Very relaxed, fun campground. The beach is a good size, and perfect for something to do while…read moreyou're here. There is a $2 fee per person for the beach. If you don't have a boat, besides swimming and hiking, there aren't many activities especially for the kiddos. The bathroom situation here is not ideal AT ALL. You have to be a real trooper to use the "bathrooms" in the camping area. They're really just glorified outhouses or port-a-potties. And they STINK. I'd rather go in the woods or walk all the way up to the shower house, which is also equally if not more creepy. The showers feel very prisony. Camping spaces for rvs is really nice. There's a good amount of space to spread out, grill, or play whatever lawn games you surely brought along. all in all, this is great for the adventurer and seasoned camper. Just don't focus on hygiene

The beach is beautiful and the water is perfect but the bathroom did not have a curtain to take a…read moreshower so I had to use my towel to cover me

This RV park doesn't have it all, but what it has is fantastic…read more Just spent the weekend at buddy sites 11/11A. Full hookups and the sites are roomy. Very clean and perfectly maintained shower house and laundry facilities. 1st class host(s) that escort you to your site and welcome you with a warm smile. The best part is that it's so peaceful and the small lake is very nice. I highly recommend it.

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!!

it is so fun I have a lake house up there its 10 out of 10 experience me and the boys coming up her…read morenext weekend to look at it and really good for fishing and hotdogging.

After one visit to Lake Shannon, my wife and i were literally sold. We look forward to keeping an…read moreeye on properties here. Not Redneck, but very Rural. There are NO nearby grocery store or gas station. but that should not effect your lake life relaxed stay. A bit South of Joliet, we had no idea how to get there, and were way out of our comfort zone in an adventurous sense. I was told that our friend had "plenty of beds" so surely this could not be a trailer home. To my surprise these deluxe double wides, or manufactures homes, are extremely nice. Many have large porches, garages, or 2 floors! A lot of the boat docks have coverings and winter storage options like lifting the boat directly out the water where it sits. This is a "speed boat" lake. A flooded strip mine that gets up to 100ft deep in the center. There is NO sand bar, or party cove. Only families with kids skiing, tubing, and cruising. The lake could not be more picturesque with a cute bridge, various channels and beautiful landscaping. We cannot wait to be invited back, and will keep an ear to the street when a property, complete with Boat, goes up for sale.

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.

I have never hiked at a prairie before and I am so glad that I chose this place for my exercise…read more Very well maintained park with lots of trails. The wildflowers alone will bring me back to this beautiful place.

The Buffalo Trace Prairie is a system of trails that are on the far western edge of the Lake of the…read moreWoods Forest Preserve. To be sure, there is much more to Lake of the Woods than just Buffalo Trace. The easiest entrance is located just north of Exit #172 off I-74 in Mahomet, on the left across from the botanical garden and before you get to the Early American Museum. Can't miss it. The trails run all through this medium-sized forest preserve and are perfect for jogging, biking, or dog walking. There is one major asphalt trail that runs E-W and several smaller trails that are really just places that they mow the prairie down every week or so. The asphalt trail is a little more than a mile long, and connects to a trail that is 5 mi in total. The intertwined grass trails are much longer all told, but since there are so many, you can customize as long or short of a walk as you want. The terrain is rolling hills, and the biome(s) are a pleasant transition from prairie to woods. None of the trails that I was on were at all challenging or in disrepair. I would suggest that if you intend to take the grass trails, take a good long look at the map before you leave the trail head, or bring one along. Thankfully, there are not really that many people making use of this park, which is cool. If you make use of the trail map, the trail in the far south of this park (by the highway) actually dead-ends and does not connect back to the parking lot, as is indicated on the map. Not a big deal, just a lil back-tracking. I needed the exercise.

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.

The food is exceptionally good here. It will exceed your expectations for a restaurant in a state…read morepark. Had breakfast at the end of a camping trip and loved it. The breakfast burrito with green salsa is fantastic. They also run the kayak rentals out of there and they are super helpful and friendly. This place is truly a hidden gem of Central Illinois.

Great get away from town to the Park. Pretty big menu with good food and friendly service…read moreoverlooking Dawson Lake! Casual dining. Recommended!!

This is a very well maintained state park/campground. The sites are electric only, so plan ahead to…read morehave water available. Our lakefront site (#1} isn't really on the lake. But many of the sites are directly on the water. The available shade varies widely by site. If shade is important to you ask for a site number in the 50s. The park is a ways off I-55 (~17 miles) so it isn't ideal for a quick stop on your way from A to B. But it's a great place to unwind and do some fishing.

For the past 15 years, my family and I have made Hickory Point Campground at Sangchris Lake our…read morehome away from home nearly every year. Years ago, the main camp host set the gold standard for hospitality. He was incredibly welcoming, driving around to wave, checking if campers needed ice or wood, and even delivering it straight to your site. He even gave my son an unforgettable golf cart ride, making us feel like true family. Unfortunately, the experience over the last three years has been a stark contrast. The host (the same host as before) acts as though guests are a massive inconvenience. He has a sign instructing new arrivals to check in, yet treats you with open annoyance when you actually follow his rules. On a recent visit, when we politely asked if he still delivered firewood, he shot us a look that could kill and snapped, "No!" When we apologized and mentioned we hadn't realized the policy changed, he barked, "It did this year!" We didn't expect special treatment; we simply asked based on years of past practice. On the bright side, the woman sharing his site is always an absolute delight. We adore Sangchris Lake and Hickory Point Campground, but if hospitality isn't your job anymore, sir, it might be time to pack up the camper and haul off into the sunset.

Weldon Springs State Park is about a 2 hour drive from Chicago Western suburbs. It's located in a…read morelittle town of Clinton in DeWitt County. It's a huge park offering 550 acres with varied trails, river fir swimming, camping, fishing, picnic areas, two amphitheaters and a nice veteran tribute area. For a late May weekend, there was hardly anyone there. We felt we had the whole place to ourselves. The trail was clean and moderately easy. There was a meadow of wildflowers and they even have a "box" trail where they have many hummingbird nests. Birds can be spotted all over but hard to catch in snapshots! Veterans Point is very nicely done alongside the water with much patriotism which is always good to see. The walk along the water was very nice and we also discovered a dam, people hosting and kayaking. This makes for a nice day out here!

We booked the Lakeview shelter for a get together on a Saturday. There were 3 covered picnic…read moretables, enough room for 14 of us and food since we had a few lawn chairs. There was a firepit by the shelter. The restrooms were about 50 yards away. They were clean but the mens room had a bunch of mosquitoes. Surprisingly, the shelter itself was mostly bug free. Beyond the restrooms, a short stroll away, there was an overlook and another short walk led us to a boat ramp. All in all, it was a nice park.