Wayne

Dunham Castle is a private and quiet community north of Saint Charles, where residents live in their own estates and horse riding and golfing are the community’s favorite pastimes. The area originally started out as the estate of Mark Dunham, a local horse breeder who built the French chateau in the 1880s that still sits off Dunham Road, though privately owned. Today, rolling hills and equestrian pastures stretch between homes, creating a private feel separated from the hustle and bustle for the area’s towns, like Saint Charles. “The environment has a kind of country feeling but is in proximity to downtown Saint Charles,” says Realtor Caroline Dorn with Compass and owner of D&H Appraisal Service. Riding, hunting and golf clubs are also scattered throughout Dunham Castle, welcoming residents when they want to enjoy the fresh air and Illinois countryside around them. Dunham Castle’s narrow roads are closely lined with trees and shrubs, creating a sense of privacy throughout the neighborhood. When the trees open, they might reveal ambling fields with grazing horses or the many custom-built, estate-like homes with styles ranging from Tutor Revivals and French to traditional Colonial Revivals. Long driveways also add a secluded feel to properties. Most properties offer at least 1 acre of land, and residents can keep horses on their properties and build barns if they have more than 2 acres. Home prices here will vastly differ depending on the size of the home, with some selling as low as $525,000 while one with six bedrooms might sell for over 1.4 million, though even those on the lower end of the spectrum can come with multiple acres. Options with barns and stables already built also tend to sell closer to the millions. Dunham Woods Riding Club is one of Dunham Castle’s riding destinations, but it offers more to members with tennis and swimming facilities. Members can enroll in lessons to learn how to ride and there are day camps throughout the summer for various equestrian activities. HITS Lamplight Equestrian Center sits on the northern side of Dunham Castle, hosting dressage competitions for serious equestrians. The Royal Fox Country Club is modeled after Thomas Jefferson’s estate, Monticello, in Virginia and features golf, swimming and fitness amenities for members. The Wayne-DuPage Riding Trails snake throughout the community, offering easy access for those keeping horses on their properties. When residents just want to get outside and connect with nature, Dunham Forest Preserve offers 374 acres of prairies and wetlands with trails leading to scenic overlooks. Dunham Castle is split between two school districts, with residents to the north districted for District U-46 and the southern side districted for Saint Charles 303. Kids on the northern side will start at Wayne Elementary School for kindergarten through sixth grade, which earns a B from Niche. Kenyon Woods Middle School receives a B-plus ranking. South Elgin High School earns an A-minus. Students interested in journalism or audio and video production can enroll in their Beacon Academy of Media and Digital Arts magnet program. Because Saint Charles is so close to the community, Dorn shares that that is where most Dunham Castle residents go for a night out. “It’s fabulous for restaurant hopping and nightlife,” Dorn says. “There are lots of concerts at the renovated Arcada Theatre.” For brunch, The Southern Café is known for its Nasty Biscuit, which is a biscuit stuffed with fried chicken and topped with scrambled eggs and hashbrowns, but the menu also features plenty of breakfast classics. Saint Charles Place Steak House has an old-fashioned feel with 1920s Art Deco paintings on the wall. They are known for their expensive steak cuts. For groceries, Jewel-Osco is just over 3 miles away, down Dunham Road. Target is 4 miles from Dunham Castle. While residents can use their horses to get to the riding clubs and enjoy the countryside around Dunham Castle, most people take their cars when venturing beyond the community. Most of the neighborhood streets here are narrow country, so Dunham and Army Trail Roads are the more major two-way streets running through the neighborhood. Downtown Saint Charles is about 5 miles away via Illinois Route 25. Northwest Medicine Delnor Hospital is 9 miles away. For those commuting to downtown Chicago, it is 41 miles away and accessible along I-290. Chicago O’Hare International Airport is the closest airport, about 32 miles away from Dunham Castle along I-290. From late summer to early December, the hunting season comes to Dunham Castle. The Wayne-DuPage Hunt (WDH) occurs three times a week, with foxhounds and horses riding through public and private land on simulated hunts created using scents for the dogs to follow. Hunters wear traditional red coats and black caps while hunting, showing how seriously the equestrians in the Dunham Castle community take hunting season. HITS Lamplight Equestrian Center will be hosting the US Dressage Festival of Champions in August of 2024, where competitors will come from across the country to compete in a week of dressage events. In Saint Charles, the Scarecrow Festival is a community favorite, where locals create their own scarecrows and the town votes on which one is the best. The town gets into the festival spirit with live music and games downtown and specials and sales at the shops and restaurants.