Woodstock, IL is in McHenry County in northern Illinois with a population of nearly 25,000 as of 2010. It was chosen as the county seat in 1843 and was originally called Centerville, due to being in the center of the county. In 1845 the town name was changed to Woodstock after resident Joel Johnson’s hometown of Woodstock, Vermont. It became a city in 1873, and a rail line soon arrived. It is still in use today, Metra trains come through also, taking passengers to Chicago 37 miles away.
Prior to 1992, Woodstock was not considered to be a destination for visitors. The movie Groundhog Day changed all of that. Since the movie’s release in 1993, people have been streaming in from all over the country (and world!) to see the city that the movie made famous. Al and I came into town to celebrate Groundhog Day in 2015 and 2017 and had the time of our lives! All the sites in the movie are marked with a plaque for a self-guided Walking Tour any time you come to visit. The city was re-vitalized by the movie and the money spent in town by visitors has allowed for many improvements and beautification projects to make the city a welcoming place for all. We stay at the Super 8 when we come to visit. Book early if you are coming for Groundhog Day, we reserved our room in early November. Or you can even stay at the Royal Victorian Manor, featured in the Groundhog Day movie as the Cherry Street Inn.
There is more to Woodstock then the groundhog though. They have preserved their beautiful historic Square and most storefronts are occupied with boutiques and restaurants. On our most recent visit in 2017, many buildings are now outlined in LED light and the trees in the inner square have white lights on them. Very beautiful!
Woodstock created a pdf map listing the historic buildings on or near the Square. Here are some of them. Let’s begin at the Opera House and go counter-clockwise.
For great Groundhog Day souveniers and other gifts, stop at Read Between the Lynes. They had everything!
Across the street on our left is the Phoenix Block.
At the end of this corner on 113 S. Benton is the majestic Church Block building (1899), named after Malachi Church, a county sheriff. In the corner is now a four-face city clock and the business Ethereal Confections Craft Chocolate and Dessert Bar. Also Material Things.
Night view.
We round the corner to the BMO Harris building, housed in the Primm Block. The tan building is the Murphy Block.
At the end of Benton Street (across from Ned’s Corner) are these businesses.
Cass Street is next on the square.
On this street is the former Tip Top Cafe’ in the Groundhog Day movie. Now Taqueria La Placita, we enjoyed a great dinner there 2-1-17.
At the top of Cass St. we see the Old Courthouse and Jailhouse buildings, all occupied.
We enjoyed lunch at the Public House of Woodstock here, site of the Groundhog Day movie bar scene where they drink to world peace.
Across the street is the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Jaci’s Cookies, where we got a couple scones and a Groundhog cookie! They closed on 9-30-16.
We are back at the top again where we started. We saw other interesting buildings, these are on Main St. just off the Square. This is the Waverly house building, built in 1900. Next to it is the store Rare Rubbish, with a vintage Elgin Watch neon sign with clock. Cool! We saw the sign at night in 2017, one side still works!
Across the street is the Woodstock Theater, on this site around 100 years.
Night view.
Behind the square on 227 N. Throop St. is Afterglow Creative Services, a video production and photography agency.
Stop by the Woodstock Public Library to learn more about Woodstock and it’s proud history.
Go bowling at Wayne’s Lanes.
On our way out of town, we saw the Purple Heart Memorial.
This wraps up our tour of Woodstock. Check these resources for more information about this city and McHenry County. A great place to visit any time of the year. We always feel welcome here, as we do when we visit my home state. We also found this great historical marker just outside of Woodstock at a small wayside.
Visit McHenry County
McHenry County Historical Society
City of Woodstock, IL
Groundhog Days Website
Chamber of Commerce
Woodstock Farmers Market
Metra
Tripadvisor – Best of Woodstock
