Quick to pick up a beverage or snack. Great pizza or burgers and fries, onion rings, cheese balls…read moreand lots of other choices. Friendly staff.

FW Kent Park continues to be a family favorite. Both because of how close it is to Iowa City (it's…read morejust three miles west of Tiffin on Highway 6) and it's beauty. We popped over this weekend for some fresh air and fall family photos. I am always just in awe of how busy the park is year round. Since my last review both of my kiddos have had the chance to take school field trips out to visit the Conservation Education Center, which is located at the park. It offers year-round educational programs and workshops. The staff is knowledgeable and the kids always have a blast. There's something for everyone at this gem. A bird blind for bird watchers. Access to the entire shoreline for anglers. Nine miles of trails for hikers and cross-country skiers. Seven historic bridges for photographers and families looking for fun family photos :) A large campground for campers-- available April through October. As well as a handful of picnic shelters (available via reservation). And, of course, Kent Park beach, my family's favorite (open Memorial Day through Labor Day) -- it is pristine, free and a great time. Overall, FW Kent Park is a wonderful place to get outside and clear your head. Drive over and explore today!

This is a beautiful park with super interesting geological formations (especially striking at the…read morelower level picnic area and the Punchbowl Trail). For a quick visit the Punchbowl Trail is a good short hike (a couple of miles to and back?) but there are some steep stairs if you end up on certain paths. To avoid the stairs park at the lower level and hike on the (mostly) level path to and back... The Boundary Trail is also awesome and usually very peaceful, but it takes quite a bit longer and there will be a few steep hills... The Pine Creek Grist Mill is a picturesque historic site in the park, with its own spacious parking lot, a cool bridge across the creek, and an old schoolhouse and cabin...the mill is open limited hours during part of the year...it was interesting to see the mill machinery and learn about the historic flour-making processes (but it's very hot in the building during the summer months)... Nice shelters and campsites, too, some with fireplaces and fire pits...there's probably not a spot in the park that is not scenic!

Visited for the first hike of the spring. It is my first time here. We drove from Iowa City and it…read morewas about 50mins of views of empty corn field (well it is just Iowa). The park is not very big. We went on an hiking trail near the parking lot. It would have been nice to have some sort of map or marking/signs in the park but we failed to find any. As an result I think we made a wrong turn and had too short of a hike as the result. No running water available in the bathroom so be prepared to bring hand sanitizer. But otherwise the visit was enjoyable, my friends' bunny enjoyed hopping around on the grass near the picnic area (pretty clean).

Not a great place for fishing. The lake is beautiful and the trail is nice. However if you want to…read morecatch any of the many fish you can see jumping out of the water, good luck. The lake is not accessible except for the very small sandy beach. The fishing jetty is so overgrown with trees and other vegetation; impossible to drop a fishing line.

When I was growing up my mom would always say, "Go outside and get the stink blown off you!"…read more Terry Trueblood Recreation Area is the perfect place to do that. The wide, paved loop around Sand Lake is 1.9 miles long and always has motivated joggers, leisurely walkers, families with strollers, bicycle enthusiasts and leashed four legged friends enjoying it. The lake is cool during the summer. You'll definitely see people fishing, canoeing or kayaking, a dog swimming and much more. (You can rent equipment at Fin &Feather H2O right then and there, on site.) Besides taking my family here to have 'the stink blown off them' we have also taken family photos at Terry Trueblood. They have really turned out fabulous with the water in the background. There is ample parking, a little play area for kids and a handful of shelters to enjoy lunch in, or have a party. There is also a lodge and while I have never rented it, I have friends who have and their events turned out great. Bring your family, your dog ... maybe your bike or your workout here and enjoy!

What a beautiful park!…read more During a quick trip to Iowa we kept our activities limited to outdoor activities and carry out eats. I pulled up the Yelp app to find a park to explore and voila, there was Vander Veer Botanical Park. It was a toasty 93 degree day so we were quickly drawn to the plentiful shaded spaces found throughout this large park. In addition to a botanical garden (which we didn't visit specifically), they also have a rose garden, small pond with a fountain, long shaded promenade, and plentiful paved paths for walking. We strolled through the rose garden and then were naturally drawn to the long shaded walkway that leads up to a large and entertaining fountain at the end. This park has so many lovely uses for varying audiences and interests. Highly recommend giving it a visit if you find yourself in the Quad Cities!

It the most fun me and my kid add I love how handicap accessible it was in the summerread more

Came here to kill some time in between appointments. Being a native Cedarapidian, I've never…read morevisited City Park. On the coldest day of the year I decided to park my car and watch the birds ---- bald eagles to be exact. At least 25 of them. Just, wow! Is this an Iowa City thing? If so, I'd drive here just to bird watch at City Park more often. Looks like a fabulous little park (from what I can see under all the snow). Would be a fun place to come back and visit during the warmer months. Recommend - if for no other reason than to bald eagle watch!

One of Iowa City's signature parks, new investments in the last few years have really improved this…read moreriverside gem. At more than 100 acres, it's massive and divided into Upper and Lower City Park. Outdoor pool? Check. Huge, new adventure playground? Check. Trails? Check. In addition to standard play features, City Park also boasts Riverside Theatre's Shakespeare Stage, historic cabins and public art. I do wish the pool was a modern aquatic center and the park had more wintertime activities, such as an outdoor skating rink. All around though, a solid place to spend a morning or afternoon!

Love it it's great lot of action in fishing all types of fish . Very clean . Easy access. One of…read moremy favorite places to go fishing .

Really nice pond in the middle of town. It has a trail around the pond that connects up easily to…read morethe bike trail and to other wide sidewalks adjacent to the park. The pond is stocked with fish, so there's usually a few people out trying their luck at that, either along the shoreline or at the fishing pier. You'll see families, bicyclists, joggers, and walkers out around the area. There's parking along the street and also a lot at the north side to provide plenty of parking. There are some delicious restaurants that back right up to the park if you get hungry while you're there or if you need a walk after your meal.

