Quite a nice new playground that Perryville has built here. It's accessible to all, which is nice…read more Lots of places to climb and slide. My kids loved it.

A wee bit sketchy but I'm terrified of heights. It's beautiful once up…read more 123 steps up! Would be beautiful at sunrise and sunset.

Even though me and my wife were disappointed that we didn't have time to check out the Welcome…read moreCenter since it was closed down Memorial Day we were able to check out a few of the trails at Giant City state park. I enjoyed the mixed variety of Trail Lengths mainly just because I'm not much of a hiker myself. The state park is actually a solid place to check out if you're in the area or are coming to the area since there's many things to check out especially on this side of the Shawnee National Forest compared to the east side. There's plenty of parking spaces and amenities at most of these trailheads. The area is still a well-kept secret in my opinion that I don't feel like a lot of tourists still come and check out. Overall, the state park is actually worth checking out and thankfully the parking is free or you don't need a parking pass of any source

I was looking up things to do in the Carbondale area and this place caught my eye. I don't have any…read morekids nor am I one but I had to visit the park and I got to hear the story about how this park was built and how it came to be. This park is very well kept! I've never been to an active park that is so well maintained and the fact that it has no graffiti on it! This park is so Interactive and I thought it was convenient that it had porta potties next to it as well. Even the ice cream man came by to visit. Plenty of great Interactive things that check out that are one-of-a-kind like climbing got a dragon and even the playground is big enough for grown-ups to walk around without actually it's time to climb on stuff. This place was like walking into a Renaissance fair , I highly recommend checking this place out!

This is without a doubt one of the top parks that my kids have ever been to. When you step into the…read morepark you see sculptures of wizards, knights, dragons, and fantastical creatures. It is like stepping into a Dungeons & Dragons story. The highlight thought is without a doubt the castle. There are ramparts, hidden armories, gargoyles, coats of arms, statues and a whole menagerie of fantastical creatures. I had to tear my 5 and 3 year old away from it. It could have kept them busy for hours. There is also a touching backstory to the park. It was founding in memory of Jeremy "Boo" Rochman who died in a car crash nearby. He loved fantasy and his family set up the park in his honor. The park is privately funded, and can accept donations through its website. So if you do stop in and enjoy it, please make sure to support the park.

Taking up two city blocks, the Rotary Playground has two separate playgrounds, a splashpad (closed…read morefor the season), a big open space and a restrooms building. Street parking surrounds on three sides. The first playground is massive with a huge wooden frame and lots of space for running, climbing and multiple slides. It is entirely surrounded by a low fence with a single entrance/exit. Awesome for keeping the little ones from possibly wandering off. The splashpad is also fenced in and includes a few benches for the adults to hang out. It is opened during the season (May to October?) and is closed now. Third playground has swings and a tall slide and some other climbing equipment. It is on a mulch base that is ideal for the little ones who do tend to fall down a lot. [Review 16305 overall - 121 in Kentucky - 1811 of 2021.]

This is a nice mark tucked on the north side of Carterville. We came here for my nephew's soccer…read moregame. The fields were in good shape, the park was well maintained, there was a nice walking path, and the bathroom was clean.

A nice clean park. The grass is mowed and the lake is clean. I am happy to spend some time there.read more

What a cool little park located in the town of Desoto. A large variety of playground options for…read moreall ages. I loved the old school teeter totter! The grandbabies enjoyed the older play structures. Bathrooms were surprisingly open (mid week winter) and clean. Easy parking. Located next to several little League baseball fields. Lots of fun.

other than the ciggarete litter and cig butts all over the grounds its a cool place ..covered in…read morecigg butts ..

Longacre Park is a beautiful park in Fairview Heights. They have many scenic walking paths…read morethroughout the park. A few years ago, the city redid the playground. The new playground is a lot of fun. My children love to play there. The pond is a great place to fish or check out the ducks and geese. You will see a lot of them. Longacre Park is great! Lots of beautiful nature to take in and it is very relaxing.

Worst zoo ever it was more like someone's farm, not that many animals we were hopping to see. I…read morewould never go here again They have a small gift shop

We spent the day here yesterday. Had a great time. Excellent place for kids to interact with the…read moreanimals.

It is a very nice playground and it is also nice for kids that are on the spectrum since it is…read morepartially fenced in. My grandkids loved it!

What a fun park for kids! I love that the play structure is different. The area for littler kids…read morewas perfect for my toddler. Lots of shaded picnic tables. The bathrooms were clean. My kids had a fantastic time and we will be back!

