Fabyan Forest Preserve

This was an absolutely gorgeous forest preserve. It was one of the nicest days yet this year so it was quite crowded with others trying to take in the beautiful day, but the size of the preserve allows for everyone to enjoy themselves and not feel crowded. Although I passed about 10 preserves on the way to this one I definitely would go back! highly recommend a walk by the river.

I love coming here in nice day to get my mind off the stress. I love to walk with my dog rocky we both enjoy the peaceful nature of the forest. I wonder if anyone can buy that beautiful Fabyan house. I would love to live here it is so nice.

This place is so beautiful, I’m already a really big fan of Geneva as it is but I was just looking for a place I could talk a walk and and find a quite bright hill I could read at. That is easy on the eyes and not too just open fired of weeds like most the preserves I tend to see around the warrenville Naperville area. This place was very perfect, very Nicky kept up, plenty of off train options m, found a perfect spot on a hill with trees and light in front of a river, it’s a nice size preserve too, walking distance to some nice Geneva spots if u wanted to grab a bite to eat too. I loved this place, the Japanese garden was gorgeous too but that part is only open during certain hours of certain days, understandable, I would defiantly recommend this place, best part is I didn’t see any big family’s with their gaggle of screaming children running around with hotdogs in their hands. Thank god, they hog enough parks glad to not see them there

A beautiful place to see in bloom in the spring. The Japanese tea garden is a wonderful tour to take. Be sure to check their website for availability as it is mostly ran by dedicated volunteers.

The bear cage is fun for the kids and right by it, also available for tour is the Fayben House which has an old ostrich house to see. If you follow the fantastic paved bike trails down through the trellis by the boat house and across the two walking bridges, past the lighthouse is a real working Windmill. Many stairs to the top of the Windmill so take your time and enjoy the view! Worth a visit as there is ample parking on both sides of the river and friendly dogs are welcome! Pack a picnic lunch if you like, they do have grill stands and pavilions also flush bathrooms! :-)

Love, love love Fabyan Park, since way back when I lived in Illinois. As a young woman I worked nearby and would spend many lunch hours there and time after work walking and exploring. I find it so interesting that this eccentric man, Col. Fabyan, who was obviously very wealthy, had this fantastic property, which we now all get to enjoy! The Japanese Garden was originally built for his Japanese wife, who missed her homeland. Back in the day, I would go over, have my lunch there and must have taken thousands of pictures throughout my time! In fact, I was supposed to get married in the Japanese Garden in 1981– but the weather ruined that idea! A number of years ago the garden was redone, and a fence was put around the garden. It makes me a little sad that you can’t just wander in and enjoy it at will. I had so many fabulous quiet times there, and would have enjoyed going in when I was there the other day.
There is also a windmill, across the river from the Japanese Gardens, which is beautiful. The original home, near the gardens, was redone for the Fabyans by Frank Lloyd Wright and is now a museum.
Col. Fabyan liked to keep animals, and a few of the original cages are still on the property. One cage, the Bear Cage is now used as a picnic pavilion.
There are many other old things throughout the park which are still there. Some, if you explore deeply, are hidden away. They make for some interesting exploring, and you have to use your imagination to figure out what they originally for.
I love Fabyan Park, and I’m so happy how many generations get to enjoy the eccentric Col. Fabyan’s old property.

This is a very unique place that is certainly worth a visit. Originally the mansion of kind of an eclectic millionaire, it is now owned b the county and open to the public. It sits on the Fox River and includes picnic areas, biking trails, and of course the grounds of the former «villa.» Bridges cross the river and easily get you to the different interesting things here. There’s a small Japanses garden, the mansion, and the windmill. In addition, there are interesting sculptures, a (former) «bear cage» (now a picnic shelter) and fishing. I could easily spend all day here. The garden, mansion and windmill are only open during certain times, so check beforehand.

We stumbled upon this place some time ago & now like to visit when we are just out driving around, enjoying a lovely day along the Fox River. You can’t go wrong with a park that spans both sides of the river & has a gigantic Dutch-​style windmill!
Lots of shaded areas as well as sunny spots, several picnic tables, a paved path that’s great for biking or rollerblading, and a beautifully landscaped garden to wander through. We’ve never gone inside the museum or the Japanese Garden area but I’ve heard they are interesting.

My mom was in town to visit and we decided to check out the Japanese Garden and the windmill close by. Parking was decent by there was a family reunion in the park so a lot of spots were already taken, Im sure not all weekends are like this. The garden and the windmill do not open until 1PM (we went on a Sunday) so we walked around by the river on one of the paths available. Its very scenic in this area, bridges, some statues and fun garden areas with arches and stoney walls… GREAT for photo ops! (There was actually a family there with a professional photographer taking pictures) The windmill was pretty neat, we went through the tour… however it takes about an hour to get the windmill turning which we didn’t stay for and the stairs on the inside are very steep but of course there are lots of railings. (makes your heart race a little)
The Japanese Garden was very nice. Donations are suggested so bring some cash, we didn’t have any on us that day so be prepared. The pond inside is nice but not clear… no fish that I could see but there was a frog. Again, a great photo area as well! There is a very curvy bridge near the pond which is a bit dangerous to cross but they do have make shift steps to help you over… if able I recommend experiencing this… it is fun! There were some volunteers there that were super nice and offered to take some photos for us. Overall its a great place but its not very time consuming, its a quick experience unless you stay and take pictures or frolic about.

