Saint Charles Between River and History

The Fox River runs through downtown St. Charles. When planning your trip, you can choose between river activities, local history, and trails through nature preserves.

Fox River and Waterfront Activities

The Fox River runs through downtown St. Charles. Pottawatomie Park provides regional access to the Fox River Trail as well as a designated boat launch on the Fabulous Fox River Water Trail. Trail access and boat access are two separate points of reference when planning a stay focused on river activities.

Paddlewheel Riverboat cruises include an audio program about historic landmarks and stories along the river. This combination of a river cruise and storytelling offers a different focus from the access points at Pottawatomie Park. The audio program also covers Camp Kane, one of four surviving Civil War training camps in Illinois.

History in the City

The Central Historic District encompasses downtown St. Charles and the original town, laid out in the 1830s. It includes the Hotel Baker, built in 1928 in the Romantic Revival style and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original town layout and the later Hotel Baker provide two points of reference from different periods within the historic district.

The St. Charles History Museum is located in the 1928 McCornack Oil Company building at 215 East Main Street. The permanent exhibition “The Makings of St. Charles” traces the community’s development from its founding as a settlement, through its time as a Civil War training site and its growth as a resort destination, to the present day. A historic walking tour features 27 sites and complements the museum’s perspective with several stops.

Pottawatomie Park also has a historical connection: it opened on May 20, 1912, as the first park to open under a new Illinois Parks Act. The exact date adds a specific early 20th-century event to the city’s history.

Nature Preserves and Other Interests

Red and white oaks more than 200 years old grow in Norris Woods Nature Preserve, which is heavily used by walkers and cyclists along the Fox River Trail. Ferson Creek Fen Nature Preserve includes boardwalks, hiking trails, and overlooks accessible from the trail.

A 9-hole golf course sits directly on the Fox River, was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., and features an island green. For travelers who want to include golf alongside river or history interests, this is a different activity from using the trails or visiting museums.

Discover more destinations: Aurora, North Aurora, Sugar Grove, Batavia, West Dundee, Elgin, Geneva, Hampshire.

For the main travel overview: Kane.