ABC7 Live in Your Neighborhood: Long Grove
LONG GROVE, Ill. (WLS) -- With its century-old shops and newer buildings constructed to look as old, Long Grove, Illinois, is a moment captured in time.
"Imagine a sleepy crossroads that got bypassed by all the major transportation and it just never changed," said Aaron Underwood, president of the Long Grove Historical Society.
"I think we've just stuck to what we do the best," said Mary Ann Ullrich, owner of The Village Tavern.
The bar at The Village Tavern is part of the original restaurant, which opened in 1847. It's been the Ullrich family business for more than 50 years. Mary Ann Ulllrich said many of her customers have been around for just as long.
"It's like an extended family. We have folks that have been here that their kids have worked for us. We're a third generation. We have people that really - it's like going to grandmas," Ullrich said.
"There's still that sense of conversation and community that exists here that is something I think people are really seeking," said Mary Prekop, retail and brand development director at the Long Grove Confectionery.
Prekop held a taste test at the confectionery, another one of the village's top attractions.
"Our best-seller in this store has to be our hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries," Prekop said.
The shop is also steeped in tradition. Gloria, a confectionery employee, has been hand-dipping strawberries since the confectionery opened in 1975. Those aren't the only treats worth sampling.
"That is a myrtle, which is chocolate, pecans and caramel," Prekop said.
Check out the links below to find out more about Long Grove's treasures:
Long Grove Performing Arts Academy
