Lovely gardens. I had an enjoyable afternoon walking around the grounds. The dome is being…read moreconstructed so I didn't get to see it. I can't blame them for improvement, I will just have to come back! I'm so excited to see so many native plantings. The pollinators were out on full force enjoying the nectar. Well done!

Beautiful display!! I always appreciate the work that goes into this. I will be excited when the…read morecomplete the work on the dome.

Wha a lovely stop on my day trip today! I loved observing the winter phase of the outdoor gardens…read moreas well as the permanent art pieces and sculptures. The real treat was the greenhouse space though! I really love to learn all the names of everything around me and they're all expertly labeled with large font which my group appreciated. And nice that admission is free! Be sure to leave a donation though.

Review Visit: October 21st, 2012…read more A neat little garden tucked away in the corner of Glen Oak Park. Like many things on my travel list, Luthy's was one that I never heard of until I started looking around for things to do and places to visit. Discovering that there was a botanical garden next to the Peoria Zoo/Glen Oak Park was a surprise as I had been through the area a handful of times but never noticed it before. Sure, I saw the signs along the roads in Peoria but I figured it was nothing more than a place to buy flowers. A quick Google search soon proved I was way wrong. Doing what I do best, I loaded my car up with a few people and set out to see what the Luthy had to offer. If I remember right, there was a small parking lot available to use despite the fact the gardens is tucked away in this recreational area. We approached the front entrance and headed in. There is no fee to access the gardens but donations are very appreciated. After talking to the person at the entrance, we dropped a few bucks in to a donation box and headed towards the first part. The first place was kind of a greenhouse garden. It was inside a building that facilities the growth and sustainability to a multitude of flowers and plants. I am no green thumb but the fact that they could have so many different species in a small space was impressive. Also, they had a bunch of Nightmare Before Christmas decorations up at the time of our visit. Seeing as it was 10 days before Halloween, this must be how they were decorating for that year. I'm not a big Nightmare fan but it was cool to see them use that movie to spook the place up. As we moved on past the greenhouse, we emerged in to this open area that had a bit of a trail you could follow to see most of the outside gardens. This little path was not so little once you realized how sprawling the outside area was. There were many things to see along the way as we slowly walked and took in the scenes. They had a not just flowers and plants but small sculptures and statutes scattered throughout. Similar to what you would see in the movies when there are public gardens or mansions with a garden area the size of a city block. You can see some of these in the gallery below but in the years since, they may have changed stuff around. I said earlier that I am no green thumb, so trying to describe Luthy in technical detail is beyond my capacity. Despite that, you don't need to know the difference between a dandelion and a tulip to enjoy the sheer beauty of this place. It's a combination of quaint, serene, beautiful and peaceful. Sometimes you need those things in this day and age. If you are able to visit, please do so. You won't regret it. If Peoria, IL is no on your radar due to a million reasons, check your local area to see if there are any botanical gardens to visit. I am sure they are just as lovely.

This was such a fun place to go. They have lots of jogging trails. They have both paved and…read moreunpaved ones. Making this place a good handicap accessible place. They also have free community classes. I did a mushroom foraging class, and a maple tapping one. Lots of fun stuff for the kids to do. They have an indoor and outdoor bathrooms. They also have a free parking lot to park. The staff are very nice and helpful in the visitor center. I definitely plan to go back here. It was such a beautiful, nice relaxing place.

Review Visit: September 27th, 2016…read more I have been to Springfield, IL quite a few times, so it came to me as a surprise that there was a Memorial Garden/Nature Center dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. So, on a beautiful fall day, I decided to make a trip there and see what it was about. Talk about picking a perfect day to walk a perfect place. Parked my car, grabbed my outdoorsy hat and went walking. You could say that this place is split in two, with a section around the Nature Center and a section all on its own. There were only a few people on the trail and they were friendly. It was an enjoyable walk around the Nature Center section. Even saw two fawn play around while their mother fed. If you like to walk some easy trails while enjoying nature, this place needs to be on your list.

Fun playground for kids, with the IL river as a backdrop-- all wooden with swings and a zip line…read moretoo! We stopped here to stretch our legs on a long road trip. I'm always on the lookout for a good place to stop with kids and let them run without going too far out of our way. Its easily accessible from i74, playground is beside the Riverplex/Children's Museum so there were clean bathrooms and lots of parking-- we even had plenty of room for our trailer.

