Lakeside Inn

Known as Ames Grove, this property served as a picnic ground and recreation area beginning in the 1880s. John Aylesworth purchased the property in 1901 and opened the Lakeside Inn in this building as early as 1915. The hotel once had its own zoo and extensive gardens. During the 1930s and 1940s Chicago orchestras played at the inn. The Lakeside Center for the Arts occupied the premises from 1968 to 1994 and hosted artists from around the world. In 1995 the inn was restored to its 1920s appearance.