Best park that's in Channahon of course. Channahon State Park has some nice views of the DuPage…read moreRiver. It actually is bigger than it seems with lots of open areas and trails. Has lots of places for grilling. The park also usually isn't crowded so it's a good place for chilling and hanging. A lot of great scenery around. It's located along the DuPage River. This is near the end of it where it flows into the Des Plaines River, so around here there's certainly lots of water. Among the other features is the war memorial. This honors those from Channahon who died in various wars. It consists of a few flags and pillars with names of those who died. The park also has a building that looks like it has bathrooms but it's closed off it seems. Gets crowds when it's good weather for boating. It's located close to the marina with the Big Basin Saloon, a popular hangout. There's plenty of areas along the water including a few trails.

First time coming here, wanted to try something new to visit on a day off work and this place is…read moresuch a beautiful gem! Great views everywhere from all places! The park itself is great for the summer for shade from the sun. Bathrooms are okay. The dam itself is really cool to see. Highly recommend coming here on a run to take everything in better. Even a better place to fish at! Not too crowded at all, very peaceful! 4.5 stars

This lake can be a hit or miss truthfully depending on when you come. It's ideal to come here in a…read morecompact vehicle but many people come here in trucks. This place is ideal for fishing, kayaking and if your looking to do a lap around a park without running in a circle that's 3 miles around. It's right next door to the I&M canal. It has restrooms and a nice picnic area. People off Sheply Road drive really fast so use caution.

Repurposed gravel quarry. Always busy on a clear afternoon.read more

This is a giant stretch of DNR land down along the Des Plaines river. It offers fishing, hunting,…read moreetc, on a mixed landscape of prairie, forest, small cornfields, riverways, etc. There are numerous parking areas that allow easy access for exploration. I've personally only visited in the fall during the DNR's controlled pheasant permit hunting. Being close to Chicago, the allotted permits are taken up quickly, so reserving one in advance is essential. The DNR enacted an online reservation service a couple years ago that made doing so a lot easier than the mail in lottery they previously used. However you feel about controlled pheasant hunting, I must say the DNR does a good job of enforcing good hunting practice and limiting access. At check in you'll have the opportunity to pick from various hunt starting points. This helps spread out the hunter population and give each group of hunters a reasonably private trip out into the fields. Also, be prepared to show a valid Il FOID card- no one is allowed to hunt without one (as well as obvious hunting license- no pheasant stamp required). Prior to the start of the hunting day (9AM), everyone is required to attend a talk on hunter safety and rules- this is taken very seriously. The limit is 2 birds per hunter. As the day wears on hunters are allowed to use their vehicles to move from area to area, so things do tend to get a little more "social," although many hunters limit out so quickly and leave it's less of a problem than one might think. Overall, I found the experience here to be a good way to get introduced (with the help of experienced hunter friends) to bird hunting. Since those early experiences, I've met other hunters here and they've all taken hunting seriously- I've never met any kill it and grill it meatheads here yet. The pheasants certainly have peculiar behavior, and a day spent hunting them and learning while appreciating the beautiful natural landscape is a day well spent. It's not a trip to South Dakota, but it's a lot simpler and a great place to get a kid started hunting and maybe appreciate the need for natural land and habitat preservation!

I bought my first boat ever at an outdoor show this past January, from Lake Holiday Marina. As I…read morehad no place to store a boat at that point in time, my salesman, Parker, indicated they would hold the boat for me until the weather broke. That gave me plenty of time to make room to park the boat at my property. There was no storage fee for this. A big advantage for me was that because they are a marina, when I went to pick up boat, Parker took me out on the lake and showed me the nuances and safety features of operating the boat. Again, this was my first time owning a boat, so being able to pick up my boat at the dock vs a dealer's show room was a big plus. As often happens with a new vehicle, weather it be a car or a boat, I had a couple minor problems, e.g. a defective battery. I had also broken a couple of the tire down clips and the winch was bent which made bringing the boat onto the trailer difficult. I contacted Parker, who introduced me to Greg the Service Manager. Greg is a great guy and really easy to get along with. He offered to fix everything, albeit much of the work was under warranty, with no fuss or condescending "how did YOU do this?", or otherwise implying everything was fault. I can't say enough about what great guys Parker and Greg are to work with. At no time did I feel pressured to buy anything. Both guys are eager to help and readily available to answer questions. Parker was extremely patient in dealing with my "newbie" phone calls! One while actually on a lake fishing! If you are in the market for a new boat, definitely check these guys out.

