Great park in Springfield and you can get some exercise walking while your their. As a local…read more watercolor painter I love painting around the scenic stone bridge area plus it has a storied history with many tales to tell.

Lincoln Park in Springfield is a fantastic destination that offers a wide range of activities and…read moreamenities for visitors of all ages. The park is beautifully maintained, with lush green spaces, well-paved walking paths, and plenty of shade provided by mature trees. It's an ideal spot for a leisurely stroll, a family picnic, or just relaxing in nature. One of the highlights of Lincoln Park is its excellent disc golf course. The course is well-designed and offers a fun and challenging experience for players of all skill levels. The layout makes good use of the park's natural terrain, with a mix of open fields and wooded areas that require a variety of shots. The course is well-marked and maintained, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable game. There is a north and a south course! Which gives diversity and more fun and options! In addition to the disc golf course, Lincoln Park features playgrounds, sports fields, and picnic areas with tables and grills. There's also a beautiful lagoon that adds to the park's charm and provides a peaceful setting for fishing or simply enjoying the view. Overall, Lincoln Park is a wonderful place to spend a day outdoors. Whether you're there to play disc golf, have a picnic, or just enjoy the scenery, you're sure to have a great time. Highly recommended!

Cute little park with plenty of picnic seating and a lakeside pavillion! I love what a great view…read moreof the lake you get from here (if you ignore the CWLP smokestacks). There are lots of little ducks and geese wandering around and a bridge that connects the east and west side of the park. I'll definitely be back to enjoy the lakeview and the picnic grilling!

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.

I've always loved Washington Park! It's very clean, peaceful and one of my favorite places to see…read morenature, take in beauty and get some good walking in and/or a morning run! Being back in the city for a few weeks has really brought back many memories from years ago! This is where I had so many highlights as a teen. Prom pictures, family gatherings, awareness walks and so much more. This is such a beautiful park, located in a beautiful and calming part of the city! Park closes at 10:30 but it's very large, clean and many places to sit.

Beautiful park, lots of wildlife. Loved walking around and seeing all of the landscape, and the…read moreflowers around the botanical garden!

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

What a fun spot to stop. Three Dambo Trolls made by college students. You can explore a troll…read moretrail. Careful to check under the bridges. Spot a fairy house and garden. Visitor center to grab a map and a sack. Donations are always welcomed.

This was such a fun place to go. They have lots of jogging trails. They have both paved and…read moreunpaved ones. Making this place a good handicap accessible place. They also have free community classes. I did a mushroom foraging class, and a maple tapping one. Lots of fun stuff for the kids to do. They have an indoor and outdoor bathrooms. They also have a free parking lot to park. The staff are very nice and helpful in the visitor center. I definitely plan to go back here. It was such a beautiful, nice relaxing place.

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.

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.

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.

One of the best places to hike around in Springfield. There is a playground for kids, a grassy area…read morewith mowed paths for walks and hiking/mountain bike trails in the woods. Great for dogs too! It's never over crowded like some of the other parks. The trails in the woods link up with the Sangamon Valley Bike Trail.