I was So impressed with the knowledge and the friendliness of the staff. The store is very clean…read morevery friendly. They offer swim lessons for children and adults. They offer scuba diving lessons they have a wide range of equipment. If you need anything scuba, this is the place to go? I also visited the Plainfield location, and that was amazing as well. The young lady who is helping me it was amazing and super knowledgeabl

Just finished a trip to maui wth the owners and friends of scuba emporium, we are from the Los…read moreAngeles area we know the owners. We had a great time with the Chicago group met some great friends, had wonderful dives with Hawaiian rafting Adventures Dive Maui and ed robinson diving adventures. We were impress by both dive companies and always saw large critters like black tips, white tips, turtles and mantas. Great job scuba Emporium for the trip The meesters

THREE HOUR TOUR I…read moremust say that the Yacht Club is hard to find by land but not by sea. I love the fact that it is hidden because it makes it feel like an exclusive club. I had two different GPS devices running and both could not get me there. I finally had to call my buddy who talked me through the maze. This yacht club was established in the early 1950's. The club house has the feel of a Northern Wisconsin hideaway yet it is only 14 miles from downtown Chicago. It had all of the charm in the world without the attitude you would think comes along with the word "yacht club". All of the members were really nice and it felt like one big family. We met Lee who was 91 and had been a member of the club for the last 50 years. He had a ton of great jokes and kept us laughing. Lee looked at me and said, "Did you hear about the empty barrel?" I said, "No!" He said, "There's nothing in it!" How cute was that joke? This guy rocks! The coolest thing about the club is that after 30 years of being a member you are grandfathered in as a lifetime member, which means no more dues. Lee told me all about the 8 different boats he has had over the years. I loved how with each new boat he had it kept getting bigger and bigger then his last two boats got smaller. I guess that is what my future holds. He even had a photo folded in his pocket of him and his wife on their boat in 1967. It was really precious plus he was rocking a tiger swimsuit. I asked him if he still had it and he said yes. There is a great beach area which is protected by a bay. The water is not very deep at all. The kids can play on slides and swings right on the sand. This is one of those places where you can just get lost for the summer but you are still in the shadow of the city. The club house is fun with an outdoor fireplace grill. I want to come back here and grill a steak on that thing one of these days. All of the boat slips have water and electric hookups. You can even set up a table and grill right on land where you park your boat. It is like the most perfect place to have a party or spend your weekends. Everyone loves being on the water considering most of the Earth is covered by water. We all want to feel our inner Gilligan and set sail out to some tropical island. This place will feel like you are on vacation even though you did not have to travel very far to get here. I would not mind being deserted here as long as they had beer & tropical music flowing all day long.

I cannot say enough great things about our Kingseekers experience with Captain John and crew. We…read morehad to reschedule twice due to weather but the wait was worth it!!! This was our first Lake Michigan charter and it was outstanding. Hit our boat limit by 9 am. Awesome memory and we've already decided to make this an annual experience and have a date reserved for next year!

I should have believed the bad reviews. What a waste of $43 dollars and an hour of driving. Just…read morereturned from my daughter's first beginner lesson. She had attended beginner camp at New Traditions last week. I did see them the camp riding nose to tail on the first day of camp when I stopped back early, but the camp person claimed that was a one time thing - and that they were going to fix it by rearranging the groups and it wouldn't happen again. I'm so gullible, I believed them.) Not knowing this nose to tail - waste of time "riding" - was their standard MO, at the end of camp, we signed up for a beginner lesson. My daughter really wanted get into horseback riding. She was so excited. When scheduling the lesson, we were told we should do the Wednesday class because there were only 3 kids signed up and there were 8 in the Monday class - and that 8 was a lot so it would be better to go on Wednesday. We were told she would get so much more attention in lessons than she had gotten in camp - and that she would progress quickly because she was a "natural." Fast forward to the lesson today. We arrived today ten minutes before class, then we learned that five more kids had signed up - there were now 8 in this class. Sounded like a lot - the number that the instructor said would be difficult to get individual attention, but okay. In the next ten minutes, however, people kept showing up with Groupons - and getting added to the class. This continued until TEN minutes AFTER the class was supposed to start. By the time "class" started, there were now FOURTEEN kids in the class. Class was late starting because everybody had to wait (with the horses noses to the walls), while more kids kept getting on horses. Then, once everybody was one, they walked each horse's nose in the tail of the horse in front of it. Every time one kid stopped, the entire group stopped. My daughter learned NOTHING and had an incredibly frustrating time. The instructor taught nothing. Plus, it is DANGEROUS. One of the parents was familiar with them doing this informed me that this happens ALOT - especially when they offer Groupons. She said that sometimes a horse acts up and a lot of kids fall off. Just a little something to add to the stress level of watching this disaster of a class. The "instructor" Anne, (and I use this term loosely, because there was NO useful instruction whatsoever) left the class after about 20 minutes because she has to go out and get payments for the people coming for the 5:30pm class. For 15 minutes of the she was out in the lobby getting people and selecting horses for the next class. Meanwhile, the packed horses/children are barely moving around the ring. Anne was also apparently teaching the 5:30 class. But, she had to come out and deal with all the unhappy parents from the 4:30pm class. So, we waited in line to talk to her. We left at 5:45pm after talking to her - and there was still another person waiting. That 5:30 class was still waiting for an instructor while all this was going on. The parent in front of me explained how unsatisfied she was, and Anne told her that she needed to do private lessons, which are $70. Of course, Anne noted, private lessons do not get the ring to themselves, other students will be in the ring. Anne said that they do not limit how many horses will be in the ring during a private lesson - she refused to indicate what number of horses would be too many. When I finally got to speak to Anne, I told her how disappointed I was - and she frankly - didn't care in the slightest. She said that classes fill up and if I don't like the class I need to invest in private lessons. She also told me that having fourteen horses in that tiny arena wasn't dangerous at all. I wish I would have believed the other reviews and not wasted my time and money.

