Candlewood Park

5.0 mi

Review Visit: August 9th, 2016…read more Somehow I am usually the last to learn of cool places. Farmdale Reservoir is no different. I have driven past signs for Farmdale many times in my life and just thought it was a giant water reservoir or something like that. Then one day I decided to google it to see what it was. Well, talk about kicking yourself in the ass for taking forever to do something. I came out here and hiked for a few hours and enjoyed every second of it. I decided to hike the 'tough' trails and they proved to be a challenge. Especially if you were mountain biking. While I only hiked about 4 miles and it was just a small section of the map, I was very impressed and will be back in 2017. The entire area is beautiful and far enough removed from society that you do feel isolated, but not far from help and home. This could be a great place to bring dogs, if you have one and they are properly trained. They say Illinois is boring... but we have beautiful places like this to help dispel that notion.

Hidden Washington backyard gem, hiking, running, biking, and dog walking trails all over with some…read moresurprising views for central Illinois sprout out this suburban park as essential oxygen to check in frequently. Coming from Indiana I didn't realize what was here til introduced recently and quickly fell for this lil slice of Gatlinburg. Parking isn't well marked but just like life I kept going until I found what I wanted. A decent Saturday morning gave clear nice weather without a crowd, will definitely be back!

Open trails

Parking lot

See all

Fon du Lac Farm Park

(8 reviews)

7.0 mi

Are dogs on a leash allowed in the park? I have a French Bulldog. My dog would like meeting farm…read moreanimals.

Great place for toddlers! The animals are very well taken care of and the place looks very clean!…read moreMy niece who is 2 years old has an amazing time feeding the cows, rabbits, ducks, horses, sheep and hens! The park has a good play area too! They also have plenty of seating arrangements - benches, wooden swings and chairs where you can rest and relax under the trees. Overall I would totally recommend this place!

Snack bar. They sell sandwiches and ice cream.

See all

School house

Northwood Park

4.5

4.2 mi

I'm not an avid frisbee golf player but I occasionally like "bro-out" and play a round of frolf…read morewith my boyfriend. And, you know what? I've come to appreciate the sport and courses I've played in. So, from my limited experience (only playing about 4 different courses in Illinois and Kansas), I would rank Northwood Park at the top. Top Three Reasons: 1) I think it's a well designed course. It has a lot different terrain; ranging from wooded to open flat to hilly areas. It's visually appealing and fun to walk around. 2) Even though there's a lot of different landscapes, it easy to find the next basket. And if you get turned around somehow, people that play there are nice and can probably tell you where to go! 3) It's a good course for all playing levels. There are few tricky/challenging holes but on the other hand, there are also some easier ones. The mix of difficulties makes it fun. Now, the only criticism I have for the park is you occasionally find trash around the tee off areas. It's sad because it's such a nice park! Anyway, trash receptacles throughout the course would definitely help!

Absolutely my favorite disc course anywhere. This is also the reason why PDGA uses this course for…read moretournament championships and the sort. Fantastic blend of wooded and open. Blind drives and straight shots abound as well. Hole 5 is a bastard 'cos of the tree line and traversing up a hill then down and crossing a small crick to land on the island pin. Delicious. 18 is the majestic capstone hole. Teeing off 100 feet above the fairway and walking across the crick leaves discers with a lasting impression. Well worth the drive on a nice day. Spend sun up to sun down here. The challenge is to get in the mid 50s. My personal best was 47. Replay: Very High if you are not tuckered out.

Morton Dog Park

4.8

(5 reviews)

4.4 mi

Hands down the best dog park we have ever visited. Very…read morespacious, full of trees, clean, and has two separate, fenced areas (one for the bigger dogs and a smaller area for the little ones). Also, doggie bags are provided and there is a water fountain for the pups. Being here you can forget that you're at a dogpark and walk around between the trees, enjoying nature. The only downfall is that the fence is old and since my dog is an escape artist he can get through both gates and into the parking lot. I like to think that I trained him not to do that anymore, but in reality he's probably just having so much fun with the other dogs that he forgets that escaping is still an option. We frequent this park multiple times a week and love it! The dogs are friendly and the owners are responsible.

This is such a cute dog park!…read more We are in the area visiting family and brought our Boston Terrier along. There weren't any other dogs there when we stopped by (during the day on a weekday) so we let him run free in the large dog area. The large dog section is huge compared to the dog park we go to back home. Love the trees and picnic tables. We will be back whenever we are in the area.

Spacious area for the dogs to roam.

Turbo being turbo.

See all

Any doggies in here wanna play with me?

