This place is pretty amazing. We just came to use the awesome pool with my daughter and grandkids…read more What a great addition for this little town. This was perfect for a cold day with the kids.

Disgraceful! I took my 69 year old mother and my 1 year old grandson today to swim $32!!! We were…read moreso disappointed!

Our group of friends rented a cabin on the wine trail and the girls hit up this place for yoga and…read moremassages. Both were fantastic! I loved my massage from Beckie. She was my therapy fairy. The yoga was a lot different than what we are used to but I dug it. Focus is mainly on Hatha yoga. Although they are in the same building the spa massages seem to belong to a different entity than the yoga. So if you book both make sure you leave enough time in between so you are not rushed the way we were.

My husband and I went here for a massage after our wedding weekend because we could barely get out…read moreof bed. We called and they gave us both an appointment back to back same day. They were so Accommodating. We saw Jessica and both left feeling like new people. Worth every penny!

I can't say enough good about Coach Portia! She has a kind heart; honest and has integrity! Coach…read moreis hands-on even though the program is online; she is available for advice, questions, help, or if you need talked off the ledge Coach Portia has guided me for 6+ months; she has helped me gain strength, confidence, and self-love. I am nearly 3-years post stroke, and thanks to Coach Portia's guidance and expertise I'm in the best health of my life! I'm loving my new, sustainable lifestyle!

Trying to milk every last possible drop of warm weather out of the fall, our friends Eric and Laura…read moreasked us to get outside and take a hike with them. Knowing that my boyfriend has been getting restless to travel amidst the pandemic, The Little Grand Canyon gave us the perfect opportunity to "get out" of St. Louis and enjoy a mini-road trip with two great friends. At just two hours outside of the city, this popular hiking spot was the perfect destination. More about the actual trail: Erosion carved this deep box canyon located in Shawnee National Forest, south of Murphysboro. It is located on east bank of the Big Muddy River across from Turkey Bayou to the west, between Swallow Rock to the north and Chalk Bluff to the south. There is about a 350-foot difference in elevation between the bottom of the canyon and the trailhead. Access to the park is gained from Hickory Ridge Road to the east. The area was designated a National Natural Landmark in February 1980. The trailhead area is well maintained. There's a small bathroom, a few picnic tables, and ample parking. We did go on a slightly busy day and the access road was a bit tough to navigate because of people trying to drive as close to the trailhead as possible. From the trailhead to the first overlook is a pretty easy hike. The trail is well worn and doesn't change elevation much. The first overlook is incredible! You truly understand why it's called the Little Grand Canyon. It had three levels so it was easy to space out away from other hikers so you could get your group photos! Once you have your good social media post, you can either take the trail back to your car or descent into the canyon. DO IT. The second half of the trail is definitely more challenging as you go through a steep and sometimes slippery sandstone side canyon to the lusher, damper habitat of the canyon floor. But getting to see the way the stone has eroded over the years is absolutely worth it. You feel like you're on a movie set or on a different planet. The beauty of the stone is beyond compare. Getting back up out of the canyon was quite a workout. You really don't realize how far you had gone down until you have to go back up. I did, however, enjoy the challenge! Worked up a sweat getting back up to the car. I was glad I didn't drive so that I could snooze on the car ride back to St. Louis!

This is most definitely not a beginner's hiking trail!!…read more This spot is hidden away outside Carbondale, and offers a great overview of the bluffs and the Big Muddy River. The trail is rugged and is quite slippery, especially after a rain. You will have to descend down a slippery rocky waterway to get down into the canyon, but the views are amazing. To get back out, another climb up a waterway is needed, and both can be quite hard to get up and down on. However, if you are looking for an amazing but challenging trail with great views, a wonderful stroll along the bluffs, and just overall connect with nature, definitely give this trail a try. Definitely need a good pair of shoes for this. Hiking boots/shoes greatly recommend!!

