This past weekend hubby and I took a trip to Crystal Lake, Illinois. It’s a medium-sized, quaint town that surrounds a serene lake with breezy sailboats and lazy sunbathers. We explored the neighborhoods lined with beautiful historic homes.
The first house that caught my eye was this adorable blue bungalow with a sweet green door. I think the homeowner chose the perfect color scheme for their pretty dwelling.
A stately farmhouse bears Victorian trim with a second-floor balcony. Large trees provide cool shade on hot summer days.
Like most Midwestern towns, Crystal Lake enjoys a variety of architectural styles along its residential streets. A craftsman-style bungalow is nestled on a lane with simple clapboard homes and stately Victorians.
This historic red home is currently for sale. You can take a tour of it on Zillow.
While walking down the street taking pictures, we spied a couple of girls hurrying to set up their lemonade stand in hopes of selling some to us. I looked at hubby and said, “You know we have to go over there and buy a couple of lemonades. They hurried to get set up when they saw us.” The girls happily let us take their picture and hubby told them that I’d put them on the blog. The girl on the left proudly called to her mom on the porch and exclaimed, “Mom! They’re gonna blog us!!” The mom got a kick out of it and happily approved. Cute girls with a cute lemonade stand … and a cute house, too!
I can’t figure out why this single family home has two front doors. I think the one on the right is the main entrance since the steps lead directly to it. I love quirky little historic homes like this.
Some of the homes near the lake are stately like this one, but others are quite modest.
I had to snap a photo of this unique home which is just a block from the lake.
Hubby liked this quaint home. I like the way they trimmed their evergreen bushes.
A pretty yellow Victorian looks amazing with its red-orange door and trim.
The last house on the tour isn’t historic, but it’s quite grand! This beauty sits right on the lake (and yes, I’m kicking myself for not getting photos of beautiful Crystal Lake).
This house is also for sale and you can tour the inside on Zillow.
I hope you enjoyed today’s tour of charming Crystal Lake, Illinois. There are a lot more beautiful houses that I could photograph – so another trip is probably in order!
Beautiful homes. This almost makes me want to leave Chicago…LOL! Love the lemonade stand. Extremely adorable!
My husband retired from the Army from Ft. Sheridan, and we spent a year and a half living in Lindenhurst in Lake County. We enjoyed our stay there, and loved driving through the suburban Lake County towns and enjoying the architecture and
quaint downtowns. This was a great reminder of our stay there!
I wonder if the house with 2 doors at one time had a screened in porch . There are some beautiful homes in Crystal Lake.
Each home was just as lovely as the next! I am originally from Southern Illinois, lived there for the first 43 years of my life! We have lived in Tucson, & now Benson, Arizona the last ten years. The houses are quite different here, the ones you feature are what I grew up with!
Such beautiful homes, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing!
Hugs, Jamie
Hi Jennifer,
After browsing through the beautiful Victorian homes post, I noticed (to my surprise), an older post with the beautiful homes of Crystal Lake. I couldn’t agree more, since I was born and raised right here! Many of the homes you featured are very familiar to me and it was such fun to see them featured in your blog. The house with two front doors has always been known as the popsicle stick house in my family and circle of friends. I’m so happy you took the time to tour not only the larger more stately homes around the lake, but some of the older homes, downtown, as well. Next time you decide to take a jaunt to my neck of the woods, I’d be so happy to be your tour guide! Happy travels, Jen.
I have heard that before funeral parlors, homes used to have two doors to direct traffic in and out past the deceased loved one on display in the “parlor.”