Among the nicer parks in Champaign. Hessel Park isn't too big but it's still big enough. It has…read morelots of athletic facilities including for baseball and tennis. Even has a fountain. There's also a trail that goes around it. Big enough park for many activities. It has some pretty good athletic facilities. The local youth leagues have games and there's also kids just playing for fun too. Hot summer days are cool here. It has a big sprinkler area in the middle. This is a good place to take kids to cool them all off. For adults, there's areas for grilling. The pavilions are popular for holidays. Good park for almost everyone. It has a good amount of parking around it. There's a big water area for kids, there's sports, and there's a few trails.

Really nice Champaign park! Nice kid's equipment 2-5 and…read moresome stuff for the older kids Really nice splash pad in the summer Multiple tennis courts Lots of open space BBQ's and shelters for reserve

Such a Great experience for all ages doing both the drive thru and walk thru gave you an up close…read moreand personal experience with the wildlife

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this place. I expected some little petting zoo but this was a…read morelot more. We splurged and did the wagon ride and we're not disappointed. Everyone is given a bowl of animal food and these animals know it! The wagon crossed the cattle guards and here came the animals. Horses, water buffalos, things I've never seen nor heard of. You then can place food in your hand and these animals reach under the bars of the wagon to eat from your hand. For those not wanting that you can always place the food on the wagon floor. But hand feeding a bison was definitely a first for me. There is also an option to drive your own vehicle through the zoo but the wagon ride seems more exciting (and safer on the car). There is also a walking trail past the petting zoo, kangaroos, hyenas, and others. We did not go through the prehistoric museum. Only disappointment for one of us was that we didn't pet the sloth. A great kid experience after spending time driving through Amish country.

Lots of excellent facilities and services at this park. I felt like the upkeep and cleanliness was…read moreexcellent, better than one would expect. The ranger at the campground check in was extremely helpful and friendly! The campground facilities were very clean and had recent remodeling such as new sink, counter, and floor resurfacing.

Wonderful park. They keep it very clean. There are several hiking trails that have great scenery…read morearound the lakes.

Beautiful spot to take a scroll for free and enjoy nature. This arboretum is very well maintained,…read morespacious, and has plenty of parking. In addition to the ponds and gardens, do make a visit to Japan House if you get an opportunity when they're open.

The University of Illinois Arboretum was a nice surprise to. This was a great oasis from a busy…read morecollege campus. My husband and I went on a Saturday afternoon, and while there people there, it was not crowded. There was a nice mixture of trees, lakes, and trails. It is a great place to rest and relax. Be sure to go when the Japan House when it's open.

I loved the wooden playground here when I was growing up. They've recently remodeled the…read moreplayground and while I'll miss the one I grew up with, I am happy to see my daughter enjoying the new one. I love how many benches there were for adults. It's always crowded when we come which is great, our daughter makes friends to play with while she's here and has a great time. I really enjoyed the walking trails too, the sculptures are really cool. Bathrooms were locked and the water fountains were off. There were port a potties though.

This is one of my favorite walking trails in Urbana.. scenic & peaceful. I try to come out here as…read moreoften as I can especially when the weather is perfect.

This is a wonderful gem of nature. The preserve has about six miles worth of trails that snake…read morethrough the trees and plains, over creeks and ponds. There are benches to sit on surrounding the small lake, a little pier for fishing. I've only visited in mid-May so far but there were plenty of beautiful wildflowers on the grounds. They've got a big old gravel parking lot with plenty of parking. When I visited last May I sat on one of the benches along side the huge pond for at least two hours, listening to all the different birds, watching for turtles, snakes (yeah, they've got water snakes), and frogs/toads. The little bench was partially shaded and the fresh air and gentle breeze lulled me into such peace. I can't wait to stop by again when I'm in town!!

Very nice little park with tables and grills! We enjoyed the playground. I'm sure we'll be back…read morenext time we visit.

I used to come to this park often when I lived in Champaign, IL. Some friends and I used to play…read morebaseball in this park. I also brought my girlfriend to this park to talk about what was bothering her. Before moving to Champaign, IL I used to come to this park often. Later when I had moved away to another town I came back to this park with my new puppy before going on to move back into my parents home for awhile. Years later I brought a new girlfriend to this park to show her where I used to park to think things over. I also showed her a tree that had grown into a huge shade tree. I told her that many years ago it was only a sapling not much taller than me.

Great campground, Beautiful lake to walk around, level sites, clean facilities and a warm welcome…read more Its our 2nd stay while passing through.

Booked online a few hours before our arrival. The pictures looked nice and inviting. Didn't…read moredisappoint. What a nice welcome upon arrival. I think an owner, wife greeted us. Explained the rules. After that another camp worker, sweet friendly woman escorted us to our spot. I had ordered fire wood online but, when she was bringing us to our site, there was "extra" from the previous campers. Long day of driving ended with a nice relaxing late afternoon/evening. P.S. bonus-nice little gated, Clean dog run. Thank you so much for everything. What a great night. Dogs got exercise, bon fire, cold peanut butter stout. Cheers until next time. I'll be back!!

This is not "Abe Lincoln", but his father "Thomas Lincoln". They were owned by Abraham Lincoln and…read moredeeded to his father Thomas. There's a museum which talks about the time/place when Thomas Lincoln lived here - takes about 45 minutes. There are groups where it is set up with buildings and farm animals of the Thomas' Lincoln's time. His grave is just down the road. A key part compares two farmers of the time period. One is a farmer from the area that was interested in farming for profit with the latest technology and Thomas Lincoln, who farmed for the purpose of being a self-sufficient farm owner. There is an example of the homes of each type of farmer. We went in March; apparently there are tours during the summer. Ours was self-guided.

I love Lincoln Log Cabin and have since I was a very young child…read more In the past, there were many animals there and actors who would talk to you in the part of people living during the time period. This was always super fun. I see that much less often now. There are less animals (last time I visited they had sheep, pigs, and chickens only) and I haven't seen any actors there in a while. With that being said, I enjoyed the sheep, chickens, and pigs and I also enjoyed looking at the buildings. They were all locked during my last visit, but sometimes you can go inside of them and look at the insides of the cabins, which is much more fun. During my last visit they were offering free produce they grew in their garden and I liked that a lot. We grabbed some tomatoes. The reduction of one star is simply because I remember the past when this place was super amazing. Now there haven't been actors the last few visits. I have seen sheep, cows, horses, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and cats there before, but my last visit only had three of those animals. In addition, it's more fun when you can enter the buildings. Even without all the animals and actors and access to the buildings, it's super fun and I'd recommend it!