If you're near the Shawnee National Forest and you'd like to do some rock climbing, this is the…read moreplace to go, no matter what level of climber you are. We took our family of 5 rock climbing for the day, and Kathy worked patiently with us the entire time. 3 of us had climbed before; 2 were rookies. Kathy is an avid climber herself, and she's also an excellent teacher. All equipment is covered in the cost: shoes, chalk, ropes, etc. Bring your own water, lunch and bug spray. All of the climbing will be done on Eric & Kathy's property. You'll start out on some fairly easy faces, and then work up to more difficult climbs. If you're brand new to the sport, Kathy will teach you the techniques needed to be successful. If you've climbed before, she'll move you along to the more challenging areas. A great bonus to the day was absorbing Kathy's knowledge of the area. Not everything marked on the Southern Illinois Board of Tourism map is worth seeing, and Kathy gives honest and accurate feedback on sites and activities in the area. Probably the best indicator of our wonderful experience is that at the end of our vacation to the Shawnee area, all 3 of our kids, ages 8-14, rated rock climbing with Vertical Heartland as the highlight of the trip. The web site is http://www.verticalheartland.com/VerticalHeartland.html

I had a wonderful experience with Kathy today. The advice was easy to understand and the views…read morewere beautiful. Kathy was very helpful and made me feel very comfortable. I could not believe I was climbing that high with such ease. Great fun!! Sandra Aiken Madisonville, KY 42431

Come for the Garden of the Gods, stay for the wondrous hiking…read more If you drive 4.5 hours to see the Garden of the Gods, you also have to spend time hiking the actual forest it's in. That's what Emily and I did after taking in the breathtaking views at the Gardens. We kind of went into this blindly with just a map of the area. We backtracked a bit to this area that may have been something called Backpacker's Hike or something like that. Pictures say it was the Indian Point Trail. Anyways, we parked next to a few other cars and headed out to hike. I don't need to explain hiking but I will go over a few fun things we saw. There were more cliffs to enjoy but the views were just a bit less than stellar compared to the Gardens. Still great though. We saw a lot of places where people must've camped or hung out at night cause there were fire pits everywhere. We deviated from the path cause we were looking to hike as much as possible and ended up getting dead-ended about 4 times. While we were limited to this area of Shawnee, I would say we got a pretty good taste of what it offers. We got to see so many beautiful viewpoints and took plenty of great photos. I know this is just scraping the surface of what Shawnee National Forest offers and maybe some day I can go back and see all the other landmarks that this place is known for. Enjoy nature. It's a thing of beauty.

Loved the many places in the Shawnee National Forest! Of course we came down to this area for…read moreGarden of the Gods which is five stars, top three places in Illinois to visit! And we hiked there as well. The Shawnee is large and stretches east and west, so it's really like, two National forests in one! The town of Marion was lovely, and we camped at Cave in Rock on the Ohio River. I also visited Scratch Brewing in Ava, IL. There's so much to do on all sides of the Shawnee, I'd love to return to do more hiking!

I was looking up things to do in the Carbondale area and this place caught my eye. I don't have any…read morekids nor am I one but I had to visit the park and I got to hear the story about how this park was built and how it came to be. This park is very well kept! I've never been to an active park that is so well maintained and the fact that it has no graffiti on it! This park is so Interactive and I thought it was convenient that it had porta potties next to it as well. Even the ice cream man came by to visit. Plenty of great Interactive things that check out that are one-of-a-kind like climbing got a dragon and even the playground is big enough for grown-ups to walk around without actually it's time to climb on stuff. This place was like walking into a Renaissance fair , I highly recommend checking this place out!

Really good park we really like the castle I love this park specially Corbin, and Paisleyread more

Had a really nice weekend at Ferne Clyff. There are 18 trails that are maintained and for various…read morelevels, but be aware that nearly every trail has poison ivy just at the edge of pathways. There's lots to do, whether you're there to hike, bike, climb, or relax in nature. The camping grounds are a bit crowded, but most everyone keeps to themselves and are very friendly. There are lots of primitive restrooms throughout the park, but maintained with plumbing restrooms are only available for overnight paid guests. If you forget firewood, there is a place near the main campground restrooms where you can get bundles of firewood from a vet owned business. As of 5/8/2026 when I'm writing this, each bundle is $5 and can be paid in cash or QR.

This is my go to hiking park when I need to introduce someone to the beauty of SoILL on a tight…read moretime budget. The Waterfall Trail is flat and wide and boasts a fun waterfall in wet seasons, but also lovely bluffs and wildlife even when it's dry. My favorite hike was on a cold January day. We started with flurries, and the ground was completely white when we completed it. My kids are also HUGE fans of the Hawks Cave hike. Lots of fun boulders to climb on and explore. It's a short (though a bit steeper) hike, but begs you to linger at the cave.