We may be a bit obsessed with sculpture parks. Not only can you enjoy beautiful art, but you can get your steps in and enjoy nature. Besides Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park or the Chicago Athenaeum Sculpture Park in Schaumburg, we had heard wonderful things about the sculptures at Mount St. Mary Park. Read on for tips to enjoy your visit.
Read more: Take this self-guided walk through Downtown Elgin with the family.
Getting started at Mt. St. Mary Park
Enter 100 Prairie Street in your GPS. After turning on Prairie Street, you’ll find the parking lot for Mt. St. Mary Park on your right. (There is also a smaller parking lot off of Rt. 31.) You’ll see the path right away. Choose to start by the playground or the other direction. We chose the other direction so the kids would be motivated to finish the loop and end up at the playground. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
Follow the paved path
All of the sculptures are located right off the paved path which loops around the park. Here are a few of our favs.
…but don’t miss Mr. Eggwards
The “Humpty Dumpty” statue is not located on the looped path, but just off of Rt. 31. He was definitely one of our favorites, so don’t miss him!
Bring scooters (or bikes)
Since there is a paved path, we thought it would be a good idea to bring scooters.
Scope out the trees (and climb them!)
My kids are always on the lookout for climbing trees. Mt. St. Mary had plenty of them. We also participated in the St. Charles Park District tree scavenger hunt and found all 3 trees in the scavenger hunt. Some of them were as old as 355 years old!
Get up close with the Fox River
We saw a path to the Fox River by the pollinator garden. We spent a few minutes skipping stones and enjoy the quietness of the River.
Take a break
If you need a break, take a seat at any of the benches located on the path. Plenty of green space available in the middle of the loop, so feel free to bring a blanket and just plop down wherever you please. Picnic tables are also located throughout the park.
Playground fun at Mt. St. Mary Park
Their reward at the end was playing at the playground. They loved going down the top slide! Other things to do here include basketball, tennis, and a skate park.
Take a bathroom break
We used the bathrooms by the parking lot and found it was fairly clean. A great option if you need it!
Visit before it’s gone!
All the sculptures at Mt. St. Mary Park are on display until sometime in October. There are about 12 permanent sculptures, and 15 are seasonal, so go ahead and visit before it’s gone! If you’re so inclined, you can even buy some of the sculptures.
Bring your furry friend
Dogs are allowed! Just make sure to keep them on a leash and of course pick up after them. They’ll love the exercise!
Final thoughts about Mt. St. Mary Park
What a fun time exploring the park while viewing art!
Nitty Gritty
Website: https://www.stcparks.org/location/mt-st-mary-park/
Address: Route 31 & Prairie Street. St. Charles, Illinois
Admission: Parking and entrance is completely free!
Around Mt. St. Mary Park
- Kimmer’s Ice Cream is just down the street. You can’t go wrong with homemade ice cream and tons of yummy flavors. Get anything with a sparkly cone! I visited the Wheaton location right when it opened and immediately fell in love!
- Check out downtown St. Charles. It’s totally happening!
- Explore other St. Charles parks like Pottawatomie Park with its riverboats, mini golf, paddleboats, playground, huge tower, and more.
- Check out the charming downtown Geneva with more ice cream shops, over-the-top desserts at Hey Sugar, a cute bookstore, and more. Fabyan Forest Preserve is perfect for exploring too! It’s also a blast for date night!
