Ask a longtime Gurnee resident what the town's biggest fall tradition is, and there's a decent chance they won't mention Gurnee Mills at all. They'll mention a folding-table beer fest in a parking lot on Milwaukee Avenue, run by the American Legion, that's been going strong for nine years and somehow keeps growing even as the mall around the corner reshuffles its store directory every few months.
That's the part of Gurnee's fall calendar that outsiders miss. The mall gets the headlines because it's the biggest thing on the map. But the event that's actually held its ground, year after year, sits a mile or two away in a spot most visitors never see.
A Beer Fest That Outgrew Its Landlord
The Legions of Craft Beer Fest started in 2015 as a small fundraiser for Gurnee American Legion Post 771 and the Lake County Honor Flight. In its fourth year, in 2018, it was still leaning on Gurnee Mills for space, setting up outside Entrance E with more than 80 beers on offer, including hometown pours from Only Child Brewing and Waukegan's ZumBier alongside national names like Lagunitas.
Somewhere between that fourth year and its seventh, the fest packed up and moved onto the Legion's own lot at 749 Milwaukee Avenue. It never went back. The 2024 and 2025 editions both ran there, and the Village's own event listing confirms the same address for the eighth annual fest last October. Now in its ninth year, the festival is expected to return to that same Legion Post lot again this fall, continuing a pattern that's held for at least three straight years.
| Year | Edition | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4th Annual | Gurnee Mills, outside Entrance E |
| 2024 | 7th Annual | American Legion Post 771, 749 Milwaukee Ave |
| 2025 | 8th Annual | American Legion Post 771, 749 Milwaukee Ave |
| 2026 | 9th Annual | American Legion Post 771, 749 Milwaukee Ave (expected) |
The scale has grown with the relocation. Today the event draws more than 50 breweries, hard ciders, food trucks, and live music, all in a single afternoon. Over its history it's raised more than $70,000 for local veterans and their families, money that stays with the American Legion post rather than passing through a mall's marketing budget. A Daily Herald write-up from the 2024 edition described it plainly as a community fundraiser first and a beer tasting second, which tracks with how residents actually talk about it.
The point isn't that the mall failed to keep the festival. It's that the festival didn't need the mall once it had its own footing. That's a different kind of fall tradition than most towns can claim, and it says something about where Gurnee's actual social gravity sits.
What's Changed on the Ground Since Last Fall
Two restaurants worth knowing about sit on opposite ends of town, and neither one is inside the mall.
On the west side, away from the mall traffic entirely, a new Buona Beef opened near North Hutchins Road. It's a straightforward Italian beef counter, the kind that does a brisk carryout business without needing a reservation.
On the Washington and Milwaukee corridor, Destino Ristorante has spent the past year building into one of the restaurants locals actually plan an evening around, not just pass on the way to somewhere else. Owner Danny Legatos built the place around family recipes and has since added a "Destino To Go" service and private dining rooms that now book out for birthdays and anniversaries. In a Chamber of Commerce spotlight, Legatos was candid about one thing that trips up first-time visitors:
"Our location on Milwaukee Avenue presents some access challenges."
It's a fair warning. The restaurant sits on Washington Street just off Milwaukee, and the entrance isn't always obvious from the road. Worth knowing before you drive past it twice looking for the sign.
Neither of these openings happened at Gurnee Mills. That's worth sitting with for a second, because the mall is still where most of the retail conversation in town gets pointed.
The Mall Keeps Turning Over Tenants, Which Is Just What It Does
Gurnee Mills has had a busy year by its own standards. Simon Property Group, which owns the property, announced eight new tenants rolling in over several months. Just Cozy and Pretty Pretty Print Press arrived in the Macy's Wing this spring. Kako Claw, an arcade-style claw machine destination, followed shortly after in the same wing. Hangry Cluck, the Chicago-born sandwich spot known for its Nashville Chicken Sandwich, is set to open in Dining Pavilion North near Entry J this October. Off the Rax, offering discounted pieces from Ann Taylor, Chico's, Lane Bryant, and LOFT, follows in November near Entry B. Primark and Sky Zone round out the list.
That's a healthy amount of turnover for one shopping center in a single year, and it's not unusual. Malls like Gurnee Mills lease and re-lease constantly, chasing whatever retail category is working that season. None of it is a criticism of the mall. It's just a different rhythm than a Legion post that's kept the same address and the same October weekend for years running.
If you're trying to predict what Gurnee looks like next fall, the mall's tenant list is the wrong place to look. It'll have changed again by then regardless.
The Smaller Gatherings Say the Same Thing
The Village runs its own low-key answer to all this mall churn: the Gurnee Get-Togethers. These are free, casual evenings held at neighborhood parks, not retail centers. Last September's edition landed at Christine Thompson Park, at the corner of Woodlawn and Belle Plaine, with a live set from local classic rock band No Limit, food from the El Durango truck, lawn chairs, yard games, and a visit from Mayor Tom Hood along with Police, Fire, and Public Works staff. The Village's own page describes it as exactly what it sounds like: a neighborhood get-together, nothing more engineered than that.
This year's edition landed right on schedule too, on September 11, according to Visit Lake County's event listings. It's a small thing, but it's the same pattern as the beer fest: the events that actually repeat year over year tend to happen at a park or a Legion post, not inside a leased retail space.
What This Adds Up To If You Already Live Here
None of this means the mall doesn't matter. Plenty of Gurnee residents will end up at Gurnee Mills this fall for a new pair of shoes or a Sky Zone birthday party, and that's fine. But if you're mapping out what actually defines a Gurnee fall weekend, the constants sit elsewhere. They sit at 749 Milwaukee Avenue in early October. They sit on a restaurant's opening night on Washington Street or the west side. They sit at a park picnic table with a mayor working the crowd and a local band running through classic rock covers.
The mall reinvents itself every season because that's its business model. The rest of the town doesn't need to, and that's exactly why the rest of the town is worth paying attention to.
If you're already settled into Gurnee and curious what any of this local momentum means for your own street or your own home's value, Gina Shad is happy to talk it through. Request your complimentary home valuation and marketing plan whenever you're ready, no pressure, no timeline required.
