It's alfresco season in downtown Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Arlington Alfresco is like taking a vacation every day.

The area’s favorite dining, drinking and music venues are right downtown near the intersection of Campbell Steet and Vail Avenue.

"Downtown Arlington Heights has truly become a shopping, dining and entertainment district. When you come here you can start your evening by shopping a little bit, once that hunger kicks in, then you can go and get some food, and you can finish off your night with some entertainment," Karina Parada of Meet Northwest Chicago said.

Peggy Kinane’s Irish Restaurant and Pub was able to double the dining space by having outdoor seating. Their signature dishes are Shepherd’s Pie, Reuben egg rolls and Jameson pork sliders. The bar has an extensive selection of whiskeys.

Emily Bramer teaches painting at Bottle & Bottega, where budding artists learn to paint a masterpiece right in the middle of East Campbell Street. She said students are free to sip wine or consume edibles while painting. 

"It’s so wonderful, it’s like a little European village. It's very quaint with a sense of community… I remind people, that most people aren’t artists because they don’t have the patience. But you can accomplish a lot in two hours," Bramer said.

The Eiffel Flower has seen more foot traffic on alfresco nights. Manager Emily Pacyga made an Eiffel Tower display in the flower and gift shop to capitalize on the spirit of the Olympic Games going on in Paris, France. 

"Alfresco definitely helps business and keeps people drawing into Arlington Heights from all over the northwest suburbs. We are mainly a gift shop, we do a lot of seasonal items so we go really big for the holidays, but we also are a florist, too," Pacyga said.

There's a lot to sample every night of the week until Sept. 23.