Far North Side. It also provides weekday rush hour service to the Loop.
• The Metra Union Pacific / North Line stops at 2 Wilmette Station, along Green Bay Road between Central and Lake Avenues in Downtown Wilmette. The Union Pacific / North Line runs from Ogilvie Transportation Center in Downtown Chicago's West Loop all the way to Kenosha, Wisconsin, stopping at many towns along Chicagoland's North Shore on the way.

Get around

• Car
• Bicycle

PACE bus routes

• 213 Green Bay Road
• 421 Wilmette Avenue
• 422 Linden CTA/Glenview/Northbrook Court
• 423 Linden CTA-The Glen-Harlem CTA

See

• 1 Baha'i House of Worship, 100 Linden Ave (at Sheridan, three blocks east of Linden CTA stop), ☏ +1-847-853-2300. 6AM-10PM daily. A cultural and architectural wonder. Free.  
• 2 Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Ave (two blocks east of Wilmette Metra stop), ☏ +1 847-251-7424. Has movies and live performances.  

Do

• 1 Gillson Park. 9AM-8PM. A Chicago-area beach that offers a quieter alternative to the busier Chicago city beaches. Also offers sailing, tennis, a picnic area, a marina, a playground, and a dog beach. Beach: $11 for non-residents before 6PM, $6 after. Rest of park: free. 
• Wallace Bowl. An outside theater at Gillson Park. It was built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, and has been restored to its original specifications. Free concerts and plays are available in the warm weather months. 
• Centennial Family Aquatic Center. 
• Centennial Ice Rinks. 
• Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Ave. (updated Mar 2019)
• Wilmette Golf Club. 
• Community Recreation Center. Offers gymnastics. 
• Chestnut Street Beach. 

Buy

• Edens Plaza. A large shopping center on the west end of town at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Skokie Boulevard (US41)near the Edens Expressway. It features anchor stores like Carson Pirie Scott, Bed, Bath and Beyond and the Fresh Market in addition to many smaller stores. 
• 1 Plaza del Lago, 1515 Sheridan Rd, ☏ +1 847-251-0362. (updated Dec 2018)

Eat

• Tsing Tao, Green Bay Road. Chinese-American food. 
• Wilmette Chuck Wagon, 1120 Central Ave, ☏ +1-847-256-0120. Greek, burgers, and hotdogs. 
• Kama Kura, Central Street. Sushi and Japanese cuisine. 
• Akai Hana, 3223 W Lake Ave, ☏ +1-847-251-0384. M-Sa 5PM-9PM, Su 4PM-8PM. 
• Homer's Ice Cream, 1237 Green Bay Rd, ☏ +1-847-251-0477. 
• Ridgeview Grill, 827 Ridge. (updated Mar 2019)
• Burhops, 1515 Sheridan Rd. Seafood. (updated Oct 2021)
• Irving's for Red Hot Lovers. Fast food. 
• Lou Malnati's Pizza, 3223 Lake Ave, ☏ +1-847-256-5780. M-Th 4PM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-9PM. Carry-out only. 
• 1 Walker Brothers Pancake House, 153 Green Bay Rd, ☏ +1 847-251-6000. 7:00AM - 2:30PM. Awesome breakfast. Many days you will find a line out the door, but don't be scared off by this, it moves very fast. (updated Nov 2024)

Drink

• Meier's Tavern. 

Sleep

There are no hotels in Wilmette. Try hotels in Evanston, Skokie, or Glenview.

Go next

• Bicycle or run the Green Bay Trail, to Ravinia, !
• Hop on a train south to Evanston or onward to Chicago

Routes through Wilmette

Milwaukee ← Northfield ←	W  E	→ Skokie → Chicago
Milwaukee ← Northfield ←	N  S	→ Skokie → Chicago
END ←	N  S	→ Evanston → Rogers Park, Chicago
Kenosha ← Winnetka ←	N  S	→ Evanston → Chicago