While you’ll spot this Costco on your GPS and think it’s just an EZ and quick hike to get to this wholesale retailer, you would be wrong. It’s not EZ. And it’s not quick. So brace yourself and be patient. Once you take a number of lefts and rights zig-zagging around Devry University, you’ll take a few more rights and a few more lefts before finally making your way here after what seems like a string of non-stop street lights that are all timed to slow you down. That said, when you do finally arrive here, you will notice that while everything at Costco is oversized, in this case, their parking lot is only just medium-sized.
Located off highway 34, this is a fairly busy, hustling & bustling patch of pavement, especially here in the oversized sprawling Chicago suburb of Naperville. Normally, you would be driving east or west on Route 88 either heading towards or running away from Chicago, which is just about 30 minutes northeast of here. Once you make your way onto this retail campus, located just south of 34, but due west of the nearby Walmart, you will discover that this parking lot is definitely one that is incredibly busy with darting traffic coming and going.
If a fairly busy retail parking lot or the long journey to reach this place over such a short distance doesn’t dissuade you, then you’ll be treated to a fairly decent paved parking pad with some definite space as well as peace & quiet all within a relatively safe environ. Additionally, there’s a decent smattering of additional retail options as you are situated within a swath of strip mall store fronts, where you will be surrounded by other big box retailers like the aforementioned Walmart as well as Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Whole Foods and Lowe’s, a number of gas stations, chain restaurants and other stores that will sell you phones, manicure your nails or offer other shopping options.
In the event that you decide to park at this oversized discount retailer parking haven, I would suggest parking on either the far western or southern perimeters, where surprisingly there is next to no traffic on account that this puts you furthest from the storefront and next to the other main highway that 34 intersects, IL RT 59. Regardless of where you do end up parking though, only the southern perimeter will place you away from all the traffic and subsequently the noise it stirs up, but that said, there will still be a ton of traffic swooshing in, out and around this place. Even though jam packed, the lot is very flat and level, well-paved and seemingly brand new as well as affording you really great lighting at night along with an incredibly safe and secure vibe, despite the EZ in & out access that the place provides being on the corner of a heavily trafficked intersecting set of highways.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Should you be RV'ing with your four-legged friends entowe, you’re in luck as just due south of here you’ll have two great options at your immediate disposal – Old Tavern Park or Beau Bien Park, located just due northeast of where you’re parked; (2) When you grow tired of trying to conjure up that next meal from the remains of what is in your onboard mini-fridge or you just want to try out some local fare, then nearby you’ll have access to one of my most favorite restaurants on the planet, Pita Inn, for amazing kebabs, humus and baklava, shwarma and other Middleastern fare, but hey, if that’s not your thing, no worries, there’s also Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Buttermilk, Portillo’s or Buona for Italian beef as well as Fogo de Chão for baked mozzarella and picanha (arguably the best cut of meat on the planet!); (3) If you have a canoe or kayak and want to dip the beak of your vessel into some fresh water, then head due northwest to Blackwell Forest Preserve where you can not only get some decent oaring in, rent a lake boat, as well as drop a line or two as well to grab a nice dinner of blue gill; and (4) Looking for a fun diversion for the kiddos? Then head on over to iFLY Indoor Skydiving, which trust me, will be quite EZ for the kids to drop their phones for at least an hour and focus at the task at hand!
While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot:
Convenience: 2
Safety & Security: 5
Quality: 4
Peace & Quiet: 4
Amenities: 3
Overall, I scored this location a 4.
Happy Overnighting!
