Lock 16 Cafe & Visitor Center

This place was excellent. The workers greeted us as if we were family the atmosphere was amazing. The coffee itself was excellent and the pastries were amazing.

This place is a real find in a town not far from I-80 about 100 miles west of Chicago. There is a visitors center with lots of interesting info about the area, especially the Michigan and Illinois Canal. This canal opened in 1850 and made it much easier for goods and people to be transported between Chicago and the new a nb d growing narkets to the west.

There is also a restaurant that serves good hometown food in a pleasant setting. We had an excellent server named Tessa who went overboard to cater to our every whim.

We will definitely return to the Lock 16, eat a good meal, and explore the area.

Love this place! Love the coffee, atmosphere and the cute little knick-knacks. I go here every week.

Clean and our waiter Colin was great and the food was right on. I wish they were open past 3pm

The observation deck is right next to where the barges go through. 4 barges full of styrene were in the lock waiting for the water level to lower. What a smell! Strong toxic odor. There was a family with kids right there and the parents didn't do anything. Those barges were not properly sealed. Saw 2 white Pelicans.

My husband and I chose Lock 16 for our vintage wedding theme. This venue worked perfectly for many reasons.
*We both wanted the wedding and reception held at one location; we had many guests share how they felt at ease and could enjoy themselves with being able to eliminate any additional travel (for various reasons).
*We were able to comfortably seat 70 guests at circular tables, which were actually set up and used during our ceremony and afterward for the reception.
*Guests could easily walk around to mingle, frequent our dessert bar/ candy buffet and gift area near the back, grab a signature coffee drink at the coffee bar near the front of the cafe, as well as utilize a full-sized photo booth in the same area of cafe. *We loved the idea that the vintage room was so versatile that it could be used for our ceremony with use of the brick wall as a unique staple for our decor with a vintage-rustic type of backdrop and then easily turn into a dance floor for the rest of the night.
*There was plenty of space for dancing, while the opportunity was also there to sit and enjoy watching those on the dance floor, walk around, and/or converse with others.
*The hospitality of the Lock 16 staff was so appreciated by all; our guests had their plates cleared out when they were finished eating in a timely manner; our guests' tables had water pitchers refilled, etc. and they were around to help with anything that evening.

The challenges we experienced and would encourage any couple to keep in mind:
*There is no option as far as getting ready at this place, as they clearly have business hours before the wedding starts; (we ended up arranging for the bridal party to both get ready and have photos taken elsewhere).
I would really encourage any couple to consider this component and the actual feasibility of getting the bridal party together in one location/locations that is/are well-suited for getting ready and doing any wedding photos. (We were just truly fortunate to have family within close proximity to venue/each other and have a yard with landscaping that we both liked for our wedding photos.
*The time constraint between: (every person in the Bridal Party and every guest/family member attending the wedding) getting ready; trying to complete wedding photos beforehand; and then making it to the actual ceremony start time was the most stressful part. The reasons for the rush were, again, due to the nature of the business hours, (which makes sense). With business hours until 3pm, it meant having to thoroughly plan out and calculate the time that could be used for setting up everything within the 45 min timeframe (ceremony was set for 4pm).
A helpful solution was when we were allowed to utilize the vintage room (that can be closed off to public during business hours) the day before the wedding - we were able to put together 11 sets of table decor/centerpieces and hang our backdrop decor for the big brick wall.
We did end up hiring two Day-of Coordinators to ensure all 11 sets/centerpieces for tables we "prepped" and stored in vintage room (the day before wedding) could be put out quickly in the 45 minute window between business hours ending and guests arriving for the ceremony that we had starting at 4pm.

The hope is that relaying and keeping this in mind will alleviate an oversight like this, since planning a wedding is hectic. I would still highly recommend this location and really encourage consideration of the very positive feedback from both of us and from our guests. It is an absolutely adorable place and our friends from out-of-state or from the bigger cities thoroughly expressed just how quaint and beautiful everything was all evening. Our wedding night was so perfect and we are beyond appreciative of the staff at Lock 16 for doing whatever they could do within reason to make it a memorable celebration for everyone, especially for us. And I think they, too, were dancing -- we loved it :)

PC: mollydoloresphotography

Is Walmart with respect you know long lines and self checkout really hate I like the personal one-on-one contact sometimes go on my way to get that one on one I really hate this I'll check out so they'll never get five stars for me

A very nice spot for a cup is espresso and an introduction to the towboat tour.

This coffee shop and breakfast/lunch place is run by a nonprofit organization seeking to promote the historic value of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which is a recognized national historic cooridor. Take a stop in here and get an excellent latte while checking out some of the history of the area. Also located on LaSalle first street, which has a lot of renewal happening.

Always pleasant service. Unique menu, luscious desserts, flavored coffees. Tea-room atmosphere. Nice selection & variety of mdse.