The Fabyan Forest Preserve is gorgeous. It’s a great place to go take a brisk walk or an easy stroll or a bike ride to enjoy nature. It’s right along the Fox River, is there’s a great view already. There are many bridges, a Japanese Garden, the Fabyan home that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a «Bear Cage», and gorgeous gardens. You can walk through it pretty quickly, but it’s definitely a nice place to go. Very peaceful. My only complaint is that the Japanese Gardens are only open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 1−4PM. But, you can walk around it when it isn’t open and see what’s inside. It looks very nice!

We visited the Fabyan Forest Preserve to see the Fabyan home Frank Lloyd Wright designed. The private tour was very detailed and the house, though revived, still held an implicatant idea of what it was when the Fabyan’s owned it. They still have some work to do to get the house up to standard.
After the tour, the family held a picnic on the island along the river. The scenery was gorgeous, minus the geese, and the kids had plenty of room to run around, fish and adventure through Bear Caves and alligator pools.

Great place to spend a summer afternoon!

My friend held her wedding at the Japanese Garden, and it did provide a splendid backdrop for her ceremony (and bountiful photo ops as well). It’s rather tucked away (several guests got lost trying to find it), and our event coordinator was extremely strict about sticking to our two-​hour time appointment.
There’s a lovely (and VERY steep) bridge over a pond (with one little lonely koi). It was odd reminiscing with a fellow bridesmaid how we had our Girl Scout bridging ceremony there almost 20 years prior.
Don’t miss the bear cage (which once really held bears)! Oh, to have seen them then.
A few pointers for others considering an event here:
–It is gorgeous, but the Japanese Garden area is rather small.
–Do NOT wear flip-​flops or sandals. The paths are gravel (which tends to sneak into shoes) and frequently decorated with goose droppings.
–Calling the office took almost a full week of entire afternoons dedicated to manning the phones.
–Food and chairs are not allowed in the Japanese Garden, but are acceptable at the surrounding park (where there are several gazebos suitable for rainy days).

I am somewhat amazed that prior reviews don’t mention the Fabyan windmill. Rehabbed about three years ago at a cost of nearly a million dollars, this windmill is operable, as demonstrates by volunteer docents on weekends from lat spring to early fall. Local legend has it that Colonel Fabyan had the thing moved piece-​by-​piece from Holland, but not quite. It was actually moved here from a site close to what is now Oakbrook, Illinois. However, for the recent rehab, the huge gear house that sits atop the structure was shipped back to holland to be re-​built. The Fabyan windmill is probably the most photographed landmark in the county.

The Japanese Gardens and Villa are gorgeous. The only reason I didn’t give the 5^th star is because of the very short hours.
The Japanese Garden would be a very nice venue for a smallish wedding or other nice party. The hours are a small window on Wednesday (1 – 4) and Sunday (1 – 4:30). I realize the gardens are free, with merely a suggested donation, but the hours could stand to be increased. Luckily, even when they are closed the fence is short enough that you can walk around the perimeter and see almost the entire garden. So, even if you don’t make it during their short window of operation you can still enjoy the gardens.
The Fabyan Villa Museum has the same odd hours except they’re also open Thursday and Saturday. Sadly you cannot peek into the museum when they are closed though.

A quick update — yes, the Japanese gardens have been significantly cleaned up. It’s also important to note that the hours when you can actually go into the gardens are very restricted: Wednesday 1pm — 4pm and Sunday 1pm — 430pm. Saturdays are restricted to weddings, etc…

This place is tucked away on the west bank of the Fox river in Batavia. i found it mostly by accident when I went tooling around on a mission to see the parks local to Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles. I walked across the Fox from the East side and stumbled (literally) into this place. The gardens are cute — pretty small — you can walk around them in about 15 minutes at a leisurely pace. It is pretty though. There is a place that has a sign with «Bear Cage» written on it. We all thought this was a joke but in reality teh Fabyan family had 3 bears that used to live there. No bears currently — the place is used as a picnic area. I am not really sure i would like to setup a table and eat where bears once pooped but to each his own.
this place is cute and nice — they sometimes ahve music acts. If you are in the area, strolling the Fox or looking to lounge for an hour or two — check this palce out!

The Fabyan Forest Preserve is incredible, however, in my opinion the best part is the Fabyan home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The home tour is seasonal, and we figured that out last winter when we attempted to visit. I’ve toured several Wright sites and was amazed that the cost was only $ 2 per adult to take the tour. The tour guide we had was incredibly knowledgeable, and you could tell she was passionate about her work.
The Fabyan home is not as well restored as the Robie, or Meyer May but it is well worth the $ 2 even if it was solely a donation. The Fabyan’s originally had 400+ acres for their estate and the Forest Preserve is picking up parcels as they become available so please help the fund.
Reading the previous post from 2007 made it clear just how far they have come with restoring the Japanese garden. It is an incredible spot and a must for anyone on a path to enlightenment, or just wanting to break up your walk on the Prairie Path.
Did I mention it is ONLY $ 2 to take the tour!!!