Abbas Grotto

5.9 mi

Friday all you can eat fish fry, steak dinners, hot wing and chicken dinner Fridays, rental of the…read more8 acre facility is wonderful. This is a great place to rent out too.

Fully stocked bar

See all

Great place for weddings

Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center

4.7

(3 reviews)

75.5 mi

Landmark review: I have been here twice for birthday parties…read moreand this is not a bad park district pool. It has a nice splash pad zero depot pool with a slide at the opposite end. The kids seem to enjoy these birthday parties a lot. No one really checks the guest list when you host a private party. You also get access to the party room upstairs. All of this for 125 dollars which covers 2 hours and 15 guest. Given the low price I can see why lots of families host birthday parties at the pool.

This is one of the nicest park aquatics centers in this part of Illinois. It is availablle for lap…read moreswim, water exercise, lessons, free swim, reserved parties, and more. The air and water temperatures are kept at national standards, the staff is totally professional, the guards are very well trained and supervised, and the kiddie pool is wonderful for tykes and their parents.

ROC Ice Cream and Mini Golf'

Environment: GREAT I will definitely come there again!…read moreThe environment is so nice. And the mini golf was so much fun in such a beautiful place!

Review Visit: June 13th, 2016…read more A perfect combination of fun and delicious. I have, admittedly, been here many times before June 13th. But that is neither here nor there. The only thing you need to know is that this place has cheap mini golf and some of the best ice cream around. The mini golf portion is about $5.50 a person, young ones being cheaper. The course is your typical 18 holes. But this course is quite challenging and I have only sunk a few Hole-in-Ones here. There is a sweet deep blue fountain/waterfall that runs through most of the park. My ball has gone in the water more times than I care to admit. The challenging but fun course aside, the real gem here is their ice cream. Imported all the way from Madison, Wisconsin, this is some of the best that I have. It easily is in my Top 3. My usual is a Caramel ChocoLatte. Sooooo good. The company they get it from is called Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and I really want to visit Madison, Wisconsin one day to have ice cream directly from them. All in all, a great place to spend an afternoon putting balls and devouring ice cream. This is actually one of the few places on my blog that falls into two categories. Mini Golf and Ice Cream Shack, since you can pop in and enjoy ice cream without ever stepping on the green.

See all

Mini Golf Course

The Putt Club

3.0

(7 reviews)

9.0 mi

Very delicious pizza and good service and wish could get more help ordering drinks on the golf…read morecourse. Played miniature golf today and it was fun.

Over-priced food of low quality. Low level of service. Extremely noisy. Ample and convenient…read moreparking. Did not bother to stay to golf. Will not be back.

Nachos

See all

Cocktail

Lake Shannon

(3 reviews)

69.5 mi

it is so fun I have a lake house up there its 10 out of 10 experience me and the boys coming up her…read morenext weekend to look at it and really good for fishing and hotdogging.

After one visit to Lake Shannon, my wife and i were literally sold. We look forward to keeping an…read moreeye on properties here. Not Redneck, but very Rural. There are NO nearby grocery store or gas station. but that should not effect your lake life relaxed stay. A bit South of Joliet, we had no idea how to get there, and were way out of our comfort zone in an adventurous sense. I was told that our friend had "plenty of beds" so surely this could not be a trailer home. To my surprise these deluxe double wides, or manufactures homes, are extremely nice. Many have large porches, garages, or 2 floors! A lot of the boat docks have coverings and winter storage options like lifting the boat directly out the water where it sits. This is a "speed boat" lake. A flooded strip mine that gets up to 100ft deep in the center. There is NO sand bar, or party cove. Only families with kids skiing, tubing, and cruising. The lake could not be more picturesque with a cute bridge, various channels and beautiful landscaping. We cannot wait to be invited back, and will keep an ear to the street when a property, complete with Boat, goes up for sale.

See all

Five Points Washington

3.1

(12 reviews)

1.0 mi

Very clean, modern gym equipment, helpful staff and the extras!…read moreClasses Senior Center Pool Theater Library

Great venue love watching my niece and nephew perform in the dance recitals always a fun time and…read moreplace to go!

See all

Candlewood Park - parks - Updated August 2026

People who viewed Candlewood Park also viewed

Forest Park Nature Center

4.8

(16 reviews)

Beautiful natural area, nature center is very kid-centered with friendly help, small gift shop,…read morebenches and picnic tables for resting!

