We had a great server, Mark, who was very attentive and kind. Food and ambiance were great! - Jill

Great atmosphere, great food and drink. Jojo, our waitress, jokes were so bad they were good. A very pleasant wait-staff.

Jojo was incredible and the food was delicious! I would highly recommend the veggie burger

Good and bad: First night evening meal was perfect, including service, blackened catfish and new mocktails. Second evening ribeye steak was nearly half gristle and inedible, service was poor because large party of 50-60 in dinning room took all the attention. The trails were well maintained and safe, and very beautiful. The cabin room was what we expected, spare and rustic. Since pets could be in the room, we worried about fleas, but it was safe. But we were charged for a pet after we had checked out, although we did not have one. So, watch your billing and keep all receipts and maybe photos for verification. The front desk was unhelpful and uncommunicative when called about the charge. The swimming pool room was empty and when we walked in the space, our eyes began to burn and breathing was challenged; too much chlorine, or pool so unclean that too much chlorine was needed. read more

Customer service! No internet. Cardboard towels. No assistance at front desk from the gentlemen on his tje entire time, or tje afternoon gal, who did not care whatsoever. Very lovely maintenance gal, definitely overwhelmed with repairs. Our one clothes rack fell constantly and the scummy floor was just too much. read more

Starved Rock Lodge - When bringing up no internet and the cardboard towels, they were suddenly fully booked. Photo later that night. Hmmm? - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

Beautiful setting. The lodge is amazing and so very typical of the type built by the CCC in the 1930's. Enjoyed some delicious food in a cozy dining room. Bar room available as well. Then take a walk to burn off that comfort-food type meal! read more

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Megan was very attentive and had a great personality. Great service! Food came out quick and hit the spot.

Megan is the best! So attentive and the burgers were amazing. Just what we needed after an afternoon hike and to celebrate my birthday!

It is so refreshing to eat home cooked fresh food. Whomever stocks provisions and manages kitchen gets it. We had better meals here than we've had in butter and salt laden Chicago scene. Props to provisions chief, he/she knows what they are doing. Second day sat at patio and Andrea was great patient server as I wanted to try other things. Great service, clean menu, beautiful nature. read more

Meghan was very helpful and quick. Drinks were refreshing after a hike and the cheese curds hit the spot.

I iust ordered the walleye recommended by Emily. Super tasty, fried perfect golden color tender moist. She also provided great service. i will be back when passing thru next time. read more

We had a great time with some great food and Jojo told us some top-notch jokes today!!

I love this place and I love this property and I hate to see management misusing the Great Room by partitioning it off for private events and now holding ticketed concerts there. That is not the purpose of an historic lodge Great Room and it's highly unpleasant for guests, especially those whose families have been guests since it was built. read more

Emily is a great waitress. The service was excellent. The pot roast and fried chicken were great.

Emily was a super server She was very attentive. The food was delicious My son especially loved the salmon dish

It was our first time eating here, and our waitress JoJo was super friendly and nice. She was very attentive and had a good sense of humor. The food was delicious, and came out fast. I would recommend this restaurant read more

Nina is awesome service. nachos is good but not great. great view and great ambience

We love staying here. Love the hiking and the lodge and the restaurant and entire atmosphere.

We didn't stay at The Lodge but we wanted to have lunch in the dining room. When we arrived there was a pretty long line to be seated and people were saying service was slow. We walked around a little and found an outdoor patio. It was a seat yourself place but most tables were not cleaned and it looked like they only had a few servers. Prices were very high in our opinion and selections were limited. The vegetation was so high around the Verandah Restaurant you could not see the river or any of the limestone rocks. We decided to leave and drive to North Utica which is only about 3 miles away. Enjoy the many trails within the park but The Lodge in my opinion is just a tourist trap.. read more

