After the biggest snowfall of the season, winter sports junkies are heading out to brave the cold and partake in a little winter fun. Two of my favorites when I was growing up – sledding and skating are alive and well in the area. You just need to know where.

 Sledding and Skating- two activities synonymous with winter in the Midwest. Every year, children of all ages re-discover the fun of ice skating. In the winter, there are many places that actually create outdoor skating rinks. Three of the best locations are Timber Trails Park, Davis Park and Langum Park all in St. Charles. Davis Park, is located along 10th Street between Horne and Fellow Streets and Timber Trails Park is located 1/4 mile north of 17th Street off of Dean Street. Both parks feature man-made skating rinks where visitors can participate in recreational skating from 12-5PM when the weather permits. For folks interested in ice hockey, Langum Park, located 2 miles south of Main St. between Riverside and 7th Ave. features a rink specifically designated for ice hockey. Be sure you contact the park district at 630-513-5188 to make sure these rinks are open before visiting.

Growing up, sledding hills in my area were the stuff of legends—passed down from kid to kid over the generations—which ones are better, steeper, faster etc. In the Fox Valley, some of the best sledding hills are rumored to be in Langum Park facing Rt. 25, in Timber Trails Park, in Fabyan Forest Preserve by the windmill along Rt. 25, in Oakhurst, Aurora and on Johnson’s Mound on Hughes Rd. Some of these hills might be off-limits to sledders, so make sure you verify that you’re able to use them before visiting. 

The area also features the world’s first snowboard-exclusive park – Raging Buffalo Snowboard Park. Courses include rails, jumps, table-tops and other snowboard-friendly items that will keep even the biggest adrenaline junkie busy this winter.

If you’re been missing the white stuff this winter, now’s the time to get your fix. Get out and have some fun before it all melts away.

Since temps are in the single to negative digits, today’s featured real estate partner comes all the way from sunny Florida – Boca Raton Florida in fact. If you are buying or selling Boca Raton Real Estate, contact the professionals at Boca Executive Realty. Boca Executive Realty is a full-serice brokerage focusing on real estate in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. Boca Executive Realty is an area leader in Luxury Home Sales – if you are looking for a beautiful home, contact one of these real estate professionals for information on how to locate the Florida home of your dreams. For my fellow Chicagoans who are getting sick of the cold (and who isn’t), contact a REALTOR with Boca Executive to plan your relocation to Florida. Even if you’re searching for the perfect second or summer home, locate the expert representation you need by contacting Boca Executive Realty.

Yesterday, the Fox Valley was hit by the second large snowstorm of the year – dropping 4-5 inches on some parts of the area. Most residents spent last night and this morning digging out or bundled up at home. Season lows have also been a fixture in the area for perhaps the past week – temps dropping into the negative for quite a few of the previous nights. Despite the cool-off, real estate is starting to get red hot. We are seeing a large influx of homes going on the market the past couple weeks and buyers are starting to get out, despite the weather. The figures from January are in and we started to see an increase in both figures towards the end of the month. This actually signals an early start to the spring real estate season – a large increase wasn’t expected until February at least. If you are thinking of selling your home in 2007, start making plans to put it on the market. Contact me at 630-346-1041 for a free value analysis and more information about my marketing system for home sellers.