Enjoying the Outdoors in and Around Illinois

Lincoln Memorial Garden on Lake Springfield, IL

2015-09-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

Looking for an afternoon of easy walking with the family? Lincoln Memorial Garden on Lake Springfield may be just the ticket. With 100 acres and 6 miles of reasonably flat trails looping through the woods and next to the lake, this is a great spot to take the kids, or just to get away for the afternoon for some time of quiet reflection. Late in the day, you may catch some deer or other wildlife crossing the trail as well. They also have numerous structured activities for the whole family.

For more information, visit them online at http://www.lincolnmemorialgarden.org/

Happy trails!

CWLP Wildlife Santuary in Springfield, IL - Watch Wild Deer Up Close!!!

2014-11-21T15:12:00.000-06:00

Looking to show your kids some deer or just enjoy a walk with nature all around? This park is a wildlife photographer's dream!

Get up and close with the wildlife at this park. Deer around here are still a little skittish so you can't feed them or anything, but you can usually drive right up next to them and get some great pictures. There is also a secluded picnic area with a nice playground here at the end of the road. Enjoy!

Official website with more details is http://www.cwlp.com/lake/lakeparks/wildlifesanctuary.html

Rochester Community "Princess" Park, Rochester IL

2