My grandson is in a class as a "Iron Ninja in training." He is 6 years old. This place is amazing…read more The coaches are fantastic. They really give these kids a work out. These kids ENJOY it is what's best of all! Great exercise and fun doing it. My grandson I like to call "A fart in a skillet" because he is everywhere all at once! He can out jump, run, climb...you name it!! This kid has enough energy for everyone. These coaches can actually handle this type of energy and love it!! My hats are off to them!!

Justin was amazing! Got us all checked in for the party we reserved. Let the boys get started and…read morelet us finish up. He could see they were getting antsy. He was attentive and took care of us really well. Lillie was our personal party assistant. I was pretty needy and kept asking for things. She did nothing but smile and was more than happy to make sure we were taken care of as well. She came and checked in with us before she clocked out for the night to make sure we didn't need anything else before she left. We will definitely be back and I truly hope they're there!

it was a perfect place for my daughters second birthday! she was very nice and helpful and very…read moreunderstandin! the kids loved it and there was a perfect space for her younger sister who's 7 months old to roam!

From the owner: Playsynthesis is a children’s activity center located in Bloomington, Illinois. Our indoor play…read morespace is ideal for families with young children, with toys and equipment best suited for kids 8 years old and younger, though we do not have an official age limit. We’re always open to collaboration and love finding new ways to work together! For example, we’ve partnered with a local mom for birthday events, provided space for playdates, hosted a weekly moms’ meet-up with a family agency, offered parenting workshops, and taught music therapy classes at our facility.

I was happy with the front of the facility which catered to littles. Of course, my four year old…read moregrandson wanted to go into the climbing structure in the back. There were no signs regarding age, so I saw no reason to refuse. There was another little boy about three back there, too. Both of them got up in the structure, couldn't see their mom and grandma and wanted to come out. The complexity of the structure made it confusing to find their way out and they both started screaming for us and panicked. The man at the front desk just kept on reading his book or phone and ignored the chaos. I am way too old to try to climb up into the thing so I was lucky that the young mother retrieved her son then went after my little guy. Much better supervision is needed there. I won't be back.

We L O V E love love love Ergadoozy!!!! The building really is massive which we were not expecting…read more Our 20 month old still isn't walking unassisted and our house is so small that she can get anywhere while walking along and holding onto a table, chair, or couch. Ergadoozy has tons of open area to encourage her to take some independent steps! The little shopping carts she loves to hold onto and walk so while it's not totally independent, we'll take it, lol. We got the 6 month pass and it's already paid for itself with how often we've gone. I haven't had any other issues with kids or parents and everyone has been so polite, even helping my daughter stand back up when their kids might bump into her while playing. It's so nice to have a space for kids to be kids! It can be loud and busy, so if you aren't a fan of that maybe go later in the evening on weekdays when it's slower. I love that kids can run around yelling and be kids in a safe environment. It's also great for her to try new toys so we're building a nice Christmas list every time we go, lol. There's a gift shop inside too so we try to steer her away from that.

Very fun play to play at! The prices for everything are really cheap! My only complaint is that…read moreABOUT half way through out battle ball experience my knuckles started hurting because of the plastic falling off on one of the handles. Afterward my knuckles were really bruised, so if you plan on going I recommend bringing some sort of gloves! Other than that! Great place!

From the owner: Rentals for your next eventread more

This place is extremely understaffed and the few people that do work here seem completely…read moremiserable. Also the rides aren't even fun including the adult rides, which also seem to not have been safety checked in a long time. Another thing is the time of the rides is extremely short on top of them being expensive, it takes longer to load the ride then the ride actually lasts. Just terrible!

Pretty cool place for families to eat and have a little fun…read more Carnival rides and mini golf. Video games including a pinball machine. Pizza is delicious. Sweet sauce. Table Service is just so so. Seems like the waitresses have to walk a mile to get to the kitchen or simply refill a drink. Has a nice outdoor patio as well.

Best rock climbing gym ever outdoor bouldering ever Isaiah deserves a raise same with Wilson and…read moreOlivia!!! Highly recommend!

I decided to stop by this climbing gym while traveling from Chicago to St. Louis because of the…read morepositive reviews here on Yelp. When I read that I would be able to climb inside a silo, that really got me excited. However, when I finally got there, my initial excitement quickly diminished. First of all, I didn't like the idea of being charged for taking a belay test. Also, the locker room/bathroom was rather small for changing. Although the outdoor bouldering space sounded appealing, you are required to either bring your own crash pad or rent one from the gym. The route markers were also quite small. If you think you would enjoy top-roping inside a silo, then you will be quite satisfied with this place.