Shady Oaks is without a doubt one of the greatest places we know of. For twelve days every summer,…read moremy son with cerebral palsy enjoys his best days of the year. The counselors and care givers at Shady Oaks are angels on earth and are led by Scott Steele, who has been the camp director for I don't know how many years but it's a lot. All of the staff at Shady Oaks work so hard and have such fun with the campers and we are so grateful for these people. Thank you Shady Oaks for being there for our son for the past nine years. This coming year will be his 10th and he can't wait.

From the owner: We are a not for profit summer camp for children and adults with disabilities. We offer a 1:1 staff…read moreto camp ratio and are owned and operated by the parents of the campers who attend camp. In order for a camper to attend camp, a family member, friend or organization must join the parent group and actively be involved. SOC will be celebrating its 79th anniversary summer of 2026.

Staff is super patient! They work hard to teach children in a school-like environment. They use the…read morelatest teaching techniques used in many top programs. They work with families on a budget

My one year old and four year old love this school and as a parent I couldn't ask for a better…read moreenvironment for my children to grow and learn! The staff are very caring, enthusiastic and supportive of each child's stages of learning. I have seen my kids grow independent and smarter in every aspect. Every week is filled with different activities and events to keep them engaged and learning more. Highly recommend!

My daughter has been at Goddard since she was just over 12 weeks old. She is now 3, almost 4 and we…read morecould not be happier with the program. The teachers and staff are truly amazing. Monica, the owner, is onsite and very involved in the day to day operations of the school. Even after Covid, the Goddard School has continued to find innovative ways to keep things fun and educational for the littles. The summer camp program is such a blast too! I can honestly not say enough great things about this school.

My son attends EduCare and has opened up and made so many friends since starting. He always asks to…read morego to school. We love all the teachers and staff! Ms. Stephanie has been so kind and accommodating, always taking the time to reach out and explain everything to us. My son has grown and learned so much in our short time here. We couldn't be happier with EduCare, Ms. Stephanie, & all the staff.

I would not recommend this place to anyone, absolutely awful. There's a reason why there's only one…read moregood review in the past six years. Nothing recent on Facebook either. Let that speak for itself, but I've personally witnessed safety and licensing issues during the time our child was in their care. We ended up moving to a different center and it's been a night and day difference.

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.