There are a ton to do in the area. Ravina
https://www.ravinia.org/ is an outdoor concert/festival arena in the North Shore. A lot of people grab some salad/soups/groceries from nearby Anton's Fruit Ranch
http://antonsfruitranch.com/ and picnic there.
There's also the Chicago Botanic Gardens
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/ right in the area. In addition to the typical garden variety garden (pardon the pun), it's actually really lovely with a section of Japanese Gardens and ponds.
The appeal of Long Grove is that it's very historic with a lot of the main areas and shops with the "hometown / Mainstreet" vibe. Certain days of the summer are festival days with food from nearby farms - the most famous is Strawberry Fest.
http://www.visitlakecounty.org/Event...s?EventID=8834
Non-chain hotels are harder to come by. I can't think of any off the top of my head. Also, I've been to Kohler and was not that impressed. Overpriced and I've had better showers in some InterContinentals.