This business is awful. The owner Tom called me and accused us of picking up our boat without…read morepaying for it and threatened us with legal action! I told him we'd paid for it and hadn't picked up the boat and that he needed to find our property and HE LAUGHED AT ME and said he wasn't interested in finding my property. He then had his secretary or office manager call me back to tell me that everything was paid WEEKS ago and to confirm that we picked up the boat. I told her we hadn't and about Tom's response. She ultimately found our boat and we have it now, but we will NEVER do business with them again. Stay away from this place unless you want to be threatened, laughed at and have your property lost-when you are in the right.

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.

My wife and I have been going there for years. The previous manager Mike is no longer there. It is…read moreunder new management, Nancy and her staff are kind and courteous and will help if need be. The resort has gone through some changes and things have improved tremendously ! If your looking for a place for a night, or a week it is a wonderful spot !

We stayed 3 peaceful nights at this park. It is quite beautiful. My only criticism is the lack of…read morehot water for washing clothes and the stench of the water.

This is a nice clean facility with basic amenities. Although fishing is questionable, as to being…read moreallowed, there are many people enjoying doing it. The park is very large and has the usual playground equipment as well as a sledding hill, picnic tables and soccer field.

This is Four seasons Park in Shorewood, little lake to fish, tennis courts, basketball hoops, big…read morehill great for sledding or just walking up for exercise

Great little "getaway" park! It has fishing, a separate dog park area, places to BBQ and hiking…read moretrails. The Dock is handicapped accessible and a good place to fish. You can also walk around the entire water source. The pond/small lake has northern pike, rock bass, blue gill, smallmouth bass, turtles, and bullfrogs. Super clean park and well cared for pavilion and picnic areas. Also has facilities for those needing a bio break!

Cute park with a dock for fishing or just checking out the little blue gills and turtles. There is…read morea small covered picinic area, baseball diamond and jungle gym. Dog park was spacious for our dog to run wild!

We were very disappointed with our service with tikiboat Chicago. We planned a weekend bachelorette…read moreparty and rented a boat for Saturday. 2 weeks before the event, we get an email stating the boat is out of commission and were offered a different boat for Friday afternoon or Sunday afternoon. This was terrible service as we could only use the boat on a Saturday and only had 2 weeks to find a different option. This was almost impossible as boats are booked well in advance for Saturdays in Chicago. Would highly recommend Sofia with Get my Boat if you have a party of 12 looking for a great time. I am giving 2 stars as they were initially easy to book with.

Booked a party for my birthday but had to cancel when members of party tested positive for COVID…read more Captain cancelled the trip but I was never contacted for rescheduling or refund. I made several calls and emails that have not been returned. Very disappointing.

Wonderful experience on an awesome ship. Definitely a worthwhile and unique experience with the…read morefireworks cruise, I look forward to a day time sailing in the future. The crew were very friendly and knowledgeable. Outstanding all around.

The Tall Ship Windy is a fun way to see the harbor from a vantage point that most of us never get!…read moreIt was a fun way to spend some time with friends and family while being out on the lake, the only sound being the wind in your sails. And the occasional pop of a top from the on-board bar with snacks and drinks. And sometimes a sea shanty. And the tales of Lake Michigan piracy from Andy the Kidd, our fine narrator for the voyage! And the firing of a canon at the lighthouse. But other than that, very peaceful!