excellent instructio, highly effective class schedul, perfect for families and individuals trainingread more

I recently stopped here with a wife after visiting the Garden of the Gods just because we needed a…read moretrail to go on and a Garden of the Gods was not really too much of a trail it was more just scenery. This is a good walk though it's not long but you get to climb various elevations and get to see some good views and you get to see some of the rock formations as well. Trail is not too busy as well either trail is fairly maintained as well! Expect a decent workout on your legs but if you walk the other way around it's much easier going counterclockwise

The views in the cracks of the rock and around the rock were astonishing; however, the trail wasn't…read moretoo much fun and was full of bugs. The day we went was hot and humid, so we felt an obvious and lovely temperature drop while walking downstairs toward the bottom. However, there wasn't too much to see or do while hiking on the trails toward or leaving the scenic spot. Also, it was a little frustrating when our sweat was dripping to the ground and not knowing where we were as there was no sign updating the hikers about their location.

This place sucks and my friends and I were going here for my buddies birthday party. We reserved a…read morelane and they gave away and that's not very nice so that's why we're giving them one star also the lady that worked at the front desk is very rude.

Best place to get a burger in Southern Illinois! I'm not from around here, but I love to stop by…read moreand grab a burger whenever I'm in the area. Even if you don't bowl, the burgers alone are worth a stop.

The bar is nice and having the activity area separate is great. 2 pool tables, baggo, shuffleboard…read moreand bocce. Strange vibe from some of the clientele.

The servers were great but due to getting clammed by a bar crawl the food was a little slow. Food…read morewas delicious and appropriate for the price. Atmosphere was great for whole family. Games and open area were nice for kids and gathering after a team event. Would recommend for team gathering or just going for a drink.

My wife and I wanted to check this place out since it was on her bucket list and apparently it…read morebecame on my bucket list as well since I love to see some other worldly things in my own home state of illinois. Thankfully we lucked out and we didn't get rained on but this place was still pretty busy. Depending on when you show up parking can be a bit Limited. The trails to the top is not too long either but the interaction is so long and breathtaking. I've never been to a park since I've been to Matheson State Park where you are able to climb on every little thing. The views here and the experience is unlike any other. It felt like I was back in the Smoky Mountains but with less tourists. They have public restrooms here as well though if there's a line it could take a while. Me and my wife spent a good few hours here and if you follow the trail it will take you right back to the parking lot. We also enjoyed that this place is also dog friendly too!

Glad we went the route we did which is to the right as opposed to the left. This has the frequent…read morestairs/incline with is better for my knees than the sharp decline if we were to go the other way. I also liked that the multiple or compiled sandstones was the last we saw as opposed to the first, like a grand finale. And then the gradual decline on the way down to complete the circle. This is a very quick route where you can see the famous camel rock actually many of the rocks look like faces ;)

Disgraceful! I took my 69 year old mother and my 1 year old grandson today to swim $32!!! We were…read moreso disappointed!

the staff was so terribly rude, lifeguards mostly. Way overly aggressive, especially to little ones…read more(2-4 especially.) I understand enforcing the rules and sometimes having to be just a little meaner, but the lifeguards were so disgustingly rude to all parties involved. Not to mention there was a middles aged man, looking in from the gym touching himself, while there were little kids swimming. there should not be a way to see the swimming area from the gym that clearly. disgusting.

Catholic youth summer camp, located about 2.5 hours drive from St. Louis, in Southern Illinois…read more Kids sleep in rustic "cabins" (not fully enclosed, so bring mosquito netting!) in the woods, segregated into multiple named camps (groups of cabins), with the boys all on one side of the lake, girls on the other. Lots of fun activities, including swimming, hiking, horseback riding, archery, target shooting, climbing wall, ropes course, crafts, outdoor skills, nature exploration, and more. It's not convenient for us to get to, but everyone we've known who's gone has loved it and wants to do it again the next year. Be careful about using Google for directions. If you punch in the address, it correctly finds it, but if you just search for Camp Ondessonk it puts a pin in the map in the wrong location, looks like a few miles away from the actual camp, at somebody's house. Hopefully they'll get this fixed soon.

My grandson received an injury while attending a week long stay at Ondessonk in June 2026. The skin…read morewas scrapped off his knee completely. His mother received a voicemail saying that he had been injured but that it was not bad. He spent the night in the clinic and the next day his father picked him up as it was the last day of camp. The knee was wrapped and no one came out to explain what had happened. After the 2 hour trip home the leg was unwrapped exposing the injury. They rushed him to a nearby clinic to have it properly diagnosed and evaluated. The Camp and the Belleville Diocese although being informed has not made any efforts to apologize or check on his well being. I will not be sending my grandchildren there in the future due to their inept handling of this situation.

Cave-In-Rock is probably worth a stop if you happen to be not too far away…read more Tip: If you decide to visit this place, I suggest that you drive around and park near the exit if there's room there. It'll make leaving when that time comes easier. My two biggest complaints about this venue: On the weekends, you'll find so many other people visiting that it's hard to get decent pictures There's virtually no signage that explains what's what here Additionally, the venue has been defaced by various visitors over time, which makes things less pleasant for future visitors.

Cave in Rock SP is a unique laid back place. On the Ohio River, a visit to the cave namesake is a…read moremust, where pirates nicknamed River Rats would strike out or lure boats in to pilfer. We tent camped here in late July, and camping I would give 3 stars. Reserving a site would be nice since I was traveling over 7 hours to the area, and peace of mind is nice. Camp Host was fairly curt, which I've never seen. Also, no firewood to buy on site. They have a garage for wood but don't sell it and recommended the one redneck in town who sells it at a skyhigh rate. We were lucky he was at home. Bathrooms and showers at the park were impeccably clean. The park restaurant was not bad, we loved the fried catfish and acoustic guitar duo. There are rentable cabins here right by the restaurant, RV and tent camping, and plenty of hiking. Not far from Garden of the Gods!