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Who puts a coffee machine and ice box in a bathroom. This place. Disgusting. Who the hell is going to use that? How stupid can you be. Who thinks of this stuff? I go to get water and there is no price on the machine. So then I have to freakin go ask? Machines always have pricing. Then I find out it's an astronomical $3.5 for a simple Aquafina bottle of water. So bring your own this is a scam. Also do not plan on using your laptop they don't pay for any decent connection, you will be crawling at 1990s speed which in this day and age is just not acceptable anymore. It's 2025 are you kidding me? Pay for the lousy upgrade for your customers for your router. Added a star or else due to the above would be a 1 because the breakfast here is actually pretty good. See attached pics. read more

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I had the chance to stay at Starved Rock Lodge this past weekend for a wedding. Here is my assessment of everything... Area: 5 stars, it's beautiful here and there is a lot to explore. I encourage you to stop at some of the shops "in town" because there is a lot of cute stuff to be found. Food: 3 stars, everything I ate from the restaurant and bar was OK, but nothing was off-the-charts amazing. There is a cafe inside the lodge and more food options down at the visitor center. There are also several vending machines sprinkled around. Accommodations: 3 stars, because I'm feeling gracious. One of my main complaints is that the shower heads far too low to the ground (I'm 5' 8" and had to squat to wash my hair under the nozzle) but there is also not a lip on the shower, so water splashes onto the bathroom floor. There were not enough blankets on the bed, and the four pillows provided were equivalent to 1.5 pillows at my house - way too flat and small. I also found several spots that didn't appear to have been cleaned in years, just caked with sticky dust. The vibe is really not "hotel" or even "lodge," but more like "glamping." I get the sense that people stay here to be in the park, not because the lodge itself is particularly appealing. Service/staff: 2.5-3 stars. During the meals on Friday and Saturday I felt that the staff were FAR TOO EAGER to get rid of our plates before we even finished eating. On Friday night especially I felt that we were inconveniencing our waiter by simply existing. During the wedding itself I felt that the bar was understaffed and the drinks were inconsistently poured. I also found it extremely peculiar that no housekeeper came to my room during my stay. It seems that they set-up the room for you and then don't come back until you check out. It would have been nice to get fresh towels and to have the bed made. Overall, I had a ball during my time here. But that is more so because of the visual sights - forest, rocks, waterfalls, birds, statues, totems - rather than the venue itself. read more

I love this place. Right in middle of hiking trails and canyons. We got 12 miles in over three days in 90 degree heat (oof) Room was great for me and two sons (youngest and I shared instead of a roll away). Room was 2nd floor near pool and café. Perfect for morning coffee. Dinner specials during week including kids eat free! If I was forced to pick a downer. Maybe gove people staying a 10% off/ free coffee coupon? Something to make us feel special We will be back! read more

Friendly staff.. relaxed atmosphere. Pool was perfect for the grandkids.. restaurant was great .. traditional ' home cooking '

