Milnot Beach is awesome! Who knew Litchfield, IL had a beach? I was pleasantly surprised! The…read morequaint little beach is located at Lake Lou Yaeger. Milnot Beach is a perfect family friendly destination in southern Illinois. The beach is clean and has plenty of room to set up the beach towels and swim. There are many aquatic attractions to enjoy. You can rent kayaks or corcl which is a small round boat. They have life vests for safety. The wibit is an inflatable area in the lake. The wibit is perfect for bouncing or jumping into the water. You get a number to go onto the wibit and they will announce when people with your number can enjoy the wibit. There are diving boards to jump off of too. You can bring your food and drink or buy from the concessions or vending machines. The staff are very friendly. We enjoyed this nice little beach and look forward to returning soon!

What a gem! Gorgeous lake and a clean safe beach with lifeguards and tons of water activities…read more(trampoline, diving board, giant blow up recreation thing). I just wanted to find a good old fashioned lake in driving distance and this hit the spot. 7$ per adult for use all day (you can leave and come back). I think kids are 5. It was just my partner and I and there's plenty of space for what ends up being naturally divided into adult/kid spaces. We went on a scorching hot Wednesday and were pleasantly surprised by a relatively quiet beach. They have showers, and an indoor shop with food and drinks. No alcohol. This is a great old fashioned beach. Highly recommend.

The best park in Mt Zion and Decatur area. Followed in second place by Forsyth. What makes this a…read morewinner is the amazing splash pad with a big bucket thing that tips heavy amounts of water on kids once it fills up. Situated in middle of corn field but lots of open space and a good breeze most days.

It is a very nice park. The bathrooms were hard to find and they did not have paper towels but we…read morewere glad they had bathrooms! My child enjoyed the playground and we were able to bring my father who was in a wheelchair.

Walk, Bike, Run on these 4 miles of paved and unpaved, hilly trails while enjoying woody views and…read moremeadow vistas. Some of the grades are steep, although manageable, so your glutes will get a workout. Benches appear from time to time, for those that want or need a little rest. I've seen folks on horses, although I don't know where they started. We always have a good time on the trail---tracking its progress, seeing what changes have come with the seasons, taking a break from whatever we were doing off-trail. A gem---and I hear there are plans to expand it to the Lake Sara area and beyond. Can't wait!

Really great trail! Paved nicely through woods with a bridge over the river and scenic crop fields…read more The signs/address can be confusing. Park at the effingham performance center, turn towards the red circular calico sign, then follow the sidewalk to the trailhead. It's not a circular trail so you will have to turn and go back the way you came to your car.

LOOOVE IT! I was thrilled to find over 1,000 acres of fantastic trails just 10 minutes from the…read moreDecatur Hotel and Conference Center. The visitor's center at the park offers maps of the various trails, ranging from .25 miles to 2.25 miles. Even if you get there after the Visitor Center is closed (5pm, weekdays) you'll be fine because everything is well-marked. The trails are all natural dirt (the only paved trail is the bike trail), winding up and down, through forests, past rivers, across prairies, and grasslands. The map was perfect, listing the types of scenery you'd pass on each trail and providing the mileage. The map also notes how long they predict it will take you to hike each trail, which I found to be pretty generous (meaning, I hiked trails in about twenty-five minutes when they predicted an hour.... although I also walk at a quick pace). My point is - don't be daunted by their time predictions. Anyways. As I mentioned, the trails were very well marked at intersections making me comfortable navigating by myself through the woods. Especially since I didn't pass one other person my entire two hours hiking! I saw plenty of wildlife at very close range: three deer, one four foot long snake (don't be scared now), and several hawks. BOTTOM LINE: A gem of an area, just 10 minutes from downtown Decatur. Totally worth the drive.