wish I was able to use my Groupon. lady takes weeks to communicate simple plans if she ever even…read moreresponds. after a month of attempts I was frustrated the day we agreed on was filled due to her taking to long to talk. I wanted to use my Groupon before it expires and she told me to return my Groupon. well that was a headache in it self. She ruined the day of 3 children.

I have a mixed review of Wolf Lake. It is quite beautiful in spring, summer and fall. I went with…read moremy family and we have avid fishermen who frequent the lake year around. The problem is that with the heavy snowfall this winter in the Chicago area, the main access road around the lake has been blocked from lack of plowing. My family members ice fish in the winter and so do others so the blocked access road has made it nearly impossible to get to the fishing spots. They have parked near the Chicago entrance and walked across several of the lakes dragging equipment sometimes 2 or 3 miles. Can someone pass the word to the right authorities to please plow the access road(s) around Wolf Lake. This is a public safety issue. Thanks in advance! Gone fishing......

Captain Guy Lopez will put you on the fish. He loves all kinds of fishing and will do whatever it…read moretakes for a successful outing. We went out on June 6, 2026 and limited out on Lake Trout, Steelhead and Cohos. Do not hesitate to book a trip on Lake Michigan with Captain Lopez. You will have a new friend after your first outing. His rates are reasonable and his equipment is top notch. Dave Henschel

If your going there to fish it's fair just stick to shore fishing as the boat rentals aren't worth…read moreit and it's just better from the shore in my opinion, best time to go is during the week as weekends tend to get pretty crowded but overall it's a nice place to go fish and relax

This was a very nice little park, if one that has few amenities to offer the visitor. There is a…read morevery nice covered shelter that one can use for parties or picnics or family get-togethers, but remember that you must reserve the space with the Cook County Forest Preserve peeps. Don't just show up and assume it's first-come-first-served ... it isn't. It is a reserved space. There is enough room to play catch and maybe hit the ball around, but essentially you have to bring in to the park any amusement you seek - they really don't offer any extras. One day, maybe the Cook County Forest Preserve chiefs will cut a few walking/jogging/hiking trails through the area - that would be a nice and easy-to-add extra. This little preserve is a stand-alone operation with a parking lot. If you are looking for Tampier Lake - it is about a block away across the street ... that is where you get boats and the like. There is none of that here. But with all that said, this was a nice little hideaway. Try it.

Upon our first visit at Tampier Lake we were able to stop at the boating center directly on the…read morepeninsula of the lake. I was always under the impression people were able to rent kayaks or boats, but I was happy to find out even more information. Staff were very professional, verifying all customers wear a mask. I was promptly reminded to do so upon entering. This is the rule for all, vaccinated or non-vaccinated. I inquired with the staff what the minimum age to ride any water craft was and was told children have to be at least 3 years of age. All boaters are to also wear a life vest and the last rental is at 6PM. Rates seem very reasonable, as kayaks, boats, and paddle boats are $20 per hour. Fishing boats are $25 per hour with a minimum rental of two hours. Whereas it was our first time and we were just visiting the lake we now have all the details moving forward. Leave the little one at home and rent away! We will return.