Windmill City: Batavia's windmills, Depot Museum and Fermilab

Batavia still calls itself the Windmill City, and you can see why in a single afternoon. Restored windmills stand along the Fox River, the town's first train depot is now a free history museum, and Fermilab welcomes visitors through its Pine Street entrance. Here is how to visit all three.

Why Batavia is the Windmill City

From the 1860s to the 1950s, six companies built windmills in Batavia, according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The three biggest were the U.S. Wind Engine and Pump Company, the Challenge company and Appleton Manufacturing. The Batavia Historical Society says that by 1890, Batavia was recognized as the leading windmill manufacturing city in the world.

Those windmills pumped water for farms and ranches across the American West. The design traces back to Halladay's self-regulating windmill, patented in 1854, which adjusted its blades to the wind so the wheel kept a steady speed.

One piece of that history is easy to miss: Batavia's City Hall sits in the former Appleton Manufacturing Company building.

See the windmills on the Riverwalk

In 1994, a community project started by Bob Popeck began bringing Batavia-built windmills back home and restoring them. ASME says the collection now includes 17 windmills, and it named the collection a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in September 2013. ASME's landmark brochure places nine of them near the government center along the Batavia Riverwalk.

The Batavia Historical Society notes that each Riverwalk windmill has a plaque about its maker and model. Look for the red, white and blue Model E, with a wooden wheel 14 feet across. Other models on display include Challenge and Halladay designs.

The Riverwalk is free and open to walk, so this part of the visit costs nothing.

Step inside the Batavia Depot Museum

A block from the river, the Batavia Depot Museum at 155 Houston St. tells the rest of the story. Admission is free.

The building is a Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad depot built in 1854 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On Oct. 11, 1973, residents moved it nine blocks to its current spot, and it opened as a museum in 1975. Inside are exhibits on railroads, windmill manufacturing, farming, banking and Mary Todd Lincoln's stay at Bellevue Place. Outside you will find a 1907 caboose and the Coffin Bank.

The park district lists general hours from March through December:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 2 to 4 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In winter the museum and its research center switch to appointment-only visits. Call 630-406-5274 to set one up. The museum also takes part in Museums for All, so up to four people get free general admission with a SNAP EBT card.

Visit Fermilab

Fermilab, the U.S. Department of Energy's particle physics and accelerator laboratory, is open to the public. Its outdoor areas are open dawn to dusk every day. You can watch the bison herd from two roadside pullouts and walk the interpretive trails.

Indoors, the Lederman Science Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Wilson Hall atrium, cafeteria and second-floor art gallery are open to the public Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Before you go:

• Everyone 18 and older, including people on foot or bike, must show a REAL ID-compliant ID at the gate.
• Public entrances are on Pine Street in Batavia and Batavia Road in Warrenville. The Wilson Street entrance is closed to the public.
• Kids under 18 must be with an adult.

Fermilab also runs free two-hour public tours for ages 10 and up that include a view from the 15th floor of Wilson Hall. The Nov. 16 and Dec. 14 tours are already full. The next listed tour is Jan. 25, 2027, from 10 a.m. to noon, and registration is required.

Make a day of it

Start at the Depot Museum on a weekend, walk the Riverwalk windmills, then drive over to Fermilab to see the bison before dusk. If you want the science center and Wilson Hall, plan a weekday trip.