Mundelein, Illinois is a quietly magnificent and genuinely layered village in Lake County offering an extraordinary architectural landmark, beautiful glacial lake scenery, and a warmly diverse community character that makes it one of the most undersung communities in all of northeastern Illinois.
The University of Saint Mary of the Lake seminary campus is an absolute must-see — a breathtaking 1,100-acre Beaux Arts and Georgian Revival masterpiece arranged around a central lagoon that ranks among the most genuinely magnificent and most completely unexpected institutional landscapes in all of the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Diamond Lake delivers a beloved glacial shoreline perfect for swimming, fishing, and stunning fall foliage. The Des Plaines River Trail offers outstanding riparian walking and cycling through mature bottomland hardwood with regular bald eagle sightings.
For dining, Francesca’s Fortunato serves warmly accomplished seasonal Italian cooking, and Los Magueyes delivers honest and generously proportioned Mexican cooking with a chile verde that makes every other version in the north suburban corridor feel like a pale approximation.