Naper Settlement

Ever been to Greenfield Village in Detroit? You know, where they have all the historic buildings and demonstrations of old-​timey craftworks? Well, this is a much more modest version, dedicated to Naperville’s history. They also have special events like Civil War Days and Oktoberfest, and my FAVORITE thing: the Naperville Woman’s Club Art Fair (smaller and less expensive than the Riverwalk one, and set on the beautiful shady grounds of Naper Settlement!)
It’s definitely a place worth exploring if you live here, or a nice little day trip if you are in the Chicagoland area. Historical, educational and just plain fun!

«Churn butter churn, churn butter churn. We are waiting at the gate, waiting for our butter cake.» We sang this song as we churned our cream into butter and soon after shared it with others. It felt like it took forever, but was so good; I might make my kids churn butter for Thanksgiving! ;)
Where else around here can you help keep the fire in a blacksmith shop going, print your own bookmark with a press, saw a log, and dance a reel with a 10 yr old boy? Nowhere. Just Naper Settlement. A living museum in the heart of downtown Naperville.
If it’s cold outside, dress accordingly! They didn’t have central heating in the 1800s. ;)

We had our wedding ceremony at Naper Settlement chapel, and it was absolutely perfect. Built in 1864, the Gothic Revival architecture style was exactly what we were looking for. Something different and beautiful, we were immediately sold on having our wedding here.
My husband and I knew that a traditional ceremony wasn’t going to fly so we were hoping to find a nice non-​denominational church. When my MIL suggested Naper Settlement, hubs and I agreed to check it out. We went to the open house in February of 2014, and without hesitation dropped off our deposit the next day to ensure we’d lock in our date.
Our wedding was in an «off peak» month, so we received the winter rate for our two hour rental time slot (plus 1 hour for rehearsal). Then being during the holidays, the chapel was already decorated, therefore saving us a HUGE amount of money. We didn’t have to purchase or rent flowers, pew bows, etc… we didn’t even need an aisle runner.
The skies were partly cloudy and it was a «balmy» 48 degrees on 12÷13÷14, which allowed me to wait outside before my entrance. We had rehearsed with me possibly entering from downstairs if the weather wasn’t great but thankfully I didn’t have to go that route. Keep in mind that you may not be able to enter through the large doors as planned if there’s lousy weather on your big day.
We dealt with many different employees in the ten months of correspondence. Initially there was Becca, then Heather, and then a few others. Regardless of the rapid turnover, every employee was helpful and was quick to respond to any email inquiries we had. I couldn’t be more pleased with how well everything went on our big day. As Amy R. said, it’s worth every penny!

This review is for the Halloween thing they did this year, not for Naper Settlement itself.
My husband and I went to the All Hallows Eve event for the first time on Friday. While it was cute and there seemed to be a good amount of stuff to do, we unfortunately waited in line for two (yes, TWO) hours to go into one of the houses that we were told by an employee was the best part and that we could not miss it. Let me remind you that it was literally 30 degrees outside. So we stood in the same line for two hours for this assuming it would be awesome. WRONG. The place closed at 10 and it was about 9:50 when we were finally let in, and we were literally inside of this house for less then 30 seconds. No, I promise I am not kidding. What I don’t understand is why we were in line that long all night and how we were only inside for 30 freaking seconds. I’m guessing they cut half of what we were supposed to see out because they knew it was getting close to closing, especially since we saw a lady with a clipboard who worked there tell the actors to speed it along. We literally paid $ 30 and missed 85% of this event because we stood in a line for two hours all for absolutely nothing. We were both (as well as everyone else in our group) isnanely upset and mad about all of this and will most likely not be returning. Huge letdown.

Great time with the family at the Last Fling. We loved interacting with the volunteers. I enjoyed the village atmosphere and all the artifacts.

I had such a good time at Naper Settlement today!
My sister invited me to tag along with her and my nephew. We went to the splash waterpark located inside the ‘settlement.‘
It had a mini playground with some water cannons and such. The theme was along the lines of the facility.
I think this is a really cool place. I went here for a field trip back when I was in elementary school. It’s still really cool in my opinion, and I think it’d be a great place to bring kids for a day during the summer, or a field trip.
Staff was very friendly as a few of them said hi to me while I walked throughout the facility.
Check it out!

I was off the weekend of Civil War Days and decided to nerd it out with my boyfriend. Neither of us had ever been there but both of us are interested in American history. I really enjoyed the day spent there. Aside from the Civil War soldiers being there, you could watch a blacksmith do… blacksmith stuff? There were also a printer, an old cabin, and an old school. I am planning on going back again to learn to make maple syrup!

The Naper Settlement All Hallows Eve night was pretty lame for adults. The Edgar Allan Poe expedite was amazing! I would high recommend going to the Edgar Allan Poe next year! The actor truly captured Edgar’s amazingness!

