It's not a park no cookout grills no benches , no play area , they say park but it just a river…read morefront and that's it .

The views you can get from the lookout points are phenomenal no matter where on the walk you stand…read more You can see both of the bridges as well as the downtown skyline which is beautiful at night. There is a little park so you can park your car and walk along the riverfront which is great.

I love Laura Bradley Park! It holds lots of fond memories for me. There's a playground in the top…read moreand bottom section of the park! Gotta love the dog park if you have doggos. Lots of little attractions to see like the Chinese bridge. Plenty of roadways in the parks for walking and bike riding. Great place to visit year round!

Beautiful park near Bradley University. Plenty of walking areas, not really many trails, more of an…read moreopen set up. This park has a lot to offer, including a Frisbee golf course, two fenced in dog parks, sand volleyball, picnic areas and tennis courts. Plenty of free parking in multiple lots throughout the park. The dog parks include a smaller, more secluded dog park on the top and a large dog park on the bottom, separated into small and large breed fenced areas. The dog parks are often packed with wagging tails on the weekends. No fee and doggie bags are provided by the people. Each season brings something gorgeous to view in nature's little hideaway.

Review Visit: August 11th, 2015…read more Not to be confused with the Riverfront Park in Pekin. Though both offer a majestic view of the might Illinois River. Just how majestic is the view of the Illinois River? I'd rate that a 2.5/5 only because the landscape is pretty. If you come to Riverfront Park, you really need to visit for a few reasons. One, this park is a wide open flat park that is just serene on a beautiful day. Also, there is an old train turntable that nature has taken over. Just what it is doing there after the railroads have long since disappeared, I don't know but I can say that it was a nice little surprise when Matt and I came upon it during our walk of the park. I would have to guess that it is a relic from the old days when Peoria pumped out the alcoholic spirits en masse. Reason two for visiting. There is a nice little garden set off to the side of the park. It's called the Constitution Garden and you can read about that in the linked blog post. Last reason to visit is to check out the Dan Fogelberg Memorial which, again, you can read at the linked blog post. Aside from those three things, there isn't much else to do at this park but maybe get some running in. With it being next to the river, I would assume there are some running trails carved out by either people or the park district. If you had an afternoon to spend on exploring some of Peoria's unknown attractions, you wouldn't be wasting your time here, especially if you came on a gorgeous spring day. I guess you could also get a view of the river, but that's not a real selling point for any Illinois resident.

This park became home to the Dan Fogelberg memorial in 2010, but prior to that it was still a cool…read moredestination in my book due to the old railway turntable or wheelhouse that is on display there. I'm sure it's been there since the 80s because I remember seeing it when I was a kid. The park itself is pretty nice with paved, lighted paths along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail with views of the river. Several people use the trail there for running, walking and biking. The Peoria Riverfront Museum's Community Solar System model's earth model is located in the park as well. There is a parking lot at the site.

Review Visit: August 9th, 2016…read more Somehow I am usually the last to learn of cool places. Farmdale Reservoir is no different. I have driven past signs for Farmdale many times in my life and just thought it was a giant water reservoir or something like that. Then one day I decided to google it to see what it was. Well, talk about kicking yourself in the ass for taking forever to do something. I came out here and hiked for a few hours and enjoyed every second of it. I decided to hike the 'tough' trails and they proved to be a challenge. Especially if you were mountain biking. While I only hiked about 4 miles and it was just a small section of the map, I was very impressed and will be back in 2017. The entire area is beautiful and far enough removed from society that you do feel isolated, but not far from help and home. This could be a great place to bring dogs, if you have one and they are properly trained. They say Illinois is boring... but we have beautiful places like this to help dispel that notion.

Hidden Washington backyard gem, hiking, running, biking, and dog walking trails all over with some…read moresurprising views for central Illinois sprout out this suburban park as essential oxygen to check in frequently. Coming from Indiana I didn't realize what was here til introduced recently and quickly fell for this lil slice of Gatlinburg. Parking isn't well marked but just like life I kept going until I found what I wanted. A decent Saturday morning gave clear nice weather without a crowd, will definitely be back!