I love Rock Sorings! The good:…read moreIt's always well kept. Every time I go there you rarely if ever see trash The staff are always helpful and friendly The observatory is just one of the greatest hangout places ever! (Wish they would turn it into a little coffee area) Path and grounds are always well maintained Rock Springs also has all kinds of extracurricular activities going on that the public can sign up for that's either free or extremely cheap The bad: Unless you get lucky, normally the extracurricular activities are hard to come by. I understand the budget is limited and they can't really afford to go fliering the town. But I wish there was a way for them to communicate the activities better other than Facebook. I wasn't a fan of the cross country skiing, but that didn't reflect my review. I'm just glad they offer stuff like that! Thank you Rock Springs and s

The Two Story Outhouse. I loved being here. I smiled ear to ear the whole time. Such a great way to…read morebring some traffic to the village of Gays. They had a mini replica of the outhouse that had cars and pens inside where you can write where you are from. So fun! I recommend spending time here. It was fun and wholesome.

Me and my wife recently went here to see one this place was all about. Rich in history, the…read moreOuthouse had no people here and only a few people wrote their names and the log book presented. You get to learn a nice history lesson too! Obviously you cannot access the outhouse and it's not in its complete true form due to various changes but you can see more of its original form looking at the historic photos. Unfortunately if you read it, it's completely full of typos. The park is very well maintained and it's definitely worth stopping it. I wouldn't drive a few hours to visit this place personally. It's something fun to check out if you are going through the city. Great place to spend 15 minutes at! I really do wish the city of Gays can make a bigger attraction out of this and have more stores here.

A great park. There is a 9 hole disc golf course, good…read moreplaygrounds, picnic shelter, fishing lake and lots of hiking. I love to come out here with the family.

Absolutely love the Christmas display; loved the light show especially the singing trees. This is a…read moregood set up with different aspects of lights. The American flag that changed from each branch was heartfelt...

Great place to spend the day with the family. The nature center offers a visitors center with…read moreanimals, a library, lots of activities for kids and also a bird observation window. I love taking my dog and my stepdaughter for a free day of fun.

This a great place to rest and recreate. It is so peaceful and the volunteers are the most…read morefriendly. Come out and watch the birds,feed the fish or just count the trees.

Beautiful park, very quiet and scenic, lots of room to explore and enjoy nature with your furry…read morefriends or by yourself

There is something for everyone at this park. Disc golf, archery, hunting, fishing and hiking…read more Today we hiked the 4.5 loop mile hike. Very well marked. Lots of places to park. Bathrooms were open today.

Looking for a long weekend away? Don't want to invest in tons of camping equipment? Visit Jim Edgar…read morePanther Creek! It takes about 4.5 hours to drive to from Chicago, but it is well worth the trip. We rented a cabin, due to lack of camping equipment. The website (www.reserveamerica.com) was easy to use, and described the basic cabins accurately. The price for the weekend was so low I thought I was getting away with something. Comfort Tip: The mattresses are extremely thin. Take the extras off of the bunk beds, and pile them under the full size bed for better padding. Anyhow, we arrived early on check in day, and the camp host was extremely friendly. He gave us our key, told us where to park, and met us in his flatbed Kubota. He let us load our things on to the back, and hauled us down the hill to the cabin. Who knew you could get bellhop service at a state park?!?!!? Since most of my friends decided to bring their horses down, we spent a lot of time at the Questing Hills equestrian campground. Great big spots with options for single pole ties, and group ties were close to each site. 26 miles of riding trails with excellent lookouts and lots of hills were easily accessible. Another great feature was the large shelter, which we used for most of the weekends, due to bad weather. The host at this site was also very nice, and had a lot of good information to share. All in all, JEPC is a great escape without leaving the state. I hope to see them again next year!

Perfect for camping and stargazing in Illinois. The host was very friendly even though we arrived…read moreafter 5pm (my understanding is he's available until dusk). This is close to one of the darkest skies in Illinois. There are other options with darker skies (e.g. Weinberg-King) but the facilities here with plumbing and showers make this the best choice. Firewood, ice, and ice cream are available for purchase from the host.

Wander & explore! Multiple garden areas. Ponds w/koi. Japan House (gotta check it's hours). Go thru…read morethe gate to see the delicate plants in the Japan style garden. Check out the Idea Garden maintained by our local Master Gardener group, everything is labeled for your edutainment! Find : the gazebo w/a plaque that honors celebrity ("Parks & Recreation") & woodworker Nick Offerman (attended here @ the U of I 1988-93). Sit here & drink an imaginary Glencairn snifter of Lagavulin, aaahhhhh, what a natural & peaceful place!

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.