Naper Settlement is a great place to spend a leisurely family afternoon. Included along with the obvious history lessons are loads of activities to keep the kids interested. There are many events throughout the year (including free sundaes on Sundays during the summer!). Add to that that Naperville residents get free admission, and you really can’t beat it. I highly recommend checking it out!

I brought some out of town guests to the Naper Settlement on a Sunday afternoon. It was my first time visiting and I wasn’t sure what to expect exactly. There’s a pretty nice permanent exhibit in the basement of the entry building. I especially enjoyed reading about the bad blood between the residents of early Naperville and Wheaton. It’s not everyday that you see the phrase «thieving Wheatonites» twice in the same room. I may have to start sprinkling it into everyday conversation.
The blacksmith shop was very cool, with an impressive re-​enactor crafting right before your eyes. I also found the print shop to be pretty interesting.
There were a number of young people in period costume milling about and playing games of the 19^th century. A high-​school aged dude rather persistently asked, «would you like to pack a trunk» — «umm, not really» — «are you sure?» — «yeah. I’m sure.» He then asked my companions if they would like to pack a trunk. They demurred as well. I hope he was able to find the assistance he required to begin his journey.
Sunday was some sort of special day in which Culver’s provides custard and toppings to make a custom sundae. Nice.
Finally, the mansion tour (which begins every half-​hour) was interesting. The well-​preserved home showed a glimpse of what life was like for the well-​to-​do in Naperville back in the day. The beds seemed about two feet shorter than I would have required, though the docent suggested that they slept propped-​up in the manner of reading in bed.
Overall, the Naper Settlement was a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon.

We held our wedding ceremony here, and it was absolutely a perfect experience.
From booking, Becca, an employee with the settlement, was SUPER accommodating and helpful with my MANY stupid emails filled with questions. She answered promptly and was just fantastic. But what really made this an amazing experience was the week before my wedding. Andi, a coordinator with Naper Settlement, called me early in the week to iron out every detail. She took all my programs, bubbles, and everything else we needed for the ceremony and held on to them so I wouldn’t worry. She conducted our rehearsal because our officiant was unable to attend, and she was patience, accommodating, and FLAWLESS in her organization of our ceremony. She liaised with our ceremony musicians and our photographer to ensure a perfect day. Even though it was rainy, she kept me calm and collected the entire day, and even stood with me right before I walked down the aisle, calmed me down, and talked me through every step. She was nothing short of amazing.
The chapel was IMMACULATE for the ceremony — clean, organized, perfect. The whole Settlement looked gorgeous for photos, and employees stayed out of my photographer’s way.
I booked Naper settlement purely for nostalgia reasons — my parents got married here in 1982 — but it ended up being one of my favorite wedding decisions. The staff here are miracle workers and the chapel is gorgeous. This ceremony was worth every penny.

Huge fan and going again for the 20^th something time next week and can’t wait! Weather its the newly remodeled museum, the excellent staff, or grounds its a must if you live in Chicagoland and an out of towner looking for a rich history and fun day!

This little village of ye olde times gone by can be a lot of fun. There are events, concerts, and sundae socials around the year that make visiting so much more fun.
Great little reenactments. Lots of people like to get married in the chapel. They recently remodeled a few things so we need to go back soon.
Check their calendar for hours and seasonal special events. They have a great program for volunteers and especially for children.
Don’t miss art displays in the main building.

Naper Settlement kicks butt! I took a group of my junior high school students there earlier in the week to supplement our Civil War curriculum and for them to get a peak into what life looked like during that time in the world. The kids loved it and I got compliments from my principal when we came back because she had never had so many kids go on a field trip that came back saying they had such a great time, telling her what they learned, and asking when they could go visit the same location again.
We were a little time-​prohibitive on our field trip because we only had 2 hours to spend at Naper Settlement (we were coming from far away and our kids have an earlier school day and we had to be back in time for the busses). So we didn’t get to see everything we would’ve liked, but we loved everything we did see! We saw the Blacksmith Shop, the Schoolhouse, an older home, a log cabin, and a fort. It doesn’t seem like much, but the presentation the staff at Naper Settlement puts on inside each of these buildings is incredible. We were in some of the buildings for 20 – 30 minutes where the staff gave us demonstrations on building farm tools, taught us out of authentic 19^th century school books, showed us how to cook our «food,» change our sheets, where we would go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. So cool!
The highlight of the trip was definitely the 19^th century schoolhouse. They lined us up in a boys row and a girls, brought us into the schoolhouse and taught us exactly like we were in that era. They referred to all the teachers as though we were the «8^th graders» and wouldn’t let us call ourselves «Mr.», «Ms.» or «Mrs.». Seriously, the kids got the biggest kick out of the schoolteacher giving us a hard time… calling us out by our first name, asking us if we’d been out playing baseball instead of studying our math problems. It was too funny. If you bring a group of students here and are on some kind of time prohibitive schedule, make SURE you come to the schoolhouse.
I highly recommend Naper Settlement to anyone! I’m hoping to personally attend their All Hallow’s Eve event and might even try to take our students back in December when they run an Underground Railroad program.

