My Son and I stayed at Ol Pine Lodge in September. The pictures of the rooms/cabins were really…read morenice but they were even better than we expected. The beds were so comfortable and everything was clean and fresh. We sat at the lakefront fire pit and had a wonderful time. Fishing off the dock was fun, and the only disappointment was that some huge fish broke my line and took my lure...I thought the pole might break. We wanted to take the kayaks out but ran out of time. Highly recommended.

From the owner: We are a family owned vacation rental lakefront/beach property. The vibe at Ol Pine Lodge is…read morefamily friendly, relaxing and will be a great place to kick back and relax at the lakefront. Bring a boat and dock it at our piers. We have kayaks available upon request to allow you to escape early as the sun rises on the lake.

The area is absolutely breathtaking. There are lots of different things to do like hiking and…read morebirdwatching. There was a winter event when we visited and everyone was so inviting and welcoming.

We took a nice 2.5 mile hike and really enjoyed our hike at Glacial park. Trails are great and just…read morea truly beautiful part of illinois. The rolling hills are overall easy to moderate for the most part. The colors of trees where amazing at this time of year and really enjoyed the cooler weather as we hiked along the well maintained trails. We hiked the glacial park loop for about 2.3 miles and brought our dog who loved it! I would highly recommend heading to Glacial Park for this wonderful sights and wild life adventure!

Steve was great and made sure everything was ready for us for an afternoon fishing trip. He was…read morealways available for questions and to make sure our day went perfect. Will 100% come back next spring and already told another friend about his boat rental service.

I had an appointment with another company, but he had a family emergency. Steve from Powers Lake…read morecalled me at 7:15 and had my boat ready by 7:45. They were so friendly and efficient. They even told me some good spots for fishing, since this was my first time here. They were top notch on everything I needed and helped me have an awesome time fishing with my nephew.

I wanted to try Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) for about forever…read more The concierge at the Abbey gave me a coupon for a discount rental at nearby Fontana Paddle so I decided to finally give it a go. It was an excellent decision. Rates are reasonable. They fit you with a flotation vest, changing rooms are available and they have small lockers. You do not want to have your smartphone on you in the event you fall in the water on the lake. It is better to lock it up, IMO. The training overview was pretty detailed and there is a lot to remember and coordinate all at once. I liken it to riding a bike or driving a car. Once you learn it, you'll always have it and it becomes normal/natural, until then, you have to remember to switch hands, stay balanced, etc. I did go out too far from where they told me to stay, but that was unplanned. A little wind and then a boat sent me even further out which resulted in my instructor dude coming out on board to see if I was okay and if I could get back in on my own. Embarrassing, but also super cool because he gave me some on water tips that I somehow already had forgotten. Also, the further out you go, the more the wind affects you and there are more boats, so you can expend more energy on balancing rather than paddling enjoyably along. Once my guy knew I was okay and headed more in the right direction he went back and I went on to a very enjoyable experience. Prices are good. Staff is helpful. Get out early on summer weekends, too many boats on the lake will not make for a good SUP experience.

Perfectly located on the shore of Geneva Lake in Fontana. You can walk 20 feet to the lake to…read morelaunch. I have been in the store/shop countless times over the years. They have a huge selection of standup paddle boards, kayaks and accessories. I am actually wearing one of their shirts right now. Cool thing is, I just found out they sell ans rent snow shoes also. Being right on the lake, a hike on the lake path is something to behold anytime of year. A lot of my Rockford, IL friends kayak and have either friended them on facebook, visited the website or store itself. If you have any questions while you are there, which I always have plenty which I think some are kind of dumb, they are right there to answer them. I plan to take my family for lessons this Spring.

Nice place for a walk and to observe nature. During the winter the indoor bathrooms are closed, but…read morethere is a porta potties. (Bring your own TP and hand sanitizer!) Trails had maps available and decent signage.

This is a great place for a pet friendly, on-leash walk with your dog. The limestone trails are…read moreflat and soft, and the trails around the water were busy, even on a chilly morning. There's a lot to see here and a variety of ways you can head on the path. I saw plenty of people fishing, no boats out yet, and a lot of other dogs and strollers. If your dog is not good around many other dogs or people, this might not be the place for you to walk on a busy day. But I did notice other directions you can walk, away from the water, that doesn't have as much traffic. The views are nice (if you can get past the fact that the giant mound you're seeing is garbage underneath) and the grounds seem well-kept and clean. There's plenty of parking, too. The only negative is getting around the goose poop and some litter blowing around in areas. But overall, it is a nice place to get some exercise in.

I had an amazing experience renting a canoe from Scull and Oars! The canoe was clean and…read morewell-maintained, and the staff greeted me with warm smiles, clear instructions, and genuine enthusiasm. A perfect outing...highly recommend!

No one answers the phone and the location given is a general store. Not a kayak rental place…read more Store employee reports that "they used to rent kayaks here but not for awhile".

