Winfield: Gnarly Knots

View from the door of Gnarly Knots

Winfield, Illinois -- As the real-estate professionals often tell us, a good site is all about "location, location, location." Translated for grown-ups escorting small ones that means: "trains and food." May I present to you the culinary wonder that is Gnarly Knots of Winfield. Perhaps like my children, your little folk prefer to get all their dietary needs met through snacking. Gnarly Knots can oblige with a meal-sized pretzel the size of a kid's adorable salty face. Flavors change daily (and sell out quickly), but salted, cheese and pretzel dogs are favorites. Popular as this place is, you might find yourself standing in line for a moment or two. Not to worry. Gnarly Knots is conveniently situated just across the street from the tracks of Union Pacific's West Line. Waiting isn't waiting if it's staring at a Metra zipping by or a UP engine idling on the tracks. (Maybe the engineers needed a snack, too.) Gnarly Knots is just down the road from Hedges Station Depot, if you need sustenance after a railroad museum visit and a park outing. It's also just around the corner from the Central DuPage Hospital campus, making it even better than a sticker for a post check-up treat. 

Gnarly Knots: 27W570 High Lake Road, Winfield, IL 
 

Welcome to Gnarly Knots!

Winfield: Hedges Station

Hedges Station Depot in Winfield's Oakwood Park

        Having kids who love trains, I often repeat safety warnings about the dangers of getting too close to real railroad tracks. Fortunately, the noise at most stations keeps them safely away from rail lines. They were delighted to discover a place last week where wandering across the tracks was perfectly safe. Winfield's Hedges Station Depot is a small 1800s depot that has been moved to its current Oakwood Park location. Inside there are a few rooms to explore and some artifacts from town history. It's a quick walk-through for youngsters because getting back to the outside tracks is the priority. A short stretch of reconstructed tracks offers all sorts of opportunities to "play train."  Once that's been done, exploring the rest of the park and its playground make the outing enjoyable enough that, before we even left, my oldest said, "This is a great park. When can we come back here?" 

Winfield is a designated "Train Town"

One of the railroad artifacts inside the depot

Want to know more? Hedges Station is Winfield's oldest standing building. Read more of its story here and here. 

After a visit to the depot
enjoy the playground, too