I have been going every Sunday for about two months. I am now 71 and used to fish for catfish and…read moretake them home to clean, and cook. I am very pleased just to relax from noon to 4 and catch and release. A lot of kids come with parents and it's nice to hear the excitement when the kids catch a fish. The young man that manages the park is Adam and he has many volunteers each week that assist anyone needing help around the lake. The cost is free, $3.00 for a dozen worms, and they have fishing poles you can use for the day at no cost! They put cut up hotdogs and cheese in little cups at the counter you can use and those items are free. It's been warm lately, but in the next week or so it's going to be cooling off. Perfect weather to enjoy catching fish, some sunshine, and you and the kiddos can enjoy the day. Highly recommended and pretty much no cost! Stop in and catch a fish or two and meet Adam and his wonderful volunteers!

We held my son's birthday party here and it was great. The little retired guys, that were there,…read morewere fantastic with the children. There were plenty of bluegill to keep the kids interested, and one of them even landed a 2lb largemouth bass. They've got a great little pavillion, which was perfect for the party, even despite the heat that day (98F). I will definitely be taking my kids back to this little known gem in Central IL.

I'm not an avid frisbee golf player but I occasionally like "bro-out" and play a round of frolf…read morewith my boyfriend. And, you know what? I've come to appreciate the sport and courses I've played in. So, from my limited experience (only playing about 4 different courses in Illinois and Kansas), I would rank Northwood Park at the top. Top Three Reasons: 1) I think it's a well designed course. It has a lot different terrain; ranging from wooded to open flat to hilly areas. It's visually appealing and fun to walk around. 2) Even though there's a lot of different landscapes, it easy to find the next basket. And if you get turned around somehow, people that play there are nice and can probably tell you where to go! 3) It's a good course for all playing levels. There are few tricky/challenging holes but on the other hand, there are also some easier ones. The mix of difficulties makes it fun. Now, the only criticism I have for the park is you occasionally find trash around the tee off areas. It's sad because it's such a nice park! Anyway, trash receptacles throughout the course would definitely help!

Absolutely my favorite disc course anywhere. This is also the reason why PDGA uses this course for…read moretournament championships and the sort. Fantastic blend of wooded and open. Blind drives and straight shots abound as well. Hole 5 is a bastard 'cos of the tree line and traversing up a hill then down and crossing a small crick to land on the island pin. Delicious. 18 is the majestic capstone hole. Teeing off 100 feet above the fairway and walking across the crick leaves discers with a lasting impression. Well worth the drive on a nice day. Spend sun up to sun down here. The challenge is to get in the mid 50s. My personal best was 47. Replay: Very High if you are not tuckered out.

The harvest operation was shut down for the day due to a substantial amount of rain that had fallen…read morethis morning so I decided to do some exploring in the area. I came across this cool trail and couldn't believe there wasn't a Yelp page for it! So like a good and responsible Elite, I created one (tyvm, and you're welcome). Anyhow, some facts about the trail. It's 24 miles, beginning at MM "0" in Alto, and ending at MM "24" in Toulon. It goes through towns: Dunlap at MM "5"; Princeville at MM "10"; Stark at MM "15"; and. Wyoming at MM "20". The trail is well packed (being an old railroad there's a good small rock base) and approximately 6-8 feet in width - large enough to accommodate both hikers and cyclists. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash. As noted, cyclists are welcome and in fact I encountered two riders while on my short 2 mile hike out, and 2 mile hike back. There were several people out walking too - some with their wonderful 4 legged furry friends. The first two miles I covered had a nice canopy of trees which provided a lot of shade. However I'm sure there are open areas so that in the hotter months I would recommend taking a bottle (or two, depending on how far you're going) of water along to stay hydrated. I saw a few squirrels along the way but one might also expect to see deer, raccoons, geese (in the fall), among other wildlife. There's plenty of parking in the parking lot. There's a covered picnic table, a restrooms building, and a billboard that illustrates the 24 mile route along with a brief history of the Rock Island Railroad. I enjoyed my afternoon walk and may return on a Sunday (or another rain day) to enjoy this beautiful trail. If you haven't been here you should come and check it out. Walking and/or cycling is fun and good for your health.

This is a small ship-themed playground outside the entrance to Bass Pro Shop, with a nice view of…read moredowntown Peoria. It's a quick stop off the interstate for kids to burn off some energy (follow the Bass Pro signs). There are public restrooms right next to the playground.