7 Labyrinths to Visit in Illinois

Did you know that Illinois is home to over 100 labyrinths ? I have selected 7 of the best that are accessible to the public, focusing on large population areas. If you are near one, stop by and take a meditative walk. If you want a full list of labyrinths in the state check out the Worldwide Labyrinth Finder.

Why visit a Labyrinth ?

Labyrinths are ancient and mysterious symbols that have been used for centuries for meditation, contemplation, and spiritual renewal. They are also a lot of fun to explore! If you're looking for a unique and challenging experience, walk a labyrinth with intention - it often leads to self-discovery. Personally, I like to walk labyrinths between dawn and sunrise or at sunset until dusk. You may not realize it, but there is probably a labyrinth near where you live. Today we explore…

7 Labyrinths to Visit in ILLINOIS

1. St. James Cathedral Labyrinth

I choose this 7 circuit Chartres style labyrinth because of it’s location in downtown Chicago. Located off of Huron St if you are in town for sightseeing you will be near this location at some point !

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Address:

65 E Huron St
Chicago, Illinois 60611

2. Garfield Park Conservatory Labyrinth

Garfield Park Labyrinth - J E Koonce - flickr

This outdoor 7 circuit grass labyrinth is open from 9AM-5PM. Plan your visit on their website, including this helpful map of the grounds so you know where the labyrinth is located.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Address:

300 North Central Park Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60624

3. Aurora University Labyrinth

Made of brown and red concrete pavers, this 7 circuit labyrinth is 40 feet in diameter and was a gift from the class of 1967. You can learn more about the labyrinth here.

Location: Aurora, Illinois

Address:

347 S. Gladstone Ave.
Aurora, Illinois 60506-4892

4. Naperville Riverwalk Labyrinth

This Chartres style labyrinth has been entertaining locals since it was built in 1998. It was built by the company Labyrinths in Stone which has some great designs if you are looking to install your own labyrinth.

Location: Naperville, Illinois

Address:

Eagle and Jackson Streets, on the Riverwalk
Naperville, Illinois 60563

5. Womanspace Labyrinth

This 72 ft diameter Chartres-style labyrinth is made from limestone rock & aglime, and is open from dusk til dawn. The labyrinth was built in 2002 and they often have events for the labyrinth: here is an example from their website with a great picture of the labyrinth.

Location: Rockford, Illinois

Address:

3333 Maria Linden Drive
Rockford, Illinois 61114

6. Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin Earth Wisdom Labyrinth

This 11 circuit Chartres style labyrinth was first built in 1997. It is open during daylight hours. From the website: “It is the largest permanent outdoor labyrinth in Illinois, spanning more than 94 feet in diameter, and winding inward for 1/3 a mile, and then outward again for 1/3 a mile. It is made up of more than 165 tons of stone and crushed limestone, and was moved by hand by the congregation from its original location. The labyrinth was dedicated in a ceremony during the Summer Solstice of 1997.”

Location: Elgin, Illinois

Address:

39W830 Highland Avenue
Elgin, Illinois 60123

7. Friends of Lakeview Prairie Labyrinth

This is one or the largest labyrinths you will find at 210 feet in diameter. It has it’s own website where you can see the labyrinth in different seasons and obviously you can watch it be made/cut into the grass in the video above.

Location: Macomb, Illinois

Address:

Lakeview Nature Center
Macomb, Illinois 61455

5 TIPS FOR VISITING A LABYRINTH

1. Set an intention for your walk so you can walk with purpose. It could be prayer, reflection, meditation, contemplation, or openness.

2. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking.

3. Bring water with you, especially if you are visiting on a hot day.

4. Take your time and enjoy the experience. There is no need to rush through a labyrinth.

5. Be respectful of other visitors. This includes not making noise and being respectful if walking with other people.

5 BOOKS TO READ ABOUT LABYRINTH WALKING

I wrote a blog post reviewing the following 5 books, each that deals with walking labyrinths. You can check them out yourself at the Amazon links below or read this blog post: 5 Books about the Spiritual Aspect of Labyrinths to learn a little about what each book teaches.

1. Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Dr. Lauren Artress 201 pages. AMZN

2. Labyrinth : Your Path to Self-Discovery by Tony Christie 312 pages. AMZN

3. Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide For Healing and Spiritual Growth by Melissa Gayle West 209 pages AMZN

4. Walking the Labyrinth: A Place to Pray and Seek God by Travis Scholl 240 pages AMZN

5. Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight by Rev Dr Donna Schaper and Rev Dr Carole Ann Camp 187 pages AMZN
   
   

If you are interested in more spiritual labyrinth aspects I suggest the following websites:

1. Lauren Artress website - For coaching, workshops and classes.

2. Veriditas - The nonprofit labyrinth group founded by Lauren Artress

3. Worldwide Labyrinth Finder - Find a labyrinth to walk near you, or while on vacation

I am a maze artist and have made a few mazes of places in Illinois:

Wrigley Field Sign Maze - Chicago

Chicago Theatre Sign Maze - Chicago

Spillway Lanes Sign Maze - Springfield

Don Carter Lanes Sign Maze - Rockford

Emo’s Dairy Mart Sign Maze - Peoria

9 Mazes of religious buildings from around the world

I make maze art and I love to make mazes of buildings. World famous buildings like The Louvre and the Taj Mahal, or museums like the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the Heydar Aliyev Center. But today I want to pull together a group of multi-denominational religious buildings I have made mazes of. Many have wonderful architecture that has stood the test of time and that makes them great subjects for artwork.

9 Religious Building Mazes

Maze #1 - KAFD Grand Mosque Maze

A modern mosque that was completed in 2017 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Maze #2 - Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán

I saved this maze to be my Maze of the Week #100 because I like it so much. That is because I put a lot of work into the maze. This is a very large maze and is meant to be printed on large poster size paper.

Maze #3 - Templo de Sangre de Cristo Maze

This church is 1 block from the church above. You can see them both within a 60 second walk !

Maze #4 - Lotus Temple Maze

The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship that opened in December 1986. Located in New Delhi, India.

Maze #5 - Bagan Temple Maze

I made this maze off of a picture I took while I was on vacation. It was one of my first mazes and that is why it has a different look.

Maze #6 - Old Stone Butter Church

An abandoned church in Canada that has spent more time as a cool abandoned building than church.

Maze #7 - Hallgrímskirkja Church Maze

Maze #8 - Chichen Itza Temple of Kukulcan Maze

I have made mazes of Monte Alban and Uxmal also, but this will represent all the pyramids of Mexico.

Maze #9 - Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel Maze

A multi-denominational church that is currently under renovation, it was my first maze of a church or religious building.

I am in process of making more mazes that would fit here. If you have suggestions of great architecture, I am always looking for new subjects to make mazes out of !

Like these mazes and want to see other subjects mazes:

Car Wash Sign Maze

QRO Walking Street Maze

The Moon Maze

Giraffe Maze

Maze Comic Book Cover #12 - Black Fury

Issue #12 in my comic book cover series gives us a black panther, but not THAT black panther. I called the comic Black Fury. This is the second time I have used Starryai to generate a background for the comic. If you like this concept and want to see more - you can find all the comic book cover mazes on the collections homepage.

Stop back in a week for issue #13 !

Maze of the Week #116 - Panther

Maze of the Week #116 celebrates Save the Florida Panther Day which was on March 16th.

Were you able to guess correctly based on my preview ?

Here is the first version of the maze. Not something I would want to encounter in the jungle, or really anywhere that wasn’t a zoo.

And the alternative version where I change the eyes, tongue and glow color. Not much different really.

Downloads are available in the comic book style maze section. Come back tomorrow to see what the comic book cover looks like !

Next weeks Maze Preview: What do you think the maze is ? I think we have another easy one to guess this week !