Sites sizes and extremely narrow turn around weren't mentioned on sites, this is No big Rig 40 ft…read moreor mor friendly. Site let us book site #4 even asking for size of rig, but once we arrived Large signage read-No Big Rigs ,narrow to no turn around for this site. We disconnected our tow car and drove around looking for a spot. We were able to locate site 30 which read 45 ft with full hook ups. However we barely at 40 ft fit,even had to back up Over fire ring to fit and park our tow. We then saw it is electric only,Not full hook ups. We are parked and staying for our original 3 nights, however we are very disappointed at the discrepancy in the description of park,it is really for for TT,Campers, tents..id say 34 ft max for sites. Make sure you scout your site first to assure you will fit

Amazing park with paddle boats kayaking beautiful ladies plenty of water and trails to hike camp…read moreand fish picnic family reunions

Scenic and popular park with plenty of picturesque spots along the Cedar River and woodsy hiking…read moretrails. It was very busy when we visited one weekend, especially along the Cedar Cliff Trail at the far end of the park. We encountered several beautiful viewing areas of the river along this trail and also a short trail up towards the cute camping cabins. There are lots of stone benches to rest on. A wedding was in progress at the lodge, which is available, according to the website for day use. Some of the trails (like the one leading up to the lodge from the beach) are narrow and winding....but fun to hike! I particularly liked all the stonework we came across, such as could be seen with the signs, shelters and restrooms.

Palisades is my favorite local outdoor escape. My only complaint is that it's not a larger park,…read moremostly so the trails can be longer. They have a few different routes to explore through the woods and along the river. At the right time of day with the sun coming through the trees, it can feel pretty magical. I don't know that I'd describe the trails as beyond beginner, but there are some steep and rocky portions that require a sure foot. Speaking of rocky bits, if you're a climber, there are a few spots in the park to do so once registered with DNR. Along the river, you'll find folks fishing and there's a boat launch somewhere too. The park also offers camping and cabins. There's a reason Palisades is such a popular spot for special photos - particularly in the fall, it's absolutely gorgeous! Grab a hammock and your hiking boots and get on out there!

Great park and historical site in Rock Island that's an important part of Native American culture…read more If you want to know more, come here and check out the museum about it. Black Hawk State Historic Site is located on the former location of an amusement park, that's no lie. Lodge has a museum about the famous warrior and the village that was here. The rest of the park has other feature such as trails. Black Hawk was a famous chief. In the 1800s the Sauk tribe was living here. They were later forced to move west. Soon this area became an amusement park. The railroad was used to bring people here, and when cars got popular, the park didn't have as many visitors. It soon closed. Then the Civilian Conservation Corps build the lodge and made the area a park. All this can be learned by visiting the museum. This is located in the lodge, and you can watch a video about the history of all this. Also there's trails for hiking. One overlooks the Rock River. Elsewhere in the park is the site of an 1886 coal mine. There's also a pioneer cemetery with a few old tombstones. Also there's lots of deer. The last time here we came across a bunch in the woods just standing around and eating leaves. Cool place as far as this area goes. It's got a lot of history to it. The museum in the lodge is helpful for learning about whatever.

I spent three days in Moline for a business function at the iWireless center. I needed a break so I…read morefound this park on Yelp. Moline is rather compact so this is a about 15 minutes from the downtown area. The park is named for Black Hawk, the leader of the Sauk people who built a rather sophisticated culture in the Mississippi basin area. The draws are the native peoples museum and the surrounding park with hiking trails. I visited the museum and walked down to the banks of the Rock RIver. The musuem has about five or six dioramas which give you a pretty good idea of everyday life for the Sauk people of the area. As I walked the path straddling the river I couldn't help thinking that this path was in everyday use hundreds of years ago.. From my visit I learned: * the native peoples in the area had a rich culture * it wasn't exactly a picnic living in the path of Europeans as they moved westward (google Black Hawk War) * my knees aren't what they were as I made it down the steep path to the river. Here is the lowdown from the website: Pause a moment and picture a forest in the middle of the city -- an urban paradise... Hiking trails that wind deep into the woods, up rugged hills and along the banks of a gentle river, remote spots where nature wraps around you...the songs of birds...scampering squirrels...oaks that were here when the first pioneers came... Picnic shelters with stone fireplaces, a museum of Native American life, a nature center where children can learn the values of the natural world, playgrounds, a rustic lodge that a duke would envy...

We hiked at both the main park and the Ralph Martin Conservation Area (off of Loud Thunder Road)…read more The latter is 240 acres of conservation land, with wide mowed paths (a few long uphills); the Conservation Area might be a good place to hike if you like very peaceful walks but I would recommend visiting the main park first especially if you have limited time). At the Conservation Area we found only one small deserted parking lot and walked about half a mile in and back, never encountering a soul but traipsing through various fields and wooded areas....bring some sort of bug repellent! So.....the main park is where you probably want to be...this covers a huge area, has a beautiful scenic lake, boating ramps, playgrounds, a horse arena, camp sites and of course, plenty of hiking trails, many difficult to navigate and easy to get lost on... The Sac Fox South Trail goes through a meadow (the South Prairie Restoration I think) which is filled during the summer with an abundance of wild bergamot. But this trail is very long...make sure to have a map and water with you and allow plenty of time....

Not sure why al the bad reviews but they were from a few years ago. Staying at the new Deer Haven…read morecampground, they have full hookups, just opened for this season. Quiet ,clean, friendly staff at Park office. Lake George is beautiful. The only thing lacking is some trees around campsites, but showers and flush toilets are clean.