Go Shopping

• Shop in local shopping centers including the 1.3 million-square-feet Stratford Square Mall (stratfordmall.com). Stratford Square Mall has chain and independently-owned stores, restaurants, a 16-screen Century Theatre Cineplex and a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course. Go shopping at small retail shops housed in restored buildings in the Old Town Square, which is located at Lake Street and Bloomingdale Road. Old Town Square is the original site of the Bloomingdale's first settlement.
  
  

Attend an Annual Event

• Attend one of the annual events that take place in Bloomingdale. Take the kids to "Family Fest," a free, four-day annual event held in June. This summer event features food vendors, musical performances, carnival rides and a fireworks show. The annual "Septemberfest" in Bloomingdale has been celebrated for nearly 40 years on the weekend after Labor Day. Enjoy the festival's parade, entertainment, food, car show and craft booths. During the annual "Senior Day Fair" in April, senior citizens have access to blood pressure checks, chiropractic needs and hearing screening service. Refreshments are served and door prizes are given away. You can also attend the Bloomingdale Women's Club's "Annual Charity Fashion Show and Luncheon." On it's 36th year in 2011, this event held in April features raffles and door prizes as well.
  
  

Enjoy Outdoor Recreation

• Play a round of golf at the Bloomingdale Golf Club (bloomingdalegc.com), which boasts a par 71 golf course with ponds, sand bunkers and grass mounding, or in the Blackhawk Trace Golf Club in the Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort (golfindianlakes.com). Bloomingdale Golf Club has a practice facility and offers group and individual golf instruction for adults and kids. Blackhawk Trace Golf Club, which has hosted several major events, has four putting greens, a full-service practice facility and a driving range.
  
  Play in one of Bloomingdale's 127 acres of developed parks or walk or bike along designated off-street and on-street recreation paths. Depending on the park that you go to, you can play tennis, basketball, football, baseball, softball, volleyball, roller hockey and soccer or go sledding and fishing. The designated paths within Bloomingdale connect the 943-acre Mallard Lake Forest Preserve along Lawrence Avenue to Springfield Park.
  
  

Visit a Museum

• The Bloomingdale Park District Museum (no website; 108 S. Bloomingdale Road; Bloomingdale; 630-539-3096) is in the village's oldest building and features about five to seven changing exhibits. Take a self-guided tour of the museum and see fine arts and cultural exhibits. The museum offers artists' workshops, which are scheduled during exhibits. Resident and non-resident fees apply and a discount is given to seniors 62 years old and older. The Bloomingdale Park District Museum is closed on Sundays.