All it takes is a $7 ticket on Metra’s Union Pacific North line from Ogilvie Transportation Center to head to Lake Forest station.
It’s about an hour-long rail trip that drops visitors near the historic, picturesque town that inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
A Gatsby day trip from Chicago
Although the novel itself is set in New York, the wealthy Northern suburb played a significant role in shaping the world of The Great Gatsby. It was in Lake Forest where Fitzgerald encountered the old-money social world that would echo through the story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan.
Fitzgerald, a Princeton student at the time, visited Lake Forest in 1916, staying with relatives and entering a social scene far different from his own financial circumstances. There, he met Ginevra King, a prominent young Lake Forest socialite who became the great love of his life. You can guess how their relationship ended, as scholars have long linked King to Daisy Buchanan.
As noted by the Lake Bluff History Center, Fitzgerald believed that his lack of wealth contributed to the rejection he felt—similar to Gatsby’s pursuit of an elite world that remains just out of reach.
Stops for a Gatsby-inspired visit
- Westleigh Farm: Once known as Kingdom Come Farm, this was Ginevra King’s family estate. The property is widely regarded as an important Lake Forest connection to Daisy Buchanan.
- Deer Path Inn: For an overnight stay or simply a dose of English Tudor-style atmosphere, you should visit the Deer Path Inn. Its boutique accommodations and polished setting make it a fitting base for what Fitzgerald observed in Lake Forest.
- Katherine Bell Hale Gallery: Located inside the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, explore exhibitions that include material connected to Fitzgerald’s time in the town and the world that inspired his work.
You can purchase a ticket to Lake Forest station directly on the Ventra App or directly on the train.
