Located about 2.5 hrs from Chicago, Lake Carroll has it all. I don't think there's a better place…read moreto own lakefront property. The amenities are endless. The gorgeous private lake, golf course, indoor pool, snow tubing hill with a tow rope to drag you and your tube up the hill, the lodge, and equestrian center. It's year around fun no matter what your interests are. It's very small town for Chicagoans, but the friendliness and sense of community almost feels movie-like. I really love this place.

Lake Carroll recently added weed killer to the lake due to excessive weeds. For well over a week…read morenow I have been asking for a status as members of the family were planning on swimming at the beach this weekend. I have emailed them multiple times and received no response. Multiple members of the board are on the emails and all do not feel it necessary to extend the common courtesy of an answer... STAY AWAY!!! NEGATIVE STARS FOR LAKE CARROLL MANAGEMENT IF POSSIBLE!!!

Shabona Lake is a relaxing place to enjoy nature. It's nice to walk by the lake on the paved side…read morewalks & stop at the different picnic tables & benches for just a little rest or bring a picnic to enjoy ... sunny or shadey options. Also WheelChair friendly!

Tried to make reservations online but because I'm within 72 hours I must do walk in 1st come 1st…read moreserve. I showed up to camp and found out the park has different rules than idnr or the reservation website and do not allow walk in for prime sites. All sites not registered online must sit empty. So my family was turned away, the site along with many other prime sites are going to sit empty all weekend. I even offered to pay double and I spoke to the deputy director of the park. Sad to see the park turning away money over a 72 hour online only policy

First time wakeboarder here. I've skied many times but never got up on a wakeboard. After failing…read moreseveral times I'm happy to report, with the help of the talented and patient staff, I got up and rode for my first time! Came here with my family and we had an absolute blast. Very cool park set up with a cable system. It's tough to initially get the feel of taking off from a dead stop on the dock, but I do like the fact you're level with the water. Once you get a feel for it, the turns are also difficult (for a newbie) but not impossible. For the advanced riders, they have tons of features to ride on (or jump off of). As mentioned, the staff are friendly and helpful. They are all VERY good wakeboarders so they know their stuff. You can bring your own gear or rent from them. They have slow speed sessions or normal sessions, so if you're a beginner, go for the slow. A few small criticisms I had that would be easy to fix: -We came for a slow speed session and I was bummed they bumped up the speed halfway through the session right when I started getting the hang of it and I started falling again. I wish they wouldn't advertise a speed and then change it midway. They did bump it back down at the end of the session, which was good. -I think they need a little more padding on the shore by the first turn. If you fall there, to get onto the shore, you need to walk over rocks and they're painful on bare feet. -Our two younger nephews got a small burn on their shoulder from the life jacket rubbing against them? the adults were fine so not sure what that was about. All in all, a very positive experience for us and Rockford is very lucky to have a place like this! Can't wait to come back!

West Rock is a prime example for how EVERY cable park (and business) should be run. The staff are…read moreall-time, the park layout is incredible, the locals are very friendly, and the vibes simply can't be beat. This family owned & operated business does wonders with the community and is beyond passionate about the wakeboard industry. We travel from CA every season because we LOVE this place so much. I wish it was closer to the west coast, but the location is what makes this place beyond special. If you're looking into trying wakeboarding for the first time, West Rock is BY FAR the most affordable and provides the best experience for any ability level. Ask about their never ever (first timer) classes if you've never ridden before. A private coach will go above and beyond to get you riding and loving the sport as much as we do! Thanks for always delivering a 6 star experience for every day we ride your park!

I would like to give this two and a half stars, but that's not possible, so I'm going with 2…read more We tented right along the pond (its not really a lake). The sites there are pretty, but not especially flat for tents. The pool is nice, well maintained with lots of seating. Great bathrooms, clean and well kept (possibly the cheapest toilet paper on the planet, though). Lots of other fun campground things to do like a game room, hay rides on the weekends, giant chess board, pedal bikes, canoe and peddle boat rentals, basketball courts and a bar. The bar. That seemed to be the source of the bad side of this campground. There's no information about a bar plus VERY loud, late music they play on the weekends on the website and I feel like we got the bait and switch. The rules as listed make it seem like its a family-friendly campground (quiet times are posted and there seem to be strict rules about kids making trouble and being off their sites after curfew). Maybe if you're staying in an RV with the air running this is no big deal to you. Maybe you like taking your kids to a campground where you can go after dark to drink and listen to loud music. This is your place! If not, try a state park. We had a great time at Timber Lake until dark, and then it was a bit of a nightmare. Tenters, and the peace-seeking campers beware.

My family stayed here for the weekend!! Great camping resort. Tons of activities for the…read moreadults/kids. We went Oct 13-15 and they had a Halloween contest for adults/kids, trick or treating and a haunted house, plus a lot more I'm forgetting about. Staff was very nice and friendly. I will be back next year!!

I have been going to Paradise Park campground every summer for the last 7 years. I organize a…read morelarge group and we all stay and camp for a few days. The facility is great with a beach, park and 2 fishing ponds. The convenient store is small but has the most important thing when camping ICE! They have convenient bathrooms and showers. The staff is very nice and have always been very accomidating to our large group. I have already booked our trip for this year and as long as nothing changes we are already planning to return for many years to come.

