This place is awesome there are fish and the playground is fun!! There are picnic tables and other…read morestuff too!!!

I've always loved Washington Park! It's very clean, peaceful and one of my favorite places to see…read morenature, take in beauty and get some good walking in and/or a morning run! Being back in the city for a few weeks has really brought back many memories from years ago! This is where I had so many highlights as a teen. Prom pictures, family gatherings, awareness walks and so much more. This is such a beautiful park, located in a beautiful and calming part of the city! Park closes at 10:30 but it's very large, clean and many places to sit.

Beautiful park, lots of wildlife. Loved walking around and seeing all of the landscape, and the…read moreflowers around the botanical garden!

Nice little zoo! We took advantage of a free admission day. The kids had a blast, staff was very…read morefriendly and knowledgeable & its so nice to not having outrageously priced food (we all ate for under $15) would definitely return in the future.

Review Visit: April 11th, 2012…read more Penguins, peacocks, chickens, oh my! Henson Robinson Zoo is located in the heart of Abraham Lincoln country. So, it makes sense that there is a zoo that has all it's animals wearing black hats and Lincoln-style beards. Actually, that makes no sense at all. Lets try that again. Henson Robinson Zoo was the destination for Matt and I during the early days of spring. When the warmth of the day is enough to make exploring possible and not miserable. I picked Matt up and we headed out to explore the capital. We got to the zoo around noon, parked, paid our admission, and got hyped to see some animals. I don't remember much about the zoo layout. I do remember a few different things. One. Peacocks and chickens walking around like they own the place. Yep, they had live animals walking around, strutting their stuff. No, they didn't have bears walking around, though that would be one heck of an experience. There were some peacocks strutting around, showing off their tail feathers. I never thought I would see a peacock up close and in person, let alone one I could pet. Whether you should attempt to pet the, that's up to your discretion (and probably some zoo rules). Two. Racing a wolverine is something I can mark off my bucket list. Upon visiting the wolverine exhibit, Matt and I noticed this creature was hyper and running up and down the edge of it's viewing area. Me, being the person I am, decided to mirror it's movements. The wolverine and I ran up and down the exhibit for a solid 5-10 minutes. Back and forth. Back and forth. Matt ended up recording some videos of us racing. I included a photo below where you can see me in motion. My current WordPress plan doesn't allow me to upload videos or else I would include one as well. Since I don't remember much else from the zoo, that leaves me without much else to say. There was a big water exhibit near the entrance. That is where the penguins were. They were fun to watch waddle around and swim around. I would suggest checking it out if you have an itch for a zoo. Maybe you can even race a peacock or pet a wolverine during your visit... or something like that.

The park was initially constructed in 1920 and was renamed in 2020 after Colonel Otis B. Duncan…read more(1873-1937) who was a Springfield native. Col. Duncan was the highest-ranking black officer to serve in the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe in World War I. There are three parking lots in the park, one along MacArthur Boulevard that can hold about 55 cars, one along Mason Street that can hold about 90 cars, and one along Salome that can hold more than 50 cars. The park does not have any vehicular traffic. However, a walkway connects the Mason Street parking lot with the MacArthur parking lot and brick shelter, passing the band shell. The restrooms were recently renovated in 2019 and now feature a modern playground system, three picnic shelters, and eight pickleball courts. The trail branches south to get to them. A brand-new disc golf course circles the park. The northernmost area of the park has a sledding hill. Picnic shelters, pickleball courts, an 18 hold disc golf course and a fitness court. The playground area includes a small zip line, see-saw and some other interactive toys. And the bandshell in the middle of the park looks like it's ready for the next music festival. [Review 19697 overall - 149 in Illinois - 669 of 2023.]

At the center of historic downtown Auburn, this square was a great spot to relax and stretch after…read moresome driving across this rather boring part of Illinois. The square is surrounded by historic homes and is a picturesque spot. The square is beautifully landscaped and the two story gazebo in the center is routinely used for hosting community events such as festivals and outdoor concerts. It is all in excellent condition. A few benches are here for just peacefully enjoying this spot. There is street parking on all sides. [Review 2036 of 2024 - 219 in Illinois - 23057 overall]

The trail is nice and well maintained for a road bike. It's a safe place to get away in…read moreSpringfield, whether you're riding a bike, walking or have your pup with you.

The Railsplitter at Lincoln's New Salem has amazing cheeseburgers, the staff is top notch, and the…read moreactual park is very quaint.

Good side trip if you are exploring the area. Staff and volunteers are very knowledgeable. Nice…read moreplace for photos. I visited on a weekday afternoon and felt like I had the place to myself, which was a real bonus. There are a series of night events which I want able to attend. Will be back to check them out.

Review Visit: April 24th, 2017…read more Carpenter Park is more than your typical park. Since the coming of Spring, I have been getting the itch to hike. There are plenty of places to hike in Illinois, but I wanted something different. Something off the beaten path. Somewhere that wasn't Starved Rock or a 2 hour drive for me. After scouring Google Maps for a place, I stumbled upon Carpenter Park. So in my car and off to hike I go! Carpenter Park is located on the outskirts of Springfield, almost in Sherman. Taking Sherman Road in, you will find it on the right. Your turn will take you to a one lane road where it leads to a small but ample parking lot. Beware, this road is mighty bumpy and will test your suspension due to all the dips and holes. Parking at Carpenter Park, you'll easily notice the main board that has a map with the trails marked on it. Food for thought, if you ever go hiking, take a photo this is map with your phone. You never know when you will need it. I have referred to the maps on my phone many times, just to make sure I was where I thought I was. The main parking area has all the entry hiking points, so it is easy to hop on a trail and start walking. I noticed main of the trails tend to intersect and cross each other, so you could easily go from one path to another to another. While this was fine and dandy, it was at a certain point that I noticed all the crossings no longer had markers. So you really need to pay attention to where you are going or you may end up getting lost... like I did. Just like at Matthiessen State Park, I somehow wandered out of the hiking area and into the main road that leads to the parking lot. As for the trails, they are all fairly flat, well-defined and suitable for people of all hiking skills. There are quite a few that had logs laying across the path, so you will have to go around or climb over. Not a hassle for someone who is in shape, but if you are looking for a gentle walk, this may be a problem. Some paths had a path going around the logs, but it's not a guarantee. While kind of getting lost, I did stumble upon some really cool cliffs/canyon of Sandstone. They were facing the Sangamon River. If you view some of the images below, I managed to sit on a part that stuck out. It was a fantastic view as long as you didn't look down and see the rocks and river below. Thrilling! Overall, I was here just shy of 2 hours and it was a fun place to hike. It is somewhat connected to another place called Gurgens Park that seems to offer more of the same as here. So if you felt daring, you could literally cross the road that splits them and hike both places. Carpenter Park has some interesting history, if you read the Wiki link below. Guess it is an Old Route 66 attraction. How cool! If you do hike/camp/fish in nature areas, please please please pick up after yourself. I filled an entire Kroger bag full of trash. Keep Nature Beautiful.

Could use better maintenance and more signage…read more Pro tip- to find this park on google maps search "Historic Stone Shelter" This park is a nice little oasis in Springfield and my go to place for a short hike. I love the views by the river but my biggest gripe with the trails is that there aren't very many signs to delineate where trails are intersecting. The trails that are not by the water are nice for a little taste of nature but don't have any standout features. In all, I enjoy coming to Carpenter Park to hike and enjoy a scenic lunch but I wish there was better marking of the trails.