We stayed for 2 nights before Christmas Eve. First of all the pros. Every staff member or server we interacted with were exceptional. Check in was easy. There is a choice of 3 places to eat in the main lodge, although the café does close at 5 p.m. in the winter, which still leaves 2 choices available. But it's very nice to be able to park your car and leave it for the duration instead of braving winter weather. Sandwiches and burgers are pricey; the main dining room entrees for dinner are about what one would expect pricewise.* The atmosphere is very rustic and the public areas were beautifully decorated for the holidays which lent a very festive touch. The roaring fire in the Great Room is a huge hit with plenty of seating areas. The dining room fireplace is also beautiful. There were several jigsaw puzzles out on the tables, but the games that were advertised as being available were nowhere in sight. *On our first night in the main dining room my husband ordered the 1/2 duck. He loves duck. It was very over cooked and dry, so much so that he had to leave 1/2 of it since he couldn't even cut it. One should also be aware that dinners do not come with salads, which we are accustomed to. My bourbon pecan glazed salmon was out of this world good as was the chicken picatta the next night. The cons. As the website and brochures fully explain, this is an OLD hotel. And it shows signs of it's age. Public restrooms had lots of rust and just not the crispy clean I like to see in a stay away from home. The rooms were nice and the pillows were actually soft, but again, signs of aging are evident in the tub, vanity, etc. Shampoo and soap/shower gel are provided, but there aren't the usual amenities like plastic or even glass glasses. Just some Styrofoam coffee cups. We were able to ask for some plastic cups at the front desk. No makeup wipes, hand lotions, hair conditioner, etc. AND, the bathrooms in the rooms are not heated nor do they have bath fans to take away the steam. And as already stated, it's not crispy new and clean. I think of importance to note is that if someone in your party uses a walker or cane, or has trouble with balance, the areas that have the natural stone floors, although beautiful to look at, are extremely uneven and would be extra tricky. I know my elderly friends could not have navigated it without help. This includes the main lobby and an area near the Great Room and main dining room. We chose a special winter price that included two $15 vouchers towards breakfast, which ends at 10:30 a.m. I would much more appreciate a $15 voucher per day that could be used at any time of the day for food. Some people are not breakfast eaters. And others, like myself, have insomnia, so if you don't get to sleep until 4 a.m., it's a given that I'm not going to be ready to eat a breakfast by 10:30. What's the big deal? Food is food, and allowing a voucher to be used at the guest's desired time would be a much greater value. So we were not able to take advantage of essentially $30 of free food. We were truly looking forward to just a completely chill out afternoon, sitting by the fireplace to read or people watch, enjoying a glass of wine or coffee. Unfortunately the Great Room doesn't always live up to its "great" expectations. A group of approximately 25-30 people including MANY children took over one corner of the Great Room. The children (and parents) decided it was OK to let their children run ragged in the attached private space (which is blocked off on the front end stating it was a private event area) screaming and screeching their shoes, and running up and down the hallways. I even heard one of the moms say, "OK, let's go run again." So much for peace and quiet. I had a woman stop me in an adjacent hallway to tell me that we were raised to have respect when we were young, and children and young adults these days have none. She reported almost being run over on the stairs and had to step aside to let the naughty children continue running down the hall as parents remained oblivious. Other couples came to sit down for a minute, and after observing what was going on shook their heads and left. So much for peace and serenity. I did note the day before that a family had rented a private room for a get together, and that seems like it should be the norm if you truly want the rest of your guests to enjoy their time. A bit later when my husband made a trip to the restroom down the hallway, he overheard someone arguing with staff about a complaint received and being told "this was their Christmas." Well, it was everybody else's Christmas too. The children weren't at a gymnasium and it really soured our experience. If your children are taught that it's OK to behave that way, then they should have probably chosen a more kid-friendly venue where running and screaming is acceptable. Overall, would we go back? I'm not sure. I love rustic and I loved the cozy ambiance. But I also like sparkly clean. read more

Love the trails and the property is stunning. We stayed at the lodge for two nights, in the hotel (wing?) side. We reserved a room with two queen beds- the room we got had two very small beds couldn't have been any bigger than a full size. The beds must be tremendously old because they are so loud to sit down let alone lay down and turn, the springs make a lot of noise. The pillows are round like balls and not soft. The beds were a disappointment overall. The wood accents in the room are beautiful. But the room is tiny and cluttered with furniture. For example, one wall is the AC fan, then a dresser with TV on top, then one chair pulled into a table, then a small fridge with a microwave and coffee maker on top. The chair was tucked so tight between the furniture there was no way to pull it out to sit down. The coffee maker is placed with the water cover propped open to hold the coffee packets, and as a result the water section is filled with dust. The bathroom is old as well, but finished with a doctors-exam room style metal shelf and mirror, and just nothing special about the bathroom at all. Appeared clean, but a cold blank canvas. Overall, they should really invest more money in their rooms, particularly the mattresses and bathrooms and declutter overall. The wood features are perfect but the rest really ruins the experience. I really like the cafe near the main entrance, the coffee and food is pretty good and the people are very nice. The restaurant is ok, but very over repriced. The food is just ok, we like the food in the cafe better. The kids had a lot of fun in the pool. Adults enjoyed the pool and sauna. Long story short, I will never stay at the lodge again. It was very overpriced for the lower quality of the stay. We will go back to our routine of driving in for our hikes but going back home and saving our money. read more

Starved Rock Lodge - Pool room - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