Entering Naper Settlement is a trip back in time – a time when people worked very hard for what they had. It is a different world from what we live in. I strongly recommend taking children here to show them the meaning of hard work, sacrifice, and life without modern technology. Naper Settlement is a reconstruction of an old 19^th century town (how Naperville used to be). As you visit each building in the town, you find actors and actresses playing the roles of different workers – school teacher, blacksmith, postmaster, etc. The volunteer actors and actresses do a fantastic job recreating the period in their mannerisms and costumes. They also convey an incredible amount of information; I’ve learned so much from them.
Even on a day when they may not be present, the buildings are still fun to explore – just to see and imagine how challenging life must have been without modern conveniences. You can also get a great sense of the class differences back then – compare the log cabin to the mansion, for example. Also, the gift shop contains a lot of neat, historical books and gifts. I cannot imagine not loving this place, especially if you are into 19^th century American history.

A disclaimer– this review is specifically for the All Hallow’s Eve event that Naper Settlement holds each year in October.
When I first saw the advertisement for Naper Settlement’s event I knew right away that I should go. But that year I ended up working late on Friday and missing it. The next year I promised myself I would make it so I bought tickets early (with a discount).
The thing I love is that to make a good 19^th century Halloween you don’t need very many special effects, machines, etc… because just going back to the 19^th century is spooky in and of itself. Couple that with the crisp autumn night, plenty of enthusiastic actors, and the star of the event– the Naper Settlement itself– and you have a can’t-miss success.
Another good point is that the All Hallow’s Eve event is not overly scary, so you can enjoy yourself with family or friends without completely freaking out. They have different scenes– you can receive your own 19^th century death notice, view a caged werewolf in an old fashioned school-​room, visit a blacksmith’s shop and many others.
All in all, one of my favorite events for the Halloween season.

This place keeps getting better and better with a number of capital improvements to the grounds (summer 2011) and out buildings.
This is something to put on your bucket list if you are a history buff or just looking for something interesting to do.
Everything is kept up and is in perfect condition. They have special events (check website) and rent out parts of the facility for picnics and weddings.

I’m a little conflicted about the Naper Settlement, so I’ll just break it down, and you guys can decide.
Pros– Great location, easy and free parking, good prices. The Museum areas were well-​curated and the interpretive signs were well thought-​out and easy to read. You really get a good grasp of the key players around here if you have the patience to read it all. The facilities are very clean and every is very tidy.
Cons– Too tidy! I’m a history purist, so I am a little disenchanted by the paved sidewalks, CFL bulbs, and mixed time periods. You will visit a «log cabin» that doesn’t have any real association with the Naper Settlement (brought in from somewhere else to represent a generic cabin) and walk right next door a Greek revival mansion, feeling a little confused. I walked into the print shop and was told that there wasn’t a paper printed at the Naper Settlement. Whaa? Your map won’t give you many details, and often the dates on the building signs and the interpretive maps didn’t match. Another disenchantment– the folks dressed up as the Naper Settlement citizens weren’t talking in first person. The blacksmith was telling folks that modern blacksmiths only do it for art’s sake.
I left feeling a little confused. What exactly WAS the Naper Settlement? I understand it was supposed to represent evolution of a town over time, but I don’t think this is communicated effectively here.
I highly recommend New Salem for a great living history experience.
TIP– Your ticket is good for two days!

Wanna have a nice lil’ Summer Sunday? Well, walk it on down to Naper Settlement for *FREE ICE CREAM SUNDAES with an add your own toppings bar… oh, and a TON of educational AND fun events.
For a *nominal admission fee, you can come to naper settlement, see the historic set up, some live reenactments, have sack races, see an old time letter press (my fave), tour an old Victorian mansion, take a black smith class, or go for one of the summer movie nights where you can bring your own picnic gear and watch a fun movie under the stars. … Oh! and I swear it seems like every weekend there’s a wine festival– can’t go wrong with that, amiright?
I highly recommend for a nice warm weather day or eve… or wedding celebration for all you crashers out there. The BF and I always have a fun time and I gotta give mad probs to those reenactment people who’ve just GOT to be sweating their azzes off!
We can’t wait to partake in all the fun festivities they’ve got going this Summer. ;)

THE Naperville museum. Here you can see several preserved, 19^th-​century Naperville buildings, private homes and industrial. You will also see the progression from a town of 180 founders in the 1830s, to the current state of things with us 150,000 or so shlubs.
My daughter has visited more often than I have since the school takes them on field trips. I like the views. It’s interesting to see how people lived before radio, television and Peapod, and it’s fun to explain it to the kids. It’s especially curious when you realize so much of the stone for Chicago buildings came from Naperville quarries.
The beautiful grounds and buildings make it a great spot for wedding receptions and special events. The Taste of Naperville (about 20 restaurants, plus a band and air-​filled bouncy buildings for kids) is held here every June around Father’s Day and is a good time. Parking is free.