Onward to another cool suburb in Lake County!
Mundelein holds a lot of memories for me because it was the suburb that we moved to in 1989 from Ohio.
My high school advisor had told my brother that Mundelein means bread in German, but after researching that I could find nothing. Mundelein means, well, nothing. It is just a town name.
Don’t google your town name, by the way. Unless you want to learn things you never wanted to learn about your town. Just. Don’t.
I personally have some great memories of living six years in Mundelein.
Walking up to the Mundelein Munch and watching the Fourth of July fireworks in the parking lot of Rogan’s.
Watching my brother play football for the Mundelein Mustangs aka the “Bread” Mustangs. Just kidding.
Going swimming at Diamond Lake Beach.
Going to Abernathy’s, eating at El Barrio, walking up to the old video store on Hawley Street.
Of course almost all of those places are gone now but Mundelein holds so many memories for me. Here are some more places to visit in one of our favorite suburbs.
If you go anywhere for pizza in the northern burbs, this has to be a stop.
Bill’s has two locations but if you have never been here before, you need to hit the Mundelein location for the first visit.
Bill’s is a classic and their pizza is really delicious.
By the way, the sign says “fabulous hot dogs” but I have never had a hot dog here.
Because BILL’S PIZZA.
A word of warning: if you have a peanut allergy in the family, you will not be able to walk into the restaurant.
They have peanut shells all over this place, so this will be a no- go.
But if you don’t have a peanut allergy, this is a great place for the kids as they can be as messy as they want.
My daughters ADORE this joint for that reason alone.
They love that they can throw the shells on the floor and make a mess.
Everyone raves about the double decker pizza but our family isn’t a fan, we opt for the thin crust sausage instead.
Go here for their menu ahead of time.
Expect a crowd pretty much anytime, but weeknights aren’t too bad.
Trust me, it is worth the wait.
Bill’s is centrally located at 624 S. Lake Street.
A moment of silence please for Journey’s End. That is now a CVS.
Okay back to the list.
Mundelein has a great spray park that is located next to their really cool Barefoot Bay water complex.
Non-residents pay only two dollars to get in.
The great thing about their spray park compared to others in the area is that it is open all day.
The spray park is located at 1401 N. Midlothian Road and is open through Labor Day.
Kracklauer Park
Just say it.
KRACKLAUER PARK.
It’s fun.
Isn’t it?
Come on, it really is.
There are free music concerts all summer in the cute little gazebo from 5-6:30 p.m. on the following dates: July 15, 22, 29, and August 5, 12.
There is also a great park for kids to play with lots of seating for adults to play on your phones, I MEAN TO WATCH YOUR KIDS PLAY.
There is also a McDonald’s conveniently located next to the park so you can get yourself a french fries or an ice cream cone afterwards to reward yourself for not playing on your phone and instead saying Kracklauer over and over loudly because it is just so darn fun to say.
So go get an ice cream cone, sing along at the gazebo and run through the spray park.
Bill is waiting for you to crush some nuts and he really wants you to try his hot dogs, apparently.
I mean it IS on his sign.
And now I feel like I need to go to Mundelein to try the hot dogs.
Kracklauer, Kracklauer, Kracklauer.
Have you visited any of the neat little places I have mentioned here? I would love to hear if you have or if you have any suggestions. Make sure you email me or comment below.
