Geneva, St. Charles on ‘15 Most Charming Towns in Illinois’ list

Geneva and St. Charles have been named two of the “15 Most Charming Towns in Illinois” by the online travel magazine Trips to Discover. The list was released Feb. 23.

The magazine highlighted Geneva’s vibrant shopping and restaurant scene, as well as its Victorian architecture, Japanese garden and history museum. Also mentioned were the annual Swedish Days festival, the Geneva Arts Fair, Holiday House Tour and Festival of the Vine.

St. Charles received accolades from the magazine for its Underground Railroad history, trolley museum and biking and running trails along the Fox River. The article pointed out the city’s six live performance venues and “hundreds of bars and restaurants.” The city’s many annual festivals, including the St. Patrick’s Parade, Scarecrow Weekend and St. Charles Jazz Weekend, also were highlighted as reasons to visit.

Both cities were named part of the “15 Most Beautiful Towns in America” by World Atlas in January. According to the publication, both Geneva and St. Charles feature boutique shops, “identity-drive restaurants,” dog-friendly parks, walking paths and more. The article said the Tri-Cities area “exudes plenty of small-town goodness while still being within shouting distance of one of the great American cities.”