FW Kent Park continues to be a family favorite. Both because of how close it is to Iowa City (it's…read morejust three miles west of Tiffin on Highway 6) and it's beauty. We popped over this weekend for some fresh air and fall family photos. I am always just in awe of how busy the park is year round. Since my last review both of my kiddos have had the chance to take school field trips out to visit the Conservation Education Center, which is located at the park. It offers year-round educational programs and workshops. The staff is knowledgeable and the kids always have a blast. There's something for everyone at this gem. A bird blind for bird watchers. Access to the entire shoreline for anglers. Nine miles of trails for hikers and cross-country skiers. Seven historic bridges for photographers and families looking for fun family photos :) A large campground for campers-- available April through October. As well as a handful of picnic shelters (available via reservation). And, of course, Kent Park beach, my family's favorite (open Memorial Day through Labor Day) -- it is pristine, free and a great time. Overall, FW Kent Park is a wonderful place to get outside and clear your head. Drive over and explore today!

Definitely a favorite! Now that the lake has been re-opened, the park is better than ever. What I…read moreenjoy most about Kent Park is the diversity of options for activities. The park boasts a swimming beach, a nice trail around the entirety of the lake with benches if you want to stop and enjoy the views. There are many picnic shelters around the park, and a gazebo in the middle of a prairie area. I recommend taking a hike through the prairie trails. I'm also partial to taking a hike through the forest as well, or around the lake...heck, try them all at whatever length or difficulty you choose! There is a large playground area as well as a campground, so something for everyone. It's common to see many people out around the lake fishing and kayakers exploring the water.

So fun. Fun little out of the way place. Be warned if you go to the back end of it like we did it's…read moredown a long road that says dead end.

There's been a bridge over this a deep gulch for more than 100 years. It connects two residential…read morestreets that would otherwise require a long walk around. It's a cheap thrill and free diversion for any age. However, I wouldn't advise it for anyone with a fear of heights, who's unstable on their feet, or is anxious about a moving pathway. This bridge spans an 80-foot gulch. It does sway profoundly in the middle. It moves up and down and sideways. It's also about 15 minutes from highways 218 in Iowa or 61 in Illinois. That puts you about 30 minutes out of the way round trip , plus time to cross the bridge over and back. There's a Dairy Queen style ice cream shop nearby for a cool treat. So, if you need a break or diversion for the kids this is a novelty for no or little cost.

Pretty place, alot of paths to explore. Its quiet, quaint. The cave, in which this place is named…read moreafter is closed for the bats. So it should just be named Starr. Kinda the only reason I went was to see the caves. Theres alot of litter as well. I didnt get to see inside the building, but the rock climbing literally has boards nailed to it so its closed I guess. No mask requirements but I mean the only thing you can do it walk through paths, everythings out of order or closed. They have benches everywhere so you can enjoy the view of the many closed sites. If you want a workout rather then an experience, here's your wet dream.

Fun place to keep going to! A definite recommendation for…read morethose who like to get out of the house. Don't forget your camera and mosquito repellent.

What a beautiful park!…read more During a quick trip to Iowa we kept our activities limited to outdoor activities and carry out eats. I pulled up the Yelp app to find a park to explore and voila, there was Vander Veer Botanical Park. It was a toasty 93 degree day so we were quickly drawn to the plentiful shaded spaces found throughout this large park. In addition to a botanical garden (which we didn't visit specifically), they also have a rose garden, small pond with a fountain, long shaded promenade, and plentiful paved paths for walking. We strolled through the rose garden and then were naturally drawn to the long shaded walkway that leads up to a large and entertaining fountain at the end. This park has so many lovely uses for varying audiences and interests. Highly recommend giving it a visit if you find yourself in the Quad Cities!

It the most fun me and my kid add I love how handicap accessible it was in the summerread more

Chautauqua! This park is apparently named after an Indian…read moretribe that used to hang out around here. This large, green park is situated on the edge of town, along the Crow Creek (also named after an Indian tribe.) The park is along a big loop that you can barely fit a car down most of the way. There are plenty of places to pull off in the shade and park and get out and explore the varied landscape of Chautauqua Park. The park offers a wide range of activities, from frisbee golf, to horse and hiking trails, to soccer goals, and playgrounds. There's lots of areas to just explore, with big hills and the stream that meanders through the park. There's a little something for everyone here. The park is large enough that you can get your own area to play, or meet up with others to relax. The park seems to have a lot of history. It's clean. Not very well lit, but still feels safe since you're in this small town.

This is such a cute park. It had disc golf! It also connects to the loop trail which is amazing…read more Take a stroll there! You won't regret it.

