Romeoville, IL

Romeoville's earliest settlement is still legible on the island between the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Des Plaines River. Isle a la Cache once held homes, hunting and fishing clubs, a church, a restaurant, and a hotel; the Forest Preserve District later removed most buildings and returned the island to natural habitat. Its surviving café became a museum devoted to eighteenth-century Illinois Country, where exhibits join Potawatomi traditions with the history of French voyageurs and the fur trade. Visitors can use the island nature trail and the connected Centennial and Veterans Memorial trails for walking, running, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, or launch a canoe or kayak. In summer 2026, the museum displayed black ash baskets by Pokagon Potawatomi artists and scheduled nature and history programs. Romeoville itself incorporated in January 1895 after residents voted 42–20 to form a village and replace the earlier name Romeo.

ATTRMidwestRailFanner / CC BY-SA 4.0

Present-day community activity is distributed among 33 village park sites covering nearly 420 acres. For regional trips, the Romeoville Metra station has offered weekday Heritage Corridor trains between Joliet and Chicago Union Station since 2018, while Pace Route 834 connects Lewis University and Romeoville with Lockport, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, and other employment and medical destinations. Lewis University's 410-acre main campus includes its own airport, making its aviation program the only one at an Illinois university with an on-campus airfield. The Recreation Center, Athletic and Event Center, and Aquatic Center provide indoor recreation; the aquatic complex opened in 2023 and its 2026 calendar included lap and open swimming, fitness sessions, sensory swims, glow nights, and movie events. Summer gatherings moved outside for concerts at Deer Crossing Park and the four-day RomeoFest in August.