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Lombard is a village of about 44,000 people in DuPage County, about 20 miles west of downtown Chicago. Settled in the 1830s as Babcock's Grove and later named for Josiah Lombard, it grew along the railroad as a commuter town. It is known as the Lilac Village, thanks to resident Colonel William Plum, whose lilac collection became a public park.
Lilacia Park, designed with landscape architect Jens Jensen, is the village's pride, and each May the Lilac Time festival brings tours, a parade and events when hundreds of lilac varieties bloom. Local history is told at the Lombard Historical Museum and at the Sheldon Peck Homestead, the oldest house in town and a documented stop on the Underground Railroad. A monument honors Ellen Martin, who cast a ballot in Lombard in 1891, long before women won the vote nationally.
The Illinois Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail cross the village, and Yorktown Center is one of the region's major shopping malls. Downtown Lombard around St. Charles Road has local restaurants and the Metra station.
An 8.5-acre garden park built on the estate of Colonel William Plum and laid out with landscape architect Jens Jensen, holding hundreds of lilac varieties and thousands of tulips. It peaks in early to mid-May, when a small admission is charged during Lilac Time. The rest of the year it is free.
A large Lombard Park District park with wide open meadows, a walking path, athletic fields and a playground. Its open spaces are good for kite flying, ball games and evening strolls, with birds and butterflies in summer. It is free to visit and popular for jogging and family outings.
Lombard's signature spring celebration held during lilac bloom in May, with evening garden walks, a parade, a craft fair and events in and around Lilacia Park. The Lilac Queen and her court are a long local tradition. Check the village calendar for dates, as bloom time varies with the weather.
The oldest house in Lombard, built in 1839 by folk portrait painter Sheldon Peck, whose family sheltered freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. The restored home is run by the Lombard Historical Society and opens for tours on limited days in warmer months. Check the schedule before visiting.
A memorial honoring Ellen Martin, a Chicago attorney who used a quirk in Lombard's village charter to cast a ballot in the 1891 local election, decades before women gained the vote nationally. It is a short stop, best combined with a walk to Lilacia Park and the historical museum nearby.
A local history museum in an 1870s Victorian house near Lilacia Park, furnished to show family life in the late 19th century, with changing exhibits on Lombard's growth. The Lombard Historical Society runs it with volunteer guides. Admission is free or by donation; open on limited days.
A DuPage County rail trail on a former railroad line that starts near Villa Park and runs west through Lombard, Glen Ellyn and Wheaton toward West Chicago. The surface is crushed stone, with mostly level grades and some wooded stretches. A good choice for a quiet ride or long walk.
A large regional shopping mall opened in 1968 near the I-88 and Route 53 junction, with department stores, many shops, restaurants and a dine-in movie theater, plus the outdoor Shops on Butterfield next door. It is handy on bad-weather days; weekday mornings are quietest.
The compact village center along St. Charles Road and Main Street near the Metra station, with local restaurants, coffee shops, small businesses and the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library. It hosts summer concerts and events. From here it is a short walk to Lilacia Park and the historical museum.
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