Glen Ellyn, Illinois: The Suburb With Seven Names, One Lake, and a Very Strong Burger Opinion

If you're searching for things to do in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, congratulations: you've picked a village that has been quietly judging your Metra-commuter lifestyle since 1882. Located about 24 miles west of downtown Chicago, this DuPage County suburb is home to 28,846 people as of the 2020 Census, a stagecoach tavern, a man-made lake, and an impressive number of people who will tell you about their favorite burger unprompted.

We came to explore. We stayed to roast. Gently. Mostly.

A Town With an Identity Crisis (Several Names Deep)

Glen Ellyn's naming history reads like someone filling out a form and keep hitting "start over." Before the village settled down, it was variously known as Babcock's Grove, Stacy's Corners, Newton's Station, Danby, and Prospect Park.

The final answer? Glen Ellyn is based on the Welsh version of the name of Thomas E. Hill's wife Ellen, preceded by "glen," referring to the local geography. Yes, a man named a town after his wife, translated it into Welsh for flair, and the village went along with it. It's the most "I got you a thoughtful gift" move in Illinois municipal history.

The name stuck by 1889, when Hill spearheaded a project to create a new lake, today's Lake Ellyn, by building a dam in a nearby stream. Today, Lake Ellyn Park is a perfectly pleasant place to walk a dog, which is the highest calling of any suburban body of water.

Stacy's Tavern: The Oldest Thing Here That Still Pours Authenticity

Real talk: Glen Ellyn's history is legitimately cool. In 1846, Stacy built an inn to serve as a halfway stop between Chicago and the Fox River Valley, and Stacy's Tavern still stands at Geneva Road and Main Street. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and the Glen Ellyn Historical Society has run it as a museum since 1976.

The Glen Ellyn Historical Society runs tours and a gift shop on the same campus, so you can learn about 1840s travel and then buy a souvenir about it. Peak tourism.

Then there's the town's mineral springs moment. In the late 1800s, residents discovered mineral springs near the village, and Glen Ellyn promptly pitched itself as Chicago's newest suburb and health resort. The grand Lake Glen Ellyn Hotel followed. The hotel's luck was not great: it burned down in 1906. One fire, one lake, zero spa reviews. Wellness tourism was not meant to be.

Downtown Glen Ellyn: Where the Burgers Are Loud and the Lunches Are BYO

Downtown today is far tidier than the 1890s version. Main Street and its intersecting boulevards are served by the Metra Union Pacific West line and sit near the 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path network, which follows a former interurban railroad corridor. In other words: you can arrive by train, leave by train, or bike away in disappointment on a repurposed railroad bed.

Let's talk food. Local online reviewers treat burgers like a sacrament, and the Main Street Pub vs. Ellyn's Tap debate is the closest thing the village has to a civic election. Meanwhile, the high school lunch crowd has perfected a different business model: occupy a restaurant table, unwrap a sandwich from home, and let one friend order a lemonade for the group. Entrepreneurs, honestly. Restaurant owners, we're sorry.

Summer Concerts, Million-Dollar Bungalows, and Other Suburban Flexes

Glen Ellyn does community events well. The Summer Concert Series runs on select Fridays on Main Street with a lineup that includes '90s rock, a bluegrass night called Bags, Beer and Bluegrass, and '80s hits from Straight from the Heart.

Real estate here is its own spectator sport. Just this fall, a home at 639 North Park Boulevard sold for $1.9 million, and a 1920-built house on Crescent Boulevard went for $1.1 million. And a custom estate recently hit the market asking nearly six million dollars, which would set a local record. For that price, the springs had better be real this time.

It's not all postcards, of course. Like any suburb, Glen Ellyn has its share of civic debate, including recent community concerns about public safety that the mayor was expected to address at a Village Board meeting. Real towns have real conversations, even ones with excellent burgers.

The Verdict

Is Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a "Generic Suburb #47"? Hardly. It has a genuine 1846 stagecoach inn, a lake made by ambition and a dam, a train line that practically built the place, and a naming story with more drama than most reality shows. It's also a place where the biggest controversy is who has the better patty melt.

Visit for the history. Stay for the Prairie Path. Bring your own lunch at your own risk.

Think we were too nice? See the full roast of Glen Ellyn on RoastMyTown.com.