I have been going to Paradise Park campground every summer for the last 7 years. I organize a…read morelarge group and we all stay and camp for a few days. The facility is great with a beach, park and 2 fishing ponds. The convenient store is small but has the most important thing when camping ICE! They have convenient bathrooms and showers. The staff is very nice and have always been very accomidating to our large group. I have already booked our trip for this year and as long as nothing changes we are already planning to return for many years to come.

Was a seasonal camper for 6 years. Camp on the higher ground if possible as heavy rains easily…read moreflood the lower campgrounds. There is a HUGE Yellow Jacket Wasp population necessitating yearly wasp and hornet killer treatments of your camper if you plan on being seasonal. Many activities for families with younger children; my teenagers were bored out of their minds. Tubing on the river is a better option than the man made lake and beach that is taken over by the wasps in late summer through closing season. Convenience store is a huge plus and serves food. Park is well kept up overall though public restrooms need a good facelift. Seasonal pricing is a bit on the high side IMHO. Staff is nice.

Had great fun at this state park in Loves Park where there's enough for hours of boating and…read morehiking. It has lots of rental options. Rock Cut State Park is the highlight of the area it seems. A couple lakes. There's also tons of trails. Come in here a few ways but the main entrance is where most come in. It's got a couple lakes. The main one is Pierce Lake which has many picnic areas along there. Boating is a favorite activity. On the south shore of the lake is a boat rental and concession building that's the main launching point. Get supplies if needing to get any. On the north shore of the lake is the campground which is private. Got to contact them ahead of time to get access for it. There's also cabins if not wanting to be in a motor home or whatever. Across the interstate is Olson Lake. This has a beach which is a popular place for families and picnics. It also has a sport dog training area. They practice for those hunters who like to shoot things. At the main entrance of the park is prairie restoration areas. These preserve the natural beauty of the park and are of interest to those in conservation efforts. Great place for outdoor activities. It's got the main entrance on State Route 173 but there's other ways to get in. The park is great for boating, hiking on lots of trails or whatever.

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

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.

This review is for the 3rd base program offered through the park district for after school care. I…read morewill start by saying I have lived in Belvidere on and off for approx 37 years. I love the parks here and the people that take care of them and run their programs are good people. I very rarely leave a negative review. As you can see even in this i am leaving a 4 star review. This would be a -1 star review if I was reviewing the way Melissa from the administration building. I will start by saying I am too blame. Im a dad raising a wonderful little girl and that's all I care about. That means I will skip many things just to hang out with my daughter. Recently my debit card expired. I Went to bank to see whete my new card was. There was an issue with me getting a new card quickly due to a change in policy. My fiance went in and paid what she was told was for remainder of year. I received a messagel on Monday saying that i owed $13 for Tuesday. By time i got message they were closed. On Tuesday Melissa calls me at work. I work at Chrysler and phones are not allowed. I called Melissa back have her my new card info. Later that day my phones going off i can't answer. I get a call from school so i have to answer. My card didn't go through so Melissa didn't allow my child to attend her after school care. She was set to the office and i arranged for her to be picked up. It was approx 3 weeks it took to get a card. In that time i paid cash always calling and saying you have my word I'll be there today before you close never an issue. It pissed me off that my daughter wasnt allowed to say good bye to her friends and to give her counselors their thank you cards over $13. I then learn when i am paying the $13 fee that my daughter was singled out by Melissa personally as many other children were short for the last day they were all allowed to attend and parents asked to pay. To top it off on Monday im informed my daughter chipped her two front teeth at 3rd base. I never flipped out I understand I have a very active daughter but that's permanent. I should have fliped out now realizing she is just $. So today I went in to pay the $13 because it was never EVER about $. I tip better for take out orders. I was going in with the intention to pay day how unhappy i was show them the $1500.00 that Melissa cost them for summer camp because my daughter would be attending. Then that all went out the window when Jackie the wonderful receptionist changed my mind. I paid my $ and explained my issue. Jackie was genuinely sorry and you could tell her lovely smile went away fast. I will say I paid Jackie cash for camp. So Belvidere park district as a man who works in a place that is a very large part of this towns economy. You shoul d probably have Melissa take some people skills from Jackie and the other wonderful women at the Rivers Edge. They made the park district two childrens camp fees fir the summer today as both my fiance and i enrolled our kids. The young women taking care of kids after school awesome and the rest of people I've dealt with work the exception of Melissa have been great. Rather than bash the entire program to 4000 coworkers or call and complain to management Im leaving a review in the hope that Melissa reads learns and handles better in the future. I have received a call from Jackie saying they would like to refund the $13. It was never about the $13 i knew after they denied my daughter that i technically didn't have to pay. I will call them tomorrow and ask them to stay an emergency fund for situations like this. Use that $ instead of denying a child because a patented mistake that's humiliating. Then when that patent makes it in to parry put the $ back into emergency fund. Just an idea. Again thank you Jackie. I hope you can lukewarm from this like i have Melissa.

Midway village is great. They have a free walking path and grassy field area open to the public,…read morewhich is beautiful in the spring, summer and fall. The walking path is about a mile around which is a great distance for us. They also have a veterans memorial off the side of the path. Next door they have a museum which I've never been to, but I have been to a wedding nearby and it was a really nice backdrop. I know they have lots of events here throughout the year, including a WWII re-enactment that people from all over the state and region come to. Definitely a place worth checking out.

Worth a visit and we didn't even see everything here!…read more If you're a fan of "A League of Their Own" you need to come see the exhibit about the Rockford Peaches and the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. There's also info about the history of the sock monkey and red heeled socks which are from Rockford, in addition to information about Camp Grant and other local history. We didn't go through the historical village part, but we did check out the dollhouse museum (apparently the collection of one person, but there wasn't really any information about them in the building and no one manning this space). The gift shop is small but well appointed (they need a penny smasher, though!) People can also rent spaces/venues here; there were two weddings happening here the day we were there! A nice smaller local history museum.

Wonderful place if you have dog that enjoys running around and getting muddy. There's a bridge with…read morea little creek that I'm sure can get pretty good water at some points during the year. Beautiful place, it says you have to have a membership to go but I'm not sure how that works.

From the owner: Canine Corners Dog Parks are great places to let your dog off the leash to run, play, and…read moresocialize. These parks are open year-round from dawn to dusk, and they are fenced so dogs are safely contained off-leash, with brush and paths for a great field experience. The dog park is open year-round dawn to dusk. An active membership in the form of a visible Canine Corners access card and lanyard is required of all park users.