Six dedicated pickleball courts with fencing between each court. It is mostly an open field, so no…read morenatural wind barriers or shade. No restroom on site. Plenty of parking and a water fountain on site. Bring your own paddles, balls, and chairs.

Certainly it's not anything comparable to the big popular arboretums and botanical gardens those…read moremay think of, but for Rockford it's good. It's not a humongous one, but there's plenty of ground to cover and nature to see. Klehm Arboretum has a respectable collection of flowers, plants, and trees. A lot of family activities. There's often some kind of special event going on for children and family things. A lot of the gardens are specific toward one plant species or a family. It of course has better viewing in the spring and summer, but any time of the year has something to check out. The visitor's center is the first place most people come to. Get a map. You can find out where all the gardens are and which paths to go on. It has a pretty cool pond garden in front you should stop at. There's a Prehistoric Garden featuring a T-Rex. Also children will enjoy the Fountain Garden. This is a way to cool off in summer. Even though the programs say there's an admission charge, you can still usually get in free. It's not like there's anyone at the gate. This is best in the summer, but there's also later year activities like hay mazes and whatever.

New improvement to kids play creek/stream is horrible. The creek used to always be flowing and full…read moreof water. Now you have to press a button wait for water and it pumps out a little not even enough for kids to play in. For the price you pay better off driving to a state park or going anywhere else but here if going with kids.

Although there was nothing but a parking lot and a small patch of land. It was pretty nice to set…read moreup our camping chairs and just chill in a safe area with out pets. I would recommend this as a nice area for dog owners.

If you've never been kayaking and want to try it, check this place out. $45 a person per kayak, or…read moreyou can rent a canoe for less. The owner will take you to the drop off site at Epensheids park and away you go. Life jackets are provided. The trip can take 4-8 hours depending on what you do along the way. You can bring a soft sided cooler that can mount on the boat. Wear shoes as there are some rocky stopping spots. My friend and I had a blast on a gorgeous day on the Kish river.

CAMPING: I camped with a private group at Larsen's Landing…read moreas part of a weekend canoe package. We had the campground pretty much to ourselves. Pros: This camp site is off the beaten path. Literally. The road is not paved. There's no city noise and it really feels like you're in the wilderness even though you're just a short drive to civilization. Cons: You're in the wilderness. This is rustic camping. Forget about electric hookups. No water spigot. Not even a pit toilet. They did provide a port-a-potty. CANOEING: The canoe portion of our trip was no fuss. They drove our group by bus up-river and dropped us off - each with a sack lunch and a canoe - with instructions to just follow the river back to the landing. This was very well organized and they made sure everyone was set before taking off. I wouldn't change a thing. TIPS: If you're camping, bring your own water and a roll of TP. Invest in a dry box. Your canoe *WILL* tip when you least expect it. The sack lunch is worth it.

The animals are very cute, it's been a while since I've been and I'm not quite sure what they have…read morethere anymore

I was really disgusted. The price is expensive for what the zoo is, not worth it. Almost every…read moreanimal had pace marks which is a sign of zoochosis. Zoochosis happens when an animal is extremely unhappy and doesn't have enough space or enrichment. Every enclosure was very small as well. I will say that i was there for the small animal feeding time and it seems like they had been eating good food which was nice. The baby goats were very fun though! They were so cute but overpopulated for their enclosure. I do NOT recommend this zoo whatsoever go somewhere else for your baby goat needs.

Best place there is in Rockford to bring a dog. It may not be that big of a park, but for dogs it's…read moreenough. Searls Dog Park is located along Central Avenue and is a part of a larger park. Has a few amenities including water and poop bags. There's a few things to do before visiting. A thing to know about using this park is that it costs money to bring a dog. It's about $30 a year for residents. Those coming from outside the city can get a daily permit. A permit is good for all the dog parks in the city. In addition, dogs need to be vaccinated from rabies. Amenities are a good thing, and there's a few for the dogs. There's a few water fountains, and poop bags can be found. Great place for a dog and their companion. It's got plenty more than just a grassy area to poop in. There's also a few trails.

Great spot to take our little guy! He loves it here. A very spacious main area with lots of trails…read morebehind it. They have water available on site, as well as many tables and a shelter to congregate with any two legged friends we may have here. We didn't realize awesome spots like this existed in Rockford before having a dog. And it's surprisingly affordable! You can either get a year-long membership ( That includes all three parks) for I think $30 or $40, or you can come once and try it out for around $3. This kind of place is just another reason to love Rockford and it's park district!

Wonderful place if you have dog that enjoys running around and getting muddy. There's a bridge with…read morea little creek that I'm sure can get pretty good water at some points during the year. Beautiful place, it says you have to have a membership to go but I'm not sure how that works.

This is such a beautiful course! I finally got the chance to golf the front 9 and it was amazing!…read moreThe course is well maintained and everyone working is friendly and helpful! They also have amazing rates for such a beautiful course. They also have an amazing driving range and a lovely patio.

Golf course was in great condition!…read more The pace of play was horrible! Took 1-hour to play 3 holes!