Review Visit: September 29th, 2013…read more I remember coming here a few times as a kid on field trips. It was awesome as kid. They taught us about animals, bugs, nature and everything else outdoorsy. Then we got to hike a smaller trail as a group. Maybe this is what caused me to be such an avid outdoors person. Coming back here after about 2 decades was a huge nostalgic trip. Nothing had changed from what I remember as a kid. I'm sure things have been changed and updated since the early 90's, but it still retained that feel and look I remember as kid. The main building has set hours, but I do believe you can hike there before they open, as long as you follow the rule of 'no hiking before sunrise and after sunset'. Don't quote me on that. Inside the building is a small gift shop. There are quite a few learning activity areas to enrich yourself on local foliage and fauna. They hold a lot of events here, so you are surely able to drop in once a week and encounter some fun activity going on. There are plenty of trails to hike. If you want a quick hike, they have short trails. If you desire something challenging, you can hike some tough trails. Just be careful, I know a few people who have wandered off the path and ended up in a business area of Peoria Heights. The last time I was there, they had a 100-mile hike challenge. It was $10-15 to sign up and you record your hiking distances in a book there. Once you reach 100 miles, you get an award of some sort. I think it was a t-shirt and a certificate. Ive been wanting to sign up for it since I learned about it. But life gets busy. :/ Parking is plentiful but be warned; its a popular place, so there is usually a good amount of cars there at all time. But you shouldn't have a problem most of the time finding a parking spot. If you are native to the area and haven't been here, do yourself a favor and check it out. If yo are from out of town, also do yourself a favor and stop by for a quick hike. You won't regret it.

Carden Park

Nice park that has a good sized playground with many swings and slides and climbing areas. It's a…read moregood place for kids over 2 but also has baby swings that are good for infants. There's also a large grassy area that's used for soccer on the weekends and basketball courts. On the perimeter, there's a running/bike path that's probably 1/4 mile and is rarely busy.

Rolling River Playground

3.0

Fun playground for kids, with the IL river as a backdrop-- all wooden with swings and a zip line…read moretoo! We stopped here to stretch our legs on a long road trip. I'm always on the lookout for a good place to stop with kids and let them run without going too far out of our way. Its easily accessible from i74, playground is beside the Riverplex/Children's Museum so there were clean bathrooms and lots of parking-- we even had plenty of room for our trailer.

There's only 4 swings here anymore :( super big letdown. It looked really cool from the pictures…read moreand I'm not sure where all the equipment went.

Fon du Lac Farm Park

(8 reviews)

Are dogs on a leash allowed in the park? I have a French Bulldog. My dog would like meeting farm…read moreanimals.

Shore Acres Park

4.5

(4 reviews)

Very cool park - we just stopped by for a few minutes to look at the lake. It was clean and I…read morereally liked the easy access to the lake.

I love walking in this park whenever I get to go there and walk along the River and see boatsread more

Ironwood Park

Nice park with tennis and pickle ball courts, a baseball field, playground, grills, a shelter that…read moreholds 50 people and open space.

Black Partridge Park

Review Visit: October 8th, 2014…read more A park as massive as the town is small. I'm not kidding when I say this park is massive for the size of the town its located in. When I set my destination to this place, my girlfriend (who is from the area) said it was a hangout spot for her as a kid. She failed to mention how massive the place was. We got there and parked and I had to ask, "Is this really it?! This park is huge!". She confirmed that my eyes weren't playing trick on me. This park really is spread out with lots of open fields and areas to hike. Time was important since the sun was setting, so we didn't get to spend the afternoon seeing what the park had to offer. We did get to walk around a little bit, play on some of the playground equipment, and check out Lee Cabin. The cabin was a cool little gem hidden in a park that is a gem itself. There isn't much else to say. Its a park that you can seemingly do a lot at. Walk, hike, play on the equipment, picnic... and who knows what else since I only saw parts of it. If you are in the area and have an itch to explore something between a small city park and a state/national park, Black Partridge Park is perfect for that.

Anderson Aquatic Center

4.0

Best poll in town! Hands down!!! Not as busy as Fairview. Smaller so that you can have room to…read moremove. Trust me, its just better.

It's a super fun pool but it isn't perfectly cleaned. Leaves in water, hair at the bottom of the…read morepool, sticks, twigs. It's super fun to go down slides and swim but it isn't super clean. Fairview is definitely cleaner, but also overcrowded. It depends on what you care more about.

White Oak Park

3.0

Recently came here to enjoy a nice walk around the area. They have port o potties on the premises…read more Very casual about a mile long loop around the lake. Plenty of great Midwest scenery to take in and see. Plenty of great recreational activities nearby like baseball, parks for the children next door.

The lake doesn't have many areas to go fishing at, lots of overgrowth of plants, nice road to go…read morejogging and riding bikes on. Never really done any good fishing there. Needs to be stocked

The Proving Ground Bouldering Gym