Sites sizes and extremely narrow turn around weren't mentioned on sites, this is No big Rig 40 ft…read moreor mor friendly. Site let us book site #4 even asking for size of rig, but once we arrived Large signage read-No Big Rigs ,narrow to no turn around for this site. We disconnected our tow car and drove around looking for a spot. We were able to locate site 30 which read 45 ft with full hook ups. However we barely at 40 ft fit,even had to back up Over fire ring to fit and park our tow. We then saw it is electric only,Not full hook ups. We are parked and staying for our original 3 nights, however we are very disappointed at the discrepancy in the description of park,it is really for for TT,Campers, tents..id say 34 ft max for sites. Make sure you scout your site first to assure you will fit

Today we started with paddle boarding and kayaking. Then we headed to the beach for some fun. I…read morelove this beach!

Review Visit: August 14th, 2017…read more 'Snake? Snake!? SNAAAAKE!' The original purpose of this twisty and windy path is detailed on the wiki page linked below. I will give you the Spark Notes version; it was created as a shortcut for horses to traverse down the hill to Main Street. This place has been on my list for awhile now and on a beautiful August day, I finally made the trek up to see it. It was not quite what I expected, which is a good thing. The alley itself is rather short, but if you make the walk down and up it, you'll feel it in your legs. The alley is lined with houses on one side, which has to make for a very interesting living arrangement. I figured the road was closed for vehicle traffic, but was I wrong! You can apparently drive down the path... which I did. Driving down it was almost like being on a roller coaster, in your own car. The windy paths and sharp turns were super fun and gets your adrenaline going. At the bottom, there is a chance to bottom out as you pull out into normal traffic, so be careful if you do take the fun plunge. Luckily, if you are not a fan of snakes or the video game Metal Gear Solid, you can happily visit Snake Alley. If you are a fan of odd things and fun car rides, Snake Alley is the place for you.

I have about a twelve percent chance of making it to Lombard Street in San Francisco, so it was…read morenice to be able to get to Snake Alley on a sunny day in Burlington, Iowa. My daughter and I walked down the bricks with much delight while my better half scooted down the curvy street, which suited her just fine. A nice diversion along the Great River Road. Highly recommended

Its about 2 miles from my house. The bank fishing sucks due to the weeds. Camping was awesome over…read more4th july weekend. Beautiful scenery except for all the goose . The staff is helpful, friendly and polite.

Beautifly manicured and organized camping site. Staff super helpful too. Efficient RV dump!read more

This summer (somehow) I explored the outdoors a shi*t ton while also feeling absolutely trapped in…read moremy home? I don't know if that makes sense to you? But... COVID-19. Amiright?! Hickory Hill Park has been on my gotta-try list all summer. FINALLY on Labor Day weekend, we found the time to drive across town, to the wayyyyy east side to check it out. LET ME TELL YOU. THIS PARK IS BEAUTIFUL. There's tons of trails for jogging, walking and hiking! From wooded ones, to paths through the prairie. There is something for everyone. Picnic shelters, too. There are a couple reasons this is a four vs five star. 1. There's not a lot of signage on the trails, so it is very easy to get lost or not know where to continue on to! Make sure you have a map online pulled up when you visit. 2. Hickory Hill boasts very, very narrow paths. So during a pandemic-- BRING YOUR MASK! We typically are the family just try to distance when we are hiking outdoors... but distancing is hard on trails at this east side gem.

Clearly long cold Iowa winters have made me far more brave than I would have imagined. I mean who…read moresays, "It's a beautiful day lets go check out a new park" when its December and 30 degrees out. Never thought that would be me, but sure enough now knowing subzero temperatures have brainwashed me to think 30 degrees is a gorgeous winter day! With this new found appreciation for 30 degree days I packed the pups in the car and headed to check out Hickory Hill Park. What a nice park full of no shortage of multiple winding trails through the woods and prairies. All the trails were very well maintained and were perfect for exploring with our dogs. This is the perfect park if you are just looking to enjoy nature. So want to trail run, walk/hike, stroll with your dog? Then you found the right spot! I also imagine this would be a great spot for snowshoeing or cross country skiing if there was a significant snow fall. It wasn't muddy when we went since the ground was frozen but I imagine if there was recently a lot of rain this place could get pretty muddy.

Advertisement says 25 a night. We got charged 30 for broken rotted picnic tables, unkempt campsite…read morewith no pad, closed restrooms, open restrooms were filthy.

Nice campground here, medium lake a great outdoors experience for walking, bringing pets, running…read moregetting that exercise in. I overall liked it.