Wilmette

About Wilmette

A luminous white dome rising above the lakeshore greets drivers on Sheridan Road: the Bahá'í House of Worship, the only Bahá'í temple in North America, is Wilmette's landmark and one of the most visited sacred buildings in Illinois. Its lace-like concrete walls and formal gardens draw visitors of every faith.

Wilmette grew as a commuter village on Chicago's North Shore, about 15 miles north of the Loop, and it absorbed the older German farming village of Gross Point, whose 1896 village hall now holds the local historical museum. Leafy streets display homes by Frank Lloyd Wright and other Prairie School architects, and Plaza del Lago is a charming 1920s Spanish-style shopping court.

On the lake, Gillson Park offers a sandy beach, a busy harbor and wide lawns at the mouth of the North Shore Channel. The CTA Purple Line ends at Linden Avenue, making Wilmette an easy day trip from Chicago, while Evanston and the Chicago Botanic Garden are close by.