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Classic Illinois tourist lodge with an old time rustic cabin feel. There is a cafe for ice cream and snacks, a full service restaurant and a bar with outdoor seating serving bar food like burgers. Beware that you will pay premium prices for slow and mediocre service. There are quite a few art sculptures, paintings and photographs to enjoy throughout. They do have accessible ramps to enter the lodge. read more

Starved Rock Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

Had an amazing bourbon pairing dinner at the starved Rock Lodge Kristen was our server and it was just an excellent evening out. Highly recommend the lodge for food and drinks. read more

Starved Rock Lodge - Still Austin Bourbon pairing dinner at Starve Rock - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

I'm shocked by the negative reviews. Perhaps it's worse on weekends or peak season. But I just went during the week in April and was overwhelmed by how wonderful everything was. I arrived at 1p and they were able to check me in early. I stayed in the lodge side which was built in the 1930s. It's cheaper because the rooms are smaller but I found the room to be quite large, with a mini fridge, microwave, full sized dresser, two good sized nightstands, a table with two substantial wooden chairs. A long, narrow closet large enough for my suitcase although there was so much space in the room, I left the suitcase out and still had room to set up my yoga mat and walk around the mat. The view from my windows was beautiful although not a lot of natural light gets in, adding to the dark lodge feeling. There is an overhead light plus several lamps so I found I could make the room brighter than most hotel rooms. Bathroom was a bit small but had a full sized tub and a ledge for toiletries. Shower pressure was adequate on 3rd floor. Bed was relatively firm but not uncomfortably so. Four pillows of different thicknesses were supplied, none of which were amazing. The only negative of the room was the coffee. Only one bag of coffee was there which was ok since I was one person staying only one night. But the coffee could only make one small cup (about 4 or 5 oz) at a time and the taste was incredibly weak. I am not picky about my coffee, but this was bad. It had the weakness of a mild black tea. But overall, room was great - clean, spacious, quiet. The rest of the lodge is wonderful too. There's a seating area near the check in which is also near the little cafe which has ice cream and some quick serve items for lunch or breakfast. The other side of the lodge has a large seating area with enormous windows, near the restaurant. I had lunch and dinner in the restaurant and was impressed with the service and quality. At dinner, I started alone but a conference had two tables on the other side of the room. The attendees thought I was part of their conference. I wasn't but we were the same profession, by chance, so they invited me to join them. Even though I'd already started with one helpful server, and moved to a different server, the transition was seamless. And even though they were dealing with a large group of about 25 people with people coming in at all times, the servers were friendly and efficient throughout. Several of us commented how impressed we were. I had the chicken sandwich which was good if not exciting. The amber house beer was excellent and the woman next to me loved the house cab. Two people had the veggie burger and liked it. A couple people had salads which were large and fresh. The swimming pool area was tremendous. Warm and beautiful. Wall to wall windows make it quite bright inside. And the ceiling being wood connected it to the lodge feeling. There are several tables and chairs, plus lounge chairs. A large sized hot tub and a little kiddie pool, gated off to protect kids. The pool itself was huge and warm, with both stairs (with railings on both sides) and a chair to get in. Also showers, lockers (bring your own lock), toilets in the pool area. And a dry sauna. The other reviews made me wonder if I should stay elsewhere. But my experience only made me regret not staying longer. I'm already sad to be home and can't wait to return for a much longer stay. read more

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I really set the expectations too high, I really wanted to love and get past the horrible service and condition of the room & Veranda ( Bar) but next time we'll stay somewhere else .The room was average , when you take a shower you also take a bath( see pics) We stayed for 1 night ,room 223 and total $201. We were ignored at the bar , asked twice for the tv to be changed ( manager and bartender asked us what channel so they could change ) we asked twice for mayo for our dried microwaved burgers . We wanted to order more but the bartender ignored us and even the manager in stripped pants walked around like it was busy . Working in the industry , you had 2 couples and a single guys at the bar . You weren't busy read more

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So great food, service and selection outstanding. We keep coming back. You will too. Enjoy!!

