We recently went to Illinois to visit family and planned to go to Kickapoo to do some fishing and…read moregrilling. It was a pretty warm day, so we found a spot with some shade, flat ground, benches and access to the pond for fishing. We didn't have much luck with the fishing, but neither did the folks who had been in the same spot before us. The park has several ponds with multiple access points. Some have docks where you can fish off of them and others have boat launches as well. A very large area with lots of picnic tables and stationery grills was roped off/closed. We weren't sure why. They also have paddle boats as well as kayak and tube rentals. Entry was free (which was surprising to me) and I was sad to see so much litter strewn about. People should take better care of our green spaces. Hopefully, they have someone who cleans up and maintains these areas.

3.1 clear lake trail sucks for maintenance, not even wide enough for 1 person, no edge work done…read morefor years, the path itself is moderate/rugged is good. And dont expect trail markers when you come to a fork in the path. At one point it just stop and dumps you in a field near a parking lot with no explanation.

This is a super spacious park. Tons of green area and walk ways going around various areas. A…read morehandful of sculptures as well as a kids playground area that is fenced in. If has that nice spongy ground covering as well as cedar chips by the swings. I did NOT see any bathroom either drop in or built in so if you are jumping off the interstate on a trip you will need to still go someplace else for that. Overall a really nice place to get out and stretch. Plenty of parking around the surrounding streets.

Landmark Review: This was the location of taste of champaign…read morethis year. There is a nice fountain in the middle of the park. Very spacious and clean. I did not see any play ground equipment at least in the area I visited. Parking wise there is street parking all around.

I love this park, probably because I grew up across the street from it. It's huge, open, and it's…read morenever too packed so you can basically have the whole thing to yourself. The playground is also really nice for kids and I recall the trees making some awesome flashlight-tag spots. Memories!

Beautiful spot to take a scroll for free and enjoy nature. This arboretum is very well maintained,…read morespacious, and has plenty of parking. In addition to the ponds and gardens, do make a visit to Japan House if you get an opportunity when they're open.

The University of Illinois Arboretum was a nice surprise to. This was a great oasis from a busy…read morecollege campus. My husband and I went on a Saturday afternoon, and while there people there, it was not crowded. There was a nice mixture of trees, lakes, and trails. It is a great place to rest and relax. Be sure to go when the Japan House when it's open.

I recently went to Meadowview Park for the first time. I love photography! I must say that the…read moreWandell Sculpture Garden & Hickman Wildflower Walk were aesthetically appealing. I enjoyed the walking path & have numerous pictures to enjoy from this outting.

Great park for kids and grown ups alike. However! If your dog is not friendly to kids-DONT BRING…read moreDOGS WHO ARE NOT KID FRIENDLY! My grandson was bitten there last year and today my 20 month old granddaughter was growled at and I barely caught her from running up to it. The dog owner was shouting NO- at my toddler granddaughter. But guess what- she's a toddler who has a dog at home who is friendly. She doesn't know better! If your dog doesn't like kids. Go to the dog park! Not to a park where kids play. I love dogs. But kids are are more important!

We visited the Salt Fork River preserve for an outdoor wedding, and then popped next door to the…read moreSalt Fork Center for the reception. The preserve itself is lovely and looks well-managed. The Salt Fork Center is an aging A-frame building, and the A/C was NOT working. After being crowded inside a few hours, guests began to figure out that the exterior temperature had come down enough that it felt slightly cooler outside. Putting aside the A/C problem, this place offered an easy-to-access water-and-woods escape from Champaign-Urbana, just 15 to 20 minutes away.

I feel like I left a beautiful fairy land that should not exist in this world…read more The lake here blends beautifully with the smooth grass that surrounds it. The way the sun hits this lake is comparable only to pictures that I have seen in story books of lands far away or that have only existed in our imaginations. When the sunsets over it colors are displayed on this iridescent canvas that have no name. The trees are simply gorgeous with amazing diversity in variety. They supply ample shade for picnicers and families enoying the peace and beauty here. There are many ancient trees that appear to be hundreds of years old deep in the woods. Homer Lake as the people who live near here call it also bosts many amenities such as a look out tower, various trails, play grounds, and a very educational nature center. I left here feeling at peace. What a beautiful place!

