Wowzer! Best dog park award in the country! Well made dog park in Galena, IL. Fenced in. Includes 4…read moredifferent dog areas: a small dog park area, a big dog area, a special needs dog area for training or dogs like mine that do not play well with others, and a wild "natural" dog area that is completely fenced in. I recommend wearing good hiking shoes in this area, as you kinda have to forge your own path through the thick bush. I was able to do it in sandles but I wouldn't recommend that. My Beagles are hunters and love this kind of a park...and since I'm a wild child I probably would do it barefoot if i had to, since these dog areas are rare and always make my heart sing. Good quality doggie bags provided, some shade and a picnic table in each area. The water fountain is in the common entrance area of the three parks, so that was a little different, but it was thought out well and works fine. There's a porter potty for humans and a small parking lot. It's within a forested area and away from houses or traffic. I think it was built on $62,000 of donations and that in itself is pretty cool!

A beautiful 200 acre park located on the north side of Clinton on the bluffs overlooking the…read moreMississippi River. You can picnic,hike or cross country ski in this treasured asset of Clinton. There is a historic lodge which we did not visit and a castle turret open for stair climbs and fantastic views of the Mississippi . Lots of play areas, restrooms, pavilions and trails makes this park a fun way to spend a day.

Nice park, love climbing the old tower and the great views. A lot of play areas, restrooms,…read morepavilions, and trails. Needs a little better maintenance and some tree trimming to improve the views.

What a beautiful park!…read more During a quick trip to Iowa we kept our activities limited to outdoor activities and carry out eats. I pulled up the Yelp app to find a park to explore and voila, there was Vander Veer Botanical Park. It was a toasty 93 degree day so we were quickly drawn to the plentiful shaded spaces found throughout this large park. In addition to a botanical garden (which we didn't visit specifically), they also have a rose garden, small pond with a fountain, long shaded promenade, and plentiful paved paths for walking. We strolled through the rose garden and then were naturally drawn to the long shaded walkway that leads up to a large and entertaining fountain at the end. This park has so many lovely uses for varying audiences and interests. Highly recommend giving it a visit if you find yourself in the Quad Cities!

It the most fun me and my kid add I love how handicap accessible it was in the summerread more

Great find and well maintained by the state. Great views! Kayaked on the Mississippi River which…read morewas great but came with some current struggles. The boat launch is right across the road from MP. The hosts were nice. They are only checking in people from 12-4. Find your site and your tag is on the post. There are about 10 walk up sites you can get on FCFS basis. Some electric and some primitive sites. Make sure to select the correct one. Beautiful views are with the hike up the cliffs.

We had a family get together here today and rented the pavilion. For $50, you get a really nice…read morebuilding facility that has a fireplace and several large picnic tables. The public restrooms are in this building however, and you will have people coming and going during your event. It wasn't too busy today so not a problem. There is plenty of open grassy area to play, didn't get enough wind to be able to fly the kites, but we were close! But we definitely had a lot of room to kick the soccer ball, throw the football and run around. The grill worked great, it's 4 feet long and we were able to cook plenty of burgers and hotdog and such for the family. There's also a couple of electrical outlets so we were able to plug-in a couple crockpots for beans and such. There are quite a few mice living in this facility, so just be aware of that, but you are out in the country! There are many hikes and such that leave from this location so you could use this as homebase with other family members being able to go out and take a great hike as well. We had a great day and I have a feeling this is going to become a tradition PS. Bring the bug spray :)

Rented out the club house for a group event. It is a nice location with a reasonable rate for the…read morerental. The club house has air conditioning and a full kitchen with an operating refrigerator and stove. Lots of long tables and chairs available. A little outdated, but great for the price.