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 Tours
You
wanted to know...
Trolley-la-la-la...la-la-la-la!!
The
Naperville Trolleys
Naperville's Unique Vehicles for Historic
Tours of Naperville, Weddings, Charters, Christmas Light
Tours, Bar Hops, &
Advertising.
Trolley-la-la-la...la-la-la-la!!
It's
never too early to book your December Christmas Light Tour! Reserve
the heated Naperville Trolleys for family, neighborhood, and office
Holiday Parties. Tours run December 1st through 31st (except
for 12/25). Private times are 5-6pm, 6:30-7:30pm, 8-9pm, and
9:30-10:30pm. Call or email to check availability. It's
NEVER too early to book for next year!
1-Hour Tour for 32 passengers: $250
1-Hour
Tour for 21 passengers: $200
The Trolley will pick you up and drop you off at
any Naperville residence, business, or restaurant and show you the
best holiday lights on display in the area!
WHAT CAN I BRING ON THE TROLLEY? We prefer
that food be saved for before or after your Trolley Tour as we have
another Tour after yours. If bringing children's drinks,
please have lids on them. No candy canes or marshmellows
please! (too sticky) Thank you!
IS THE TROLLEY HEATED? Yes, all four of our
Trolleys are heated. Keep in mind that they do not get as warm
as your car and it all depends on how cold it is outside.
Coats, hats, gloves are recommended.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OR YOUR NEIGHBORS LIGHTS!
We are always looking for new homes to add to our
tours. We can not always go past the home, but will as much as
we can depending on where our tour begins and ends. We ask
that your lights please be on between 5pm and 11pm. Call us at
630-420-2223 or email annette@napervilletrolley.com to tell us the
address.THANK YOU!
PUBLIC HOLIDAY LIGHT TOURS
Public Holiday Light Tours are $10 each, all
ages! Reservations are required. Public tours meet on Jackson
Avenue at Eagle Street. **THIS IS A NEW TROLLEY STOP
LOCATION**
December 2009 Public Tour dates and times will be
posted in the fall.
Please note: these dates and times are
subject to change/fill up/be added to. You will always get an
email or phone call to confirm your reservation date and time is
available. To book, call or email your full name, cell, and
number coming. You pay at the door. Thank you!
Please arrive at
least five minutes before your scheduled tour.
HISTORIC TROLLEY TOURS OF
NAPERVILLE
(See schedule below for dates)
NEXT HISTORIC TROLLEY TOUR
OF NAPERVILLE:
EVERY FRIDAY AT 11AM IN JUNE,
JULY, AND AUGUST!
YOU WANTED
TO KNOW...:
ANSWERS TO COMMON NAPERVILLE
QUESTIONS
Q: Where does the name "Paw
Paw" come from?
A: The Paw Paw Post Office was at the NE corner
of Webster and Jefferson streets. Not only was it a post office and
general supply store, you could also catch the stage coach there,
one day heading east, the next day heading west. (The original
building has been moved to the grounds of Naper Settlement.) Paw Paw
is named after a grove of Paw Paw trees. The Paw Paw fruit resembles
a mango. It was referred to as "the Midwest mango". A grove of Paw
Paw trees was at that location of Jefferson and Webster streets. The
native Americans used the seeds and ate the fruit. It was discovered
that there was a town a few hours from here named Paw Paw, so they
discontinued the name of Paw Paw Post Office so there would be no
confusion, as this was "Naperville" with a post office called "Paw
Paw"!
Q: What rank is Naperville in
terms of city size?
A: Naperville is #4. #1 is Chicago, #2 is
Aurora, #3 is Rockford.
Q: What was Capt. Naper's
origin prior to Ohio?
A: Joe Naper was born in Bennington,
Vermont and was raised in Ashtabula, OH.
He was the son of a
ship carpenter, and himself became a merchant seaman and
captain
of ships on the Great Lakes.
Q: How much was the Plank Road
toll and how far would that get you?
A: According to a toll rate
sheet dated Dec 18, 1847, it establishes the toll
rate to be a
charge on the plank road in DuPage County "to intersect with
the
other Plank Causeways contemplated to be built in Cook and
Kane County" - thus
these rates in effect took you to the county
dividing lines to the east and west
sides.
The following
are tolls for people heading EAST to Cook County/Chicago:
The following are tolls for
people heading WEST to Kane County (today we'd say
more Will
County):
-
Wagon and 2 horses - 18 3/4
cents
-
Post coach and 4 horses - 25
cents
-
Horse - 5 cents
-
Head of cattle - 2
cents
-
1 hog or sheep - 1 ½
cents
Q: Was Plank Road the first
tollway in the U.S.?
A: No. The first major toll road in
the US was in Pennsylvania - the Lancaster
Turnpike between
Philadelphia and Lancaster. It was built in the 1790s. Not
sure
what road surface was originally used (dirt, plank, etc.) As a side
note,
Plank or corduroy roads were common to the northern states
and Canada - I
believe it may have been a practice first started
by the French. There was a
ready lumber supply, and I believe in
the late 1700s they actually used logs,
later using planks after
they had saw mills available to mill the lumber.
Q: What kind of tree's
surround the dandelion fountain?
A: Japanese Tree Lilacs
Q: How many acres does the
Park District have?
A: Approximately 2,400 acres. That's
it.
Q: How many gallons of water
does Centennial Beach hold?
A: Approximately 6.2 million
gallons. The beach is drained each spring and filled with fresh
water in April.
Q: Who is the artist of the
red sculpture on the Riverwalk by Jackson/Eagle?
A: Jack Arnold
from Glen Ellyn, IL. It was fabricated at Cadillac Tank and Metal
Fabricators in Addison. It was set in place on July 13, 1984, and
dedicated on September 9, 1984.
Q: Why is there a DRAGON on
the map of the city that is on the ground outside of Nichols Library
(SE corner)?
A: The 1800-some acres of land known today as
Spring brook Prairie, located off Plainfield-Naperville Road, was
called Dragon Lake until the mid-nineties. The site was intended to
feature a 200-acre dragon-shaped lake with a swim beach and
campgrounds. The Forest Preserve District formulated this plan as a
means of reducing the impact of flooding; the prairie was going to
be used to quarry stone and collect sewer water.
In the mid-nineties, an
environmentalist and conservationist group called SOAR, dedicated to
preserving populations of rare birds of prey, conducted a six-month
roadside survey and found the prairie had become home to
endangered-species raptors. It had become a habitat for many
grassland bird species as well. At this point, development plans
were abandoned and the site formerly known as Dragon Lake was
renamed Springbrook Prairie Preserve.
Check back here often to get answers to questions
about Naperville that you or others have asked during the Trolley
Tours.
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