Another childhood location revisited…read more Detweiller Park is a place I have fond, if not faded, memories from my childhood. I remember coming here on a few field trips and also coming here to slide down their sledding hill. My friend Mary and I set out to hike some trails we grew up traversing and I said yes. We got there early to beat the heat and discovered about 30 games of kindergarten-level of soccer being played. Glad to see kids will have fond memories of this place as I do. Once we got parked, we headed out and hit some trails. Being super rusty with the area, we poked around here and there trying to find where and what to hike. At one point, we had an elderly gentleman walk up to us and give an assessment on some trails we were debating on hiking. We didn't really want to take this northern path that lead 7 miles away, so we took the Pimiteoui South trail about the lower part of the park, then took Dry Run trail to stretch out the afternoon before ending it too early. It was a nice leisure stroll with a friend on a sunny and breezy afternoon. The entire soccer fields, once full with kids, were completely empty. In fact, the park was nearly empty by the time we got back to the parking lot. We saw more cars drive through the park than people hiking in the park. While there are some trails, this isn't the place to come if you are looking for some dedicated hiking trails like you can get at Forest Park Nature Center but still a great place to escape to nature.

This park is soo Amazing & beautiful scenery also. Would highly recommend this park for anything…read more Lots of room to play sports and etc.!

This is a fun park and yesterday I walked there with someone else and we put grocery sack bags over…read morethere for people to use

We looked at this park for accessibility for mobility challenged people. Know before you go! Here…read moreis what we found: - There are no handicap accessible parking spots. - There is one wheelchair accessible restroom. - There is only street parking which is about 30 feet away from the attraction. - The terrain is wood chips and cement. - There are two ramps to get into the park but no play ramps. - There are no wheelchair accessible water fountains. - The accessible equipment is the water park and the ramps to get into the attraction. Nice park!!!

Hands down the best dog park we have ever visited. Very…read morespacious, full of trees, clean, and has two separate, fenced areas (one for the bigger dogs and a smaller area for the little ones). Also, doggie bags are provided and there is a water fountain for the pups. Being here you can forget that you're at a dogpark and walk around between the trees, enjoying nature. The only downfall is that the fence is old and since my dog is an escape artist he can get through both gates and into the parking lot. I like to think that I trained him not to do that anymore, but in reality he's probably just having so much fun with the other dogs that he forgets that escaping is still an option. We frequent this park multiple times a week and love it! The dogs are friendly and the owners are responsible.

This is such a cute dog park!…read more We are in the area visiting family and brought our Boston Terrier along. There weren't any other dogs there when we stopped by (during the day on a weekday) so we let him run free in the large dog area. The large dog section is huge compared to the dog park we go to back home. Love the trees and picnic tables. We will be back whenever we are in the area.

To hike or not to hike, that is the question…read more A friend of mine had told that he enjoys going on hikes out at Robinson Park. Having never heard of this place, I decided to look it up. Much to my surprise, it was no more than 5 minutes from my job. We talked about going after work some day (we work similar hours) but decided to drop in on a Saturday so we could hike without worrying about the sun setting. I've never been out in the area but found parking to be something that fast approaches as it is off a busy road. There seemed to be a few different spots to park on one side of the road and an extension of the main lot on the other side. Jacob and I parked in the main lot and I told him to lead the way since this was his hiking territory. Once we got hiking and came upon the first map post, Jacob pointed out the trail we would be traversing, about how long it is and what challenges we will encounter. As we climbed up and down hills and crossed some bridges, Jacob would point out trees and what defects and diseases they have as he is an arborist. It was really cool to learn a lot about trees while getting lost in nature. In-between all that, we would chat about life and he would tell me about his previous hikes out here. Once we got to the end of the trail (which ended up at Camp Wakonda) and took a small breather, we headed back but taking a longer route to swing by one of Jacob's favorite spots. It's hard to capture nature's beauty in a simple photograph. This spot had a bench to sit on that lets you look out over the forest canopy, taking in the view and listen to the wind. I can see why he likes to stop here on each of his hikes. After our break, we wrapped up the hike and went our separate ways. I expected it to be a decently easy hike since I ride my bicycle 16 miles 2-3 times a week but the trail Jacob took us on really put us through our paces. There were a few steep hills that got the quad and calves burning like no other. The main park also continues on the other side of the road and that path, according to Jacob, can lead to Detweiller Park. We did about 5 miles in 2 hours and if we both didn't have stuff to do, I would've asked if he wanted to check out the other side for a half mile or so. I'm not sure if the other paths are easier but if you are looking for a challenging hike, Robinson Park is your place to be. I'm excited to come back out and try the full hikes on each side of the park.

The dog park at Mineral Springs Park in Pekin is very nice. The very large grounds are well kept…read more(no standing water or muddy areas), lots of trees, doggie pickup bags available, and a separate set of gates for large and small dogs. Instead of fixed benches the park includes movable lawn chairs - which is nice - especially if you need to sit apart during the pandemic. Our dog actually loved running round and round the chairs like an obstacle course. Admission is free and most pet owners are responsible for picking up after their pet and watching to ensure proper pet behavior in the park. We have 2 dog parks in our own town, but this one is our favorite one to visit - even with the extra minutes to drive from Bloomington, it is worth it.

Review Visit: October 8th, 2014…read more A park as massive as the town is small. I'm not kidding when I say this park is massive for the size of the town its located in. When I set my destination to this place, my girlfriend (who is from the area) said it was a hangout spot for her as a kid. She failed to mention how massive the place was. We got there and parked and I had to ask, "Is this really it?! This park is huge!". She confirmed that my eyes weren't playing trick on me. This park really is spread out with lots of open fields and areas to hike. Time was important since the sun was setting, so we didn't get to spend the afternoon seeing what the park had to offer. We did get to walk around a little bit, play on some of the playground equipment, and check out Lee Cabin. The cabin was a cool little gem hidden in a park that is a gem itself. There isn't much else to say. Its a park that you can seemingly do a lot at. Walk, hike, play on the equipment, picnic... and who knows what else since I only saw parts of it. If you are in the area and have an itch to explore something between a small city park and a state/national park, Black Partridge Park is perfect for that.

CJ is a really cool owner and it is a very nice place to skate. We have been going there every sun…read morefor the 2 to 4 hour skating.

We go here every weekend it's a great place for family, have had many Birthday Parties and good…read moretimes, thank you for getting us back together and on a Roll!!

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.