In 2023, I toyed around with the idea of bridging the gap between 50km and the 50 mile distance. It…read morewas bothering me as I raced marathons and 50km that year until it happened. Maybe I have what I takes. I looked for a 50 mile distance race that had a very generous time limit on ultrasignup.com. I found Tunnel Hill 100 mile and 50 mile distance events in Vienna, IL. They offer 30 hours for both distances, so I would be able to complete the 50 miles with plenty of time to spare. I shared my findings on social media and they told me to go for it. And so, I did. Signing up online was easy, with prices under $100, you do get a bang for your running dollar. In the ensuing months before race day, it was on the back of my mind. Race day comes and I was not really nervous. Probably more excited than anything. My friend and I arrived in his rental car. We drove from Crystal Lake, IL. We lucked out on parking here and proceeded to packet pick up for our race bibs. Once secured, we milled around the mass group of participants that have joined that morning. After a brief race morning announcement, we were under way at 7am. The course was a figure 8, mostly trail with a lot of scenery and trees. The 50 mile course was a 13.1 mile out and back, then roughly 12 miles out and 11 miles on the return for the 50 miles. 100 miles repeat the 50 mile loop on the next set of 50 miles. It was literally that simple from a running standpoint. I started the race with mix emotions but every mile that checks off was me getting closer to the goal. The overall feeling of making it was electric and amazing at the same time. It was just after 2:30am when I crossed the finish line. No fanfare but just me and my thoughts. I figure that's how it is with these long distance running events, but I proved to myself that I can. There was a few aid stations on the course, but best thing was to carry your own aid if you need extra. But I carried my Starbucks cup, so I could carry water in between aid stations. Thank you to all the volunteers who make this event possible! When I made it to 35 miles, I knew I was in uncharted territory. I was tired and exhausted. I kept going and took breaks at the aid stations when necessary. It rain heavy that evening in 2024, which added an hour to my total time, but I didn't care at all. Just wanted to finish. Each step was a victory for me, especially after 40 miles and during the lonely stretches where it was just me and my thoughts. For the most part though, it was the greatest thing I've done since my 1st marathon in 2007. It was amazing to see other accomplished runners with me on the course that day / night. Happy that I finished and not doubted myself even just once. Happy for myself and that I believed in myself. Grateful and blessed. Tunnel Hill 100 mile ultra endurance event is staged at the Vienna City Park in Vienna, IL. They accept registrations annually at ultrasignup.com, which generally requires major credit cards as payment. As far as parking for race weekend, you just need to get here as soon as you can. Once other race participants arrive, it fills up pretty fast and they have another parking area for you to go to, but it is a half mile walk from the race venue. As far as public transportation, there is virtually none here. You would have to rent a car or have one of your own to get here. The closest airport will be in St. Louis, Missouri. Or Paducah, Kentucky. I happen to be driving from Chicago Illinois, because it was the cheapest I could find, flying into Chicago. For the most part though, it was a life changing experience for me and one that I won't ever forget forever. Definitely a place and race that can surely be the one you want to do your ultra distance in. Definitely a place where you can just let loose and enjoy the scenery while you crank the miles for your favorite distance or go race. If you don't have any yet or don't want to run Chicago, considered coming to this one since it's pretty awesome. Low-key and definitely a good vibe for all those involved. 5.0 stars for the overall experience Support local! A+

An excellent rail trail connecting 45 miles of truly rural spaces, this made for a great 2-day…read morebikepacking excursion. We cycled from Harrisburg to Karnak, stayed the night in a campground right at the end of the trail, and returned home the following day. If you were to start this exact trail from any population center, it would be teeming with visitors. But that's not the reality here. We didn't see more than two dozen other cyclists total in 2 weekend days in May -- we damn near had the place to ourselves. And we were the only campers at the campground on a Saturday night (although some people might have stayed away because of rain in the forecast). The path itself is in really good shape for such an old trail. It's well-maintained and well-marked, and best of all, it's shade the whole way. You're almost always surrounded by trees. The terrain is surprisingly interesting, and for a number of miles you follow wetlands. I also particularly liked the bridges, which employ used railroad ties beautifully. And of course, there is the namesake tunnel, which you hit around mile 22. If there is a downside, it's the relative lack of amenities. You're not going to have ample choices for groceries or restaurants. But at least water stations and dry good shops are still around every several miles. And you're not here for the restaurants anyway.