Classic old lodge is the best way to describe it. It may have an old musty smell, but that helps one to think about the history and the stuff that's gone on. Starved Rock State Park is best known for waterfalls. Many people come from far away and choose to stay awhile. Those people usually will stay in this lodge, which has seen better days but is still a nice place. As I have never stayed here, I can't comment on the rooms or what the beds are like. I can talk about the rest of the stuff. The lodge is pretty big and is where people come for events and things. Last time there was a wedding party taking up space inside. There's a restaurant with a pretty decent menu. Also important for those looking for bathrooms. There's few bathrooms outside the lodge in the park. Also come here to pick up a map. These show all the trails and sites. Good starting point for going off exploring. It has rules about the parking lot that only lodge guests can park here overnight. The signs say they will tow you so be aware of this if you'll be here for whenever. read more

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Food and service were great. I would definitely go back again soon. Take a few friends and enjoy your time there

Dinner (Walleye & Pot Roast) was great - service was wonderful. Our server JoJo made our evening memorable. Breakfast server Jennifer crushed it. By herself with 4 tables - never missed a beat. Coffee cup was never empty. Room was fine. Prices fair Very impressed. Larry read more

Starved Rock Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

Over rated, over priced. Over $400 for 2 days. Just needed a mid day nap. A woman and her 5 kids got comfortable playing in the hallway outside my room. After a half hour I pointed out that this is a hotel. Ok. Kids are kids. They had their coats on. They were watching kids playing in the pool through the window. I still don't get it but I didn't argue. I went down to the front desk and explained. I just wanted a nap. I went back to my room to lay down and there's a family in the next room doing the same thing. Ok, I get it. Not for me. I just packed up and went home. Loud place. Costly. read more

The waitress was very attentive and kind. The service we received was excellent and the atmosphere warm from the beautiful fireplace.

We stop by the lodge for brunch whenever we are in the area to hike. The latest time we arrived at 12 PM on a Sunday for brunch. We had a reservation which was good because even though it wasn't too crowded when we first entered around when we were finishing up, the restaurant got really crowded and the buffet area had huge lines. For the brunch there was one main hot foods section in the middle and a omelette bar, sliced ham and dessert section on the other side. Food wise it is ok, pretty average older americana style buffet but it is very comforting. Our server was very efficient and made sure we had everything we needed and also made sure the coffee drinkers had a never ending supply of caffeine. All in all, a nice brunch option but nothing too amazing. read more

This place is overpriced and understaffed. Went here after our hike and regretted it. They served a burger with no frees for an exorbitant amount. Don't recommend. Pay your staffs and teach them some customer service. Stop charging people extra based off of their seating location that's ridiculous. read more

Starved Rock Lodge - Chicken sandwich and Mountain Dew & coleslaw - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

We stayed in a cabin nearby for a wedding, and given that the Lodge is the closest place to our stay...we had a couple of meals at the restaurant. We first ate at the Lodge for dinner. The prices were similar to a downtown Chicago restaurant. We did the craft beer and burger special. The beer selection was good, and the burger was fine. Nothing mind blowing. The décor felt like we were at a ski resort. The day after the wedding we ate at the brunch, but it was so packed we ate in the bar area which was a much better option as it was so much quieter. The brunch buffet wasn't cheap, but the spread was one of the largest I've seen outside of Vegas. Lost of breakfast options, and some items that looked like they were carried over from the wedding the night before. The omelet bar could not make a standard fried egg, only scrambled options. The service was friendly, but the vibe was very touristy given the beautiful area. read more

Really neat experience. Old timey sorta lodge experience with decent amenities. Just not the sort of historic and, well cool experience you find in many state parks in the Midwest. The room was nice enough... a little noisy at night, but had the right vibe and ambiance. The lodge is situated in the middle of the park with well groomed trails running thought out the part. The restaurant was descent, something for everyone... with a more casual coffeeshop off the lobby as well. This was a last minute stop for us at the end of a weeklong road trip. It was nice. read more

Starved Rock Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

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The hotel rooms remind you of your grandmother's basement. But that's part of the charm. Don't come expecting anything fancy at all. The whole place is about the park, which is beyond your expectations. the people are very nice and helpful. The food is mediocre so bring your own or just be prepared but the scenery and the proximity to Chicago can't be beat. read more

Starved Rock Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

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