Choose to kayak the Lower Fork River. Peaceful, it wasn't crowded, at all, on a Thursday afternoon…read more Did 8 miles in about 3 hours, leisurely. Ate a late lunch at Kickapoo Adventures Bar & Grill. Great food - great options! Dined outside with a view of the water. Great service. Highly recommend both experiences.

First and foremost my name is James Clark and I visited Kickapoo Adventures today as of 06/29/2025…read morewith my boyfriend Cale , and I can say it was the worst experience ever. The staff was not helpful at all. First when we get there I paid our $15.00 for Pedal Boat ride, after I paid I was told I needed my ID and sign a wavier, mind you I didn't bring my ID, so we had to drive 30 minutes away to get my ID. So when we got back I spoke with another customer service representative and they told me I DID NOT NEED MY ID. I don't know the name of the older white guy that said that I didn't need my ID, when the lady representative said right after him, we only need 1 ID for the ride and both of us to sign a wavier. Ok so be it, we're here for fun, we've been through enough hoops, let us get on the ride sheesh. We get on and they told us to pedal backwards to get going, so we're off, mind you we only got 30 minutes, when I tell you once we got in the middle of the lake and started to steer the boat either right or left, the boat steering was all out of service. We was trying to go straight and turn either left or right but the boat was going to the right inevitably and has us going in circles upon circles. It got to a point where customers that was on land taking videos of us, and shouted out "you guys are struggling". Of course we were without any help from staff. I called customer service at their establishment and spoke with THE MANAGER NAMED JULIE, forgive me if it's misspelled, however when I spoke to her and let her know our experience today, she completely discredited what I had to say as a first timer customer. I let her know that I paid for my ride and had to travel back to get my ID that wasn't needed, let her know our ride experience, let her know the customer service we experienced, and in the end of our 4 minute call on the company phone number which I hope was recorded, I asked her for a phone number to someone that was higher up then her in the company itself and JULIE HAD THE NERVE TO TELL ME THE PERSON ABOVE HER IN KICKAPOO ADVENTURES IS GOD I NEED TO SPEAK TO!!! This is unacceptable and I really hope our conversation was recorded because this was the worst experience ever, especially talking to the manager that's supposed to help and make the customer happy. All we wanted Julie was to know our discomforts within our experience, not even money back or anything, we didn't want anything back we just wanted to let her know our experience and she completely denied any wrongdoing just based off years of service and "no complaints". I'm not saying all this to make people not go however but please be aware of the staff and manager because they don't care. I hope this doesn't get deleted because people need to know experiences there. They only have 20 reviews within 20 years, come on guys the proof is in the pudding. I wish I could've spoke to Tom because apparently his name is on the Web to contact. With Julie saying I need to speak to God, please let me speak to Tom because Julie I pray and talk to MY GOD everyday thank you. My experience talking to Julie was unacceptable, what caught her off guard and made her defensive was the fact that I told her she discredited our experience!! How is that far. Not once did we get an IM SORRY!! We did not get no apology at all. Julie we expressed how we felt as customers and you don't want to hear negative aspects about experiences. We don't know how to end this unlike the staff that threw the buoy out to us and tried to help at the end with getting us wet, mind you one of the staff said "why do that you got them wet", after we docked we left no words no nothing towards staff. Tom I hope this reaches you or anyone else higher up in the Kickapoo Adventures Administration, period point blank. Thank you, I wish it was under better circumstances.

This is a great dog park in Urbana, IL. We stopped here on a road trip through the area. It has…read morewater for humans and dogs, poop bags, benches, hydrants, large trees for shade and open area for throwing tennis balls. You can pay annually ($35) or daily ($5) to use this place. It's completely fenced in so you can let your dog run.

This is the best dog park I can remember visiting. This is based on the size, the other dogs/owners…read morein attendance, and the varied areas. The park features wide open grass areas, a couple areas of high grass, a forested area, and a separate area for little dogs. The park itself is pretty good sized, maybe 1/2 mile in circumference if you walk the fence (as many folks do). It should be noted that there are many more bully breed dogs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons than other times. I dont have anything against these breeds per se, but they do play a little too rough for some dogs. There are very few inconsiderate people at this dog park, which I think is what makes it such a good one, but you'd still be wise to watch your step and keep a close eye on your dog. I know my little gremlin loves to come here, and I'm usually able to strike up a convo w/ somebody interesting.