Are you looking to be a tourist in your own town, or are you visiting Sycamore to see our amazing sites? Sycamore is home to a historic 1920’s movie theatre, a Carnegie library, and a vintage Sting Ray museum! Our natural landscape boasts vibrant colors you can enjoy year-round at one of our nineteen parks and two trails in and around town. Whether you have a few hours or a few days, you will find something fun to see and do in our welcoming community.
- Festivals & Events
- Art, Museums, Theater & History
- Outdoor Activities
Sycamore, Illinois is proud to have a variety of annual events to bring the community together and support our lovely city! Each week during the summer, local and surrounding area farmers and small businesses come together to form our beloved Farmer’s Market. Find everything from soap and decadent treats to veggies, olive oil, and candles at our Farmer’s Market. Runners and pumpkin enthusiasts from near and far come to Sycamore at the end of October each year to celebrate Pumpkin Festival. Sign up to run the 10k, enjoy local vendors, enter your decorated pumpkin, or sit back and watch the parade over the Pumpkin Fest weekend celebration. Santa also sets up shop over the holiday for little ones to visit and get their wish list to Santa before Christmas. With many other seasonal daily or weekend events, you’re sure to find something fun almost everything month to participate in downtown Sycamore!
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Sycamore/DeKalb Trail
17 Miles of beautiful paved bike/walking/running paths through Sycamore, DeKalb that ultimately connects to the Great Western Trail on the East side of Sycamore.
Sycamore has a beautiful rural landscape, filled with farmer’s fields and wooded trails.
Adee’s Woods provides an area for a picnic and a walk through the woods. If biking or snowmobiling is your interest , try the Great Western Nature Trail, which starts in DeKalb County and extends through Kane County to the Fox River Trail. The DeKalb/Sycamore Trail links the DeKalb Park District Trail from Lions Park on DeKalb’s south side to Sycamore and the Great Western Trail. County Farm Woods links the DeKalb Sycamore Trail as a great rest stop along your way. Merritt Prairie offers 56 acres of rolling terrain with native prairie and wetland restorations as the outstanding features of this park. Wilkinson/Renwick Marsh preserves wetland habitat and is an excellent area to listen to and view wildlife.
The Great Western Trail is in North Central Illinois and runs 18 miles from St. Charles to Sycamore. It is a Rails to Trails trail originally part of the Great Western Rail Line and built by the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad in 1886. The trail is flat and you roll through the countryside past numerous small streams and wetlands. Continuous wild shrubs include Dogwood, Blackberry, and Hazelnut and merge with a few remaining patches of native prairie.
The trail parallels route 64 (North Ave) almost the whole way. This was an enjoyable trail if not the most exciting I’d ever been on. Monarch butterflies flutter around your head as your tires crunch over berries. You get a good sense of Illinois prairie and flat farmland. I was surprised that the 1st half of the trail was mostly shade covered, however the last half was mostly open farmland
Johnson’s Sweet Corn, Pumpkin Stand and Corn Maze
We’ve been in the business for over twenty five years! And yes, we do run it on a working farm. We do everything the old fashioned way here. We plant the pumpkins and harvest the pumpkins ourselves, the corn stalks are taken right from our corn fields and our lovely animals are raised and cared for here on the farm. Our mission is to provide fun and enriching experiences for families wanting to have a good time on the farm. Plan your next family outing with us, we also love having local clubs and organizations come out. We’ve hosted great parties for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H groups, Youth Groups, and many more. We even have a campfire you can enjoy on the brisk fall nights we’re open. Come enjoy the beauty of fall at our farm, we look forward to seeing you!
Pumpkin Stand: 10AM-6PM daily
Corn Maze (Weekends Only):
Friday 5PM – 9PM
Saturday 10AM – 9PM
Sunday & Columbus Day 10AM – 5PM
The beautiful 63 mile long Kishwaukee River runs straight through Sycamore. When the weather is nice and the water is high, the river is always streaming with canoes. Wildlife such as rabbits, white-tailed deer, woodchuck, skunks and over 260 types of birds can all be found commonly along the riverbed.
Runaway Ranch Inc. is a family oriented farmette located in Sycamore which offers Western Weddings, Kids Camps, Shows, and Field Trips. We have been in existence since 2002. We also host birthday parties, group events, horse shows, and summer horseback riding camp. Another one of our most popular services is a personalized professional photo shoot with one of our horses. Please call or visit our website today to schedule your Runaway Ranch getaway!
Sycamore Family Sports Center has everything you need for a day of family fun. The 18-hole mini golf game has many surprises including a small artificial river to put over! For those looking to practice their striking, the golf range includes Wilson super range balls and is lighted for evening use. There are also batting cages with six pitching machines that range from easy softball pitches to major league baseball pitches. You can also find a fast-track go-karting ring and a soccer-kicking cage.
The Park District, established in 1923, is in the process of acquiring and developing a number of park sites and open spaces to serve a growing community. Park sites including; neighborhood parks, community parks, athletic fields, wetlands, woodlands, and high-quality natural areas.
In total, our Park District owns or manages hundreds of existing acres of park land where you and your neighbors can enjoy leisurely walks, running, bicycling, golfing, picnicking, fishing, skating, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, swimming, and plans to develop other sites that have been recently acquired as our resources permit.
Additionally, experience the joy of learning and sharing along with the thrill of adventure and discovery. People of all ages are encouraged to enjoy their local parks and participate in a variety of social and educational programs.
Opportunities include spending quality time with family and friends, being creative with arts and crafts, wandering the wetlands and prairies, visiting unique places on trips, competing in sports, joining a fitness class or educational program, golfing, and/or exploring the wonders nature provides. We are growing and proud to be part of Sycamore, where we want life to offer much more!