Was a seasonal camper for 6 years. Camp on the higher ground if possible as heavy rains easily…read moreflood the lower campgrounds. There is a HUGE Yellow Jacket Wasp population necessitating yearly wasp and hornet killer treatments of your camper if you plan on being seasonal. Many activities for families with younger children; my teenagers were bored out of their minds. Tubing on the river is a better option than the man made lake and beach that is taken over by the wasps in late summer through closing season. Convenience store is a huge plus and serves food. Park is well kept up overall though public restrooms need a good facelift. Seasonal pricing is a bit on the high side IMHO. Staff is nice.

I bought my first boat ever at an outdoor show this past January, from Lake Holiday Marina. As I…read morehad no place to store a boat at that point in time, my salesman, Parker, indicated they would hold the boat for me until the weather broke. That gave me plenty of time to make room to park the boat at my property. There was no storage fee for this. A big advantage for me was that because they are a marina, when I went to pick up boat, Parker took me out on the lake and showed me the nuances and safety features of operating the boat. Again, this was my first time owning a boat, so being able to pick up my boat at the dock vs a dealer's show room was a big plus. As often happens with a new vehicle, weather it be a car or a boat, I had a couple minor problems, e.g. a defective battery. I had also broken a couple of the tire down clips and the winch was bent which made bringing the boat onto the trailer difficult. I contacted Parker, who introduced me to Greg the Service Manager. Greg is a great guy and really easy to get along with. He offered to fix everything, albeit much of the work was under warranty, with no fuss or condescending "how did YOU do this?", or otherwise implying everything was fault. I can't say enough about what great guys Parker and Greg are to work with. At no time did I feel pressured to buy anything. Both guys are eager to help and readily available to answer questions. Parker was extremely patient in dealing with my "newbie" phone calls! One while actually on a lake fishing! If you are in the market for a new boat, definitely check these guys out.

This business is awful. The owner Tom called me and accused us of picking up our boat without…read morepaying for it and threatened us with legal action! I told him we'd paid for it and hadn't picked up the boat and that he needed to find our property and HE LAUGHED AT ME and said he wasn't interested in finding my property. He then had his secretary or office manager call me back to tell me that everything was paid WEEKS ago and to confirm that we picked up the boat. I told her we hadn't and about Tom's response. She ultimately found our boat and we have it now, but we will NEVER do business with them again. Stay away from this place unless you want to be threatened, laughed at and have your property lost-when you are in the right.

Located in the middle of corn fields,this 840 acre preserve is made up of woodlands,marsh and…read moreprairie. There is a small creek that runs along a gravel path that is a 1.3 mile loop around a 65ft deep quarry filled lake. Pets are welcome including horses. Swimming is not allowed but the lake is great for fishing and kayaking. Bathroom facilities are available along with plenty of parking. Part of the Kane County Forest Preserve.

Peaceful preserve with a former quarry now lake that has a gravel trail (also used by horses) going…read morearound it. Nice variety of trees and a few wildflowers. Many species of birds call this area home as there is a creek running through it as well. Part of Kane County Forest Preserves. Saw paddle boarders and kayakers enjoying the serenity. Not far off of Rt 47.

Great place to kayak especially in the morning or evening. Trails have varying difficulty with none…read moreof them being too difficult. Camping area is nice as well.

While a smaller camp site, it is still pretty nice. We stayed in the Pines, which as the name…read moreindicates, was covered in beautiful pine trees which made you feel like you were walking through a Roman colonnade. Now, I'm not very "hardcore" when it comes to camping, and this trip marked my first real tent camping trip since I was in third grade (roughly 19 years ago!), so this review is more written from the point of view of "that chick" who screams and panics at the site of any and all insects. Yes, I'm not proud to admit it, but I have to be real. For my fellow entomophobics, let's have a heart to heart. Okay, so there are bugs. Come on! It's camping. BUT, it wasn't nearly as scary or terrible as I had expected. Can I get an "amen!" I even posted some photos of the ever scary bathroom situation, just so you can see it is not like walking into a spider's web. Really...overall, it wasn't too "buggy." Now, here are some other notes about the site that will help you decide if this place is for you: Site 1 = Camp Host; This is where you pay for your camp site, which as I recall was pretty reasonably priced at about $10. Big bummer! The concession stand is closed until further notice, so give up your dreams of canoeing and ping pong. This change happened the week of our reservation, and it was very disappointing. So, if getting on that pretty lake is important to you, definitely check out their website to verify if the concession stand has been re-opened or not. Since we were tent camping, I can't speak to whether or not there were water hook-ups for RVs. If not, there is a fill station as you enter, so you should be fine. Off the beaten path, there is a historic red barn which you can tour (1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays, May - Oct, 1-4), a nearby water park, and a playground for kids. Overall, we had a very pleasant trip, and we would definitely consider going back. Until next time, sleep tight, and don't let the weird-insects-that-appear-at-night bite!