This is a nice place to take a break and relax. One wish is for dog owners to pick up after their…read moredogs. It would make for a much more pleasant experience on and off the bike/walk path. There is a botanical garden along the river front. We'll have to check it out next time.

Awesome spot for toddlers. My 1yo loved it! The slide was super easy for him to navigate and I was…read moreable to stay in a comfortable spot while being within arms reach.

Beautiful area along the river in Rockford with a lot to do and look at. It should be on the list…read morefor anyone coming here to hang. Sinnissippi Park is one of the most visited places in town. For sure it's no surprise because there's so much in it. The Rockmen Guardians, Nicholas Conservatory, and the gardens are the biggest highlights but there's lots more to it to come do stuff. At the western end are the Rockmen Guardians. It's worth going along the riverfront path to get some pictures. The Conservatory is the grandest thing in the entire park though. Inside there's plenty of plant life including flowers and trees, as well as animal life, including butterflies, koi fish, and swans. They charge an admission though. Just north of this is the lagoon, where there's a rose garden. The east side of the park has a golf course, and there's also a Scandinavian cemetery if you're looking for history. Have to visit this park if you're seeing what's in the city. It's got a lot of the best stuff that's around here. This is great for getting some exercise or whatever.

Beautiful park in Rockford, Illinois. This is our first…read morevisit, thanks to a review I read on FB posted by Stateline Kids. The kids really enjoyed the park, with 2 playgrounds. One playground geared for older children and the other geared for kids 2-5. The younger kids playground is on Astro-turf and is sensory friendly. With some musical play equipment. I'm glad we stopped by! There is also a golf course near the younger kids and a large musical shell for entertainment as well along with some gorgeous gazebos and an asphalt path to explore. Parks done right for all ages! Sinississippi hits the mail on the head!!!

The Forest Preserve Headquarters of Winnebago County is by far my favorite underrated park in the…read moreRockford area! Lots to explore and so many different, unique areas within the park. I love the view over the quarry in all seasons but it's especially beautiful in fall/winter. The walk through the woods and around the ponds and river on the other side of the forest preserve are gorgeous in spring with frogs and other small animals to find and lots of mossy pathways. It feels like a fairytale! (Photos by Figment Photography)

Great place to hangout and have a few beers and go on nature walks…read more I've never camped here, but I heard that its cool. There are a lot of nice shelters and a respectable playground. You can pick morel mushrooms here during the early-mid spring. There's a fair amount of wildlife (deer, turkey, woodpeckers, toads, etc.) as well. The conservation sheriff cruises through every once in a while to make sure no one's doing anything retarded. Its a popular hangout for delinquent kids during the day, so check your grills before you cook. There was piss on one of them once.

Alpine Park is awesome! They have a little something for everyone in every stage of life. They have…read morea pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, lots of picnic tables, pavilions and spots that you can rent out for events, lots of lawn space, and an epic kids playground (called "Paulyground"). We come here all the time and our kids love it just like I did as a kid. Would definitely recommend!

An awesome park - if you've haven't been there you should really give it a try…read more In addition to the picnic and hiking in the park that I remember from years back, we stopped at the playground. While not amazing, it has a good number of play stations at which the kids were having a blast (has soft surface to help when kids fall) Plus big green fields to run and play The only downsides are that the sandbox could definitely use some more sand and someone had clogged up the drain for the drinking fountain (...with sand...)

It Sound fun my grand daughter was there for a week she said that it was fun and it sounds so funread more

I have been coming to this park since I was a kid and the growth I have seen in the last 5 years is…read moreincredible. More animals, more events, upgraded facilities. I would highly recommend this park for anyone who wants to hike, enjoy a beautiful playground, see some adorable animals or ride horses.

I say this about a lot of parks but, this is definitely one of the best parks I have ever been to…read more There are 6 areas for different sports, including: basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, and ping pong. In addition to the sports, there is a very nice playground, pavilion (with electricity and a grill), and a walking trail.

Is dirty dirty dirty , way too crowded , dirty carpet , too many exits and entrance on the toddler…read moreside , restroom too close to playground.

A decent hamsterwheel for children. Want a place to tire them out? You could do worse…read more A few things I can say, is whenever you take children out in public, certain things happen in public. Most of the lower reviews I've seen are realistic, and legitimate gripes, but that's the 21st century for you (with this kind of population). When it gets down to it, there needs to be more places like this for children to have fun. Its not a bad place to take the kids or have a birthday party. The layout and equipment is pretty clever to where the possiblity of injury is low. As for me, I'm just going to sit around and drink a soda for an hour, in the hopes the kid is wiped out at the end.

We came here on a Sunday with my kids (5 and 3). It being March, the outside was open so we were…read moreglad to explore outside for a bit but it closed at 4 pm. I felt this time that the place was kept tidier. I saw employees moving from area to area and trying to keep things in place, which seems like a pretty tough task with the amount of stuff in each area. My kids had a lot of fun in the upstairs area. There's lots to do & for $12 each, it can easily keep young kids entertained.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough!! Absolutely killer on every level!! This is fun for…read moreadults to come to too! Obviously you need to be an inquisitive person and still enjoy learning new things.... But if you have some kids to bring it's literally like Disneyland but where they learn how everything works in the universe...... You really need to come here multiple times to take everything in..... If you care about your kids, and want them to be smart, this place is mandatory!

Me and my wife recently stopped here to go on a little walk in the area. This place is perfect for…read moreall sorts of outdoor activities since there's a beach nearby and plenty of trails though I recommend and not walk through them when it's wet outside because they are very muddy and nothing is paved. Plenty of dogs are running off leash as well which isn't an issue. Please check to make sure you know what time the park closes because they will close on you as well. Highly recommend stopping here

Decided to take a drive from Evanston on a beautiful Spring day (70 degrees in Evanston, but 80…read moredegrees in Rockford - it was balmy!) I had found this place searching online for nearby state parks that weren't TOO far of a drive and still had ample hiking trails. The park was easy to find, had plenty of parking and lots of paved and dirt trails for both hiking and biking. Picnic areas scattered throughout and a nice large lake for fishing/boating/canoeing (there were prices posted in the concessions area for renting a boat with motor for the day as well if you don't have your own to bring with you!) Small selection of snacks and beverages (non-alcoholic) were available for purchase, however they did not have any paper maps (there were boards posted by trail entrances and we did take photos of those). It looks like there is a restaurant next to the concessions area that opens after Memorial Day weekend for the season. We saw and heard many different birds while hiking and it was very peaceful (and not very crowded, as we were here on a Tuesday). My husband particularly enjoyed seeing the turkeys roaming around

When in Rockford in the summertime, I head on over to Sinnissippi Park band shell for the park…read moredistrict's Music-in-the-Park series. Listening to regional talent among the beautiful trees has been a long standing family tradition. Wooden bench seating is provided (bring a cushion) on first-come-first-seated basis. Most performances occur on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and the best part is the Music-in-the-Park series is free. www.rockfordparkdistrict.org/soundsofsummer

The parks in certain neighborhoods are going down hill. Williams Park hasn't had mulch places this…read moreyear, weeds are growing everywhere around the kids play equipment. One swing is broken which is dangerous. This park is heavily used by a lot of kids. Its obvious they don't care because the area is working class people. I've called to complain and posted on the neighborhood blog. No response. The broken swing is the blue one for smaller children. It has no safety belt.