best overall club on the lake, low dues and fees, nice members, great slips. Good balance of adult…read moreand family events throughout the year. Outdoor playground. Friendly.

Nice little zoo! We took advantage of a free admission day. The kids had a blast, staff was very…read morefriendly and knowledgeable & its so nice to not having outrageously priced food (we all ate for under $15) would definitely return in the future.

Love this zoo! Very cute! However think the birds could have better enclosures somewhere for them…read moreto fly around.

We had a great time horseback riding. My 7 year old gives you a 5 out of 5 stars.. my daughter…read moreloved it. Abby was a great guide

Great experience for our 10 year old in a trail ride. Attentive staff and great horsesread more

Review Visit: April 24th, 2017…read more Carpenter Park is more than your typical park. Since the coming of Spring, I have been getting the itch to hike. There are plenty of places to hike in Illinois, but I wanted something different. Something off the beaten path. Somewhere that wasn't Starved Rock or a 2 hour drive for me. After scouring Google Maps for a place, I stumbled upon Carpenter Park. So in my car and off to hike I go! Carpenter Park is located on the outskirts of Springfield, almost in Sherman. Taking Sherman Road in, you will find it on the right. Your turn will take you to a one lane road where it leads to a small but ample parking lot. Beware, this road is mighty bumpy and will test your suspension due to all the dips and holes. Parking at Carpenter Park, you'll easily notice the main board that has a map with the trails marked on it. Food for thought, if you ever go hiking, take a photo this is map with your phone. You never know when you will need it. I have referred to the maps on my phone many times, just to make sure I was where I thought I was. The main parking area has all the entry hiking points, so it is easy to hop on a trail and start walking. I noticed main of the trails tend to intersect and cross each other, so you could easily go from one path to another to another. While this was fine and dandy, it was at a certain point that I noticed all the crossings no longer had markers. So you really need to pay attention to where you are going or you may end up getting lost... like I did. Just like at Matthiessen State Park, I somehow wandered out of the hiking area and into the main road that leads to the parking lot. As for the trails, they are all fairly flat, well-defined and suitable for people of all hiking skills. There are quite a few that had logs laying across the path, so you will have to go around or climb over. Not a hassle for someone who is in shape, but if you are looking for a gentle walk, this may be a problem. Some paths had a path going around the logs, but it's not a guarantee. While kind of getting lost, I did stumble upon some really cool cliffs/canyon of Sandstone. They were facing the Sangamon River. If you view some of the images below, I managed to sit on a part that stuck out. It was a fantastic view as long as you didn't look down and see the rocks and river below. Thrilling! Overall, I was here just shy of 2 hours and it was a fun place to hike. It is somewhat connected to another place called Gurgens Park that seems to offer more of the same as here. So if you felt daring, you could literally cross the road that splits them and hike both places. Carpenter Park has some interesting history, if you read the Wiki link below. Guess it is an Old Route 66 attraction. How cool! If you do hike/camp/fish in nature areas, please please please pick up after yourself. I filled an entire Kroger bag full of trash. Keep Nature Beautiful.

Could use better maintenance and more signage…read more Pro tip- to find this park on google maps search "Historic Stone Shelter" This park is a nice little oasis in Springfield and my go to place for a short hike. I love the views by the river but my biggest gripe with the trails is that there aren't very many signs to delineate where trails are intersecting. The trails that are not by the water are nice for a little taste of nature but don't have any standout features. In all, I enjoy coming to Carpenter Park to hike and enjoy a scenic lunch but I wish there was better marking of the trails.

This is a decent course but they don't have anyone monitoring the pace of play and the group in…read morefront of us were blitzed out of their minds and the two guys in the group were barefoot, slow and obnoxious. This would have easily been spotted by a ranger. As for the course itself, I've seen it in better shape in the past. The greens had many ball marks that were repaired and the tee boxes were as hard as rock. The fairways were in good shape. Decent price but too slow of a round.

Really ridiculous you have a practice faculty with a range but closes at 5 every night? How are…read morepeople with work suppose to practice after? Seems like a poor business strategy to me

What a fun spot to stop. Three Dambo Trolls made by college students. You can explore a troll…read moretrail. Careful to check under the bridges. Spot a fairy house and garden. Visitor center to grab a map and a sack. Donations are always welcomed.

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.

Checked in on Monday was charged for holidays fee for one day .After a couple of hours at campsite…read morecome to find out that shower houses are closed .All I m saying is that after charging me one night at holiday rate you think you would have mentioned that the bathrooms were closed.

It advises the fishing but I've been out here for five hours and I haven't caught anythingread more

The trail is nice and well maintained for a road bike. It's a safe place to get away in…read moreSpringfield, whether you're riding a bike, walking or have your pup with you.