TRANQUIL KAYAKING ADVENTURE FULL OF WILDLIFE & FAUNA The…read moreHubby and I love to Kayak. We were exploring options and wanted a longer Kayaking Adventure than the average 2 hours or less, starting and ending at the same place. We were up for a "challenge". Found River Guide Kayaks on Groupon on the very last page: Kayaking for 2 people, 2 Kayaks: $49. Sign us up! Richmond, Il is located in the North/West section near the Wisconsin border. You can book your trip online using the Groupon coupon code. It's normally $60 per person. Again, we would've never discovered this place without Groupon. Due to the limited Kayaks available, there are 2 launch times: 10am & 11am, 10 Kayaks per launch. The Glacial Park Landing site is marked by a sign. However, slow down and LOOK for the sign. We missed it and ended up turning around in the farmer's driveway. We also reached out to Tim the Owner by cell who called us back within a few minutes but, we figured it out the meeting site by that time. There are 2 Guides who meet you at the pick up site/Glacial Park. Leave your car parked here and bring only the essentials with you. The Guides will give instructions on how to Kayak (just paddle or not), if the River is running high or low. You will then be piled into into a van or truck where you will be driven to the actual launch site. There are indoor porta potties at both sites. Because the trip will take at least 3 hours, use the facilities. Hold your breath, cause they are super stinky. We worn our swim suits under our regular clothes and flip flops. We brought a back pack to stuff them in. There is a cut out in the back of the Kayak for storage. We brought a few snacks and water bottles. There is a water bottle holder in the front of the Kayak. Bring 2 per person. The Nippersink Creek is almost 7 miles long. It zigs and zags with very small rapids which are not even classified because they are so small. But, super fun to navigate. Nippersink is a relatively shallow creek FULL of wildlife! We saw a large selection of bids, fish, butterflies and even Beavers building their home. The terrain does change as you head south on the creek. You will pass 5 Bridges before you come to the exit. The Guides will help you out of the Kayak at this site. The Hubby and I did some medium paddling and also drifted, it took us 3 hours. Other Kayakers took longer than us as they did less paddling, you have up to 5 hours to finish. Bring your cell phone to take photos along the way. Either store it in a ziploc bag or plastic container, you will get a little wet from the drops from the paddles. Also, use your sunscreen. Relax and enjoy your trip, it's amazing! P.S. You will most likely not see ANY civilization along the Creek, just a few fishermen. Don't panic, the Zombies did not attack the World while you were gone ;)

From the owner: Kayaks for rent on beautiful rivers.read more

Offshore contacted Eddyline and changed their order with them so I could have two matching colored…read morekayaks, a Caribbean 12 FS and a Caribbean 14 FS, and delivered them to my home in Noblesville Indiana. My local Eddyline retailer was unable/unwilling to do the same. Great communication and pleasant demeanor. Highly recommend Offshore in Lake Bluff.

We spoke with Sam from Offshore, regarding repairs to our Zodiac boat…read more After much discussion with Sam his integrity became apparent in that his honest opinion was that spending additional money to repair this boat would not be worth while. He is to be commended for his honesty in appraising the return value for the expenditure for the need repairs. He took the time to honestly evaluate our Zodiac boat rather than turn just a "quick profit". We honestly would not have know the difference. He runs his business in a forthright manner to be commended in this day and age the "Quick Profit". Thank You M. Jens

If you're local it's awesome , if you're an out of towner like me you have to pay to park then pay…read moreto get in which sucks

What an amazing place! How did I not ever know about this? It is free for entrance otherwise it's a…read morefive dollar visitor fee. If you wish to go to the main beach, that's an additional $12 if you are not a resident of Crystal Lake. The grounds are immaculate, very well maintained, and the bathrooms are clean. There are two lakes, multiple pavilions that you can rent ahead of time. Lots of picnic tables for you to sit down. Near the bar and grill while you can't go in the water, you can take your drink and sit on one of the cheers on the beach. You can watch people practice on their WaveRunner. Swing on the swings at the bar and listen to great music. I did not have any food here. I did have an amazing Mojito. The bartender was a young man looking to join the Barrington police force. Polite, kind and also had great customer service skills. The reason why I didn't give it five stars is that there are absolutely no markings anywhere as to what trail you are on, how long of a trail it is, and where there may be porta potties. There aren't any maps or QR codes and it was a bit confusing as I came upon several wise and the trail to decide which way to go as I had limited time there. Given the fact that everything is so nicely taken care of I don't know how they can't have at least some markings on the trails that they have there. One of the workers sent me direction and it literally just took me to a pavilion. They have kayaks, canoes, paddle boats and SUP boards. They also offer lessons for SUP depending on the day. Lots of people fishing. Amazing Place! Please add signage for the trails! The pop and water machine near the beach entrance did not work. Hopefully those are checked daily to repair.

They have an amazing brisket sandwich that you can get on gluten-free sourdough bread. The…read moresourdough bread is the best gluten free bread I have ever had. I have had gluten free bread that tastes almost like regular bread, but it is never as moist as regular bread. Their sourdough tastes every bit as good as regular sourdough. They even sell the individual loaves. The service has been excellent every time I have been there. The sourdough bread and the brisket will keep me coming back.

Our first visit. Staff are very acknowledgeable, but we waited to have our order for at least 15…read moremins. Server was distracted. Food is good but price is high of how much amount they serve. I wanted to have half bacon & sausage, server says they don't do it. I was hesitant to leave, then the fire alarm went off. It was very loud. Apparently the chef burnt something in the kitchen. Place is clean & it looks like it just got remodeled. Beautiful water view. Am I coming back maybe. But if I have to wait that long to order my food. NO THANK YOU!