With the construction on the 1st Street Plaza coming close to completion, we're excited to introduce two brand new digital kiosks that will be a go-to resource for St. Charles. Similar to our Travel St. Charles App, the kiosks displays shopping, dining, and much more. We're here to give you the Insider's Guide on how to make the most out of it! Learn more below.
Getting Started
First, you'll notice that there are two digital kiosks on the plaza: one by Main Street near La Za'Za' Trattoria, and the other that can be found on the South end of the plaza, near Alter Brewing + Kitchen. To get started, tap the screen to bring up the home page. Once you do this, you'll notice seven blue boxes at the bottom of the screen: "To Do", "Eat/Drink", "Events" "Stay/Plan", "Tours", "Shopping" and "My Plan". This is a preview of the information that these digital kiosks contain, and is an excellent starting point for your planning!
Find Things to Do
Starting off, we're going to take a walkthrough of the "To Do" tab. By tapping "To Do", you can browse a comprehensive list of local activities and hotspots to explore in town, along with their precise locations on a map. To streamline your search, utilize the filters on the top right corner of the screen to cater to your interests, such as "Fox River", "Fitness" or "Arts & Culture".
Discover Dining Options
It's no secret that St. Charles is known for its incredible restaurants, bars, and breweries. However, with having over 120 places to dine at in town, navigating it all can be a tall order. That's where the digital kiosk comes into play. Tap on the "Eat/Drink" tab, and you'll be able to view all the spots in town where you can get a bite to eat or a drink to sip on. Similar to the "To Do" tab, you also be able to use the filter feature in the top right corner to narrow down what type of cuisine you're craving!
Explore Events
One of the many things that make St. Charles so special is the many events that you can find throughout town - no matter the season. Whether it's live music, a fundraiser, or a large-scale community event, you'll be able to see everything that is upcoming in town using the "Events" tab on the kiosk. To make finding the perfect activity easier, you can also use the filter feature to find events that most interest you - like shopping events, food and beverage events, and even events that are kid-friendly.
What Digital Kiosk Feature Are You Most Excited For?
Things to Do
Food and Drink
Shopping
Events
Shopping
Need that one-of-a-kind vintage piece for your space, or maybe a brand new outfit for your next date night? St. Charles has many incredible shops in town that can all be found on the "Shopping" tab on the digital kiosks. This feature will makes it easy to make sure your shopping spree doesn't have to come to an end.
Rest in Town
If you're coming from out of town, don't be surprised that you're having such a good time in St. Charles that you want to extend your stay. When this undoubtedly happens to you'll have no reason to worry because these digital kiosks also display all the accommodations in town where you can have an incredible stay. This can be easily located under the "Stay/Plan" tab.
Take a Tour
If you're eager to take a deeper dive into what makes St. Charles so special, select the "Tours" tab on the digital kiosks. From there, you can choose from a range of self-guided tours such as the "St. Charles History Walking Tour", which will take you to local historical landmarks, or the "Instgrammable Tour", that highlight picturesque spots perfect for photos.
Create a Plan (Coming Soon!)
One feature of the digital kiosks that we are thrilled to say is on the way is the "My Plan" feature, which allows the user to take their plan with them on the go! Once you've added a few places or events to your plan by pressing the + button on the listing, tap the share button to access your itinerary right on your phone! Simply scan the QR code or enter your information.
Now that you've had some time to explore the digital kiosks for yourself, you've probably noticed that the St. Patrick's Parade is listed under the upcoming events! You're going to want to pinch-proof your calendar by having March 9th circled, as there will plenty of Irish-festivities around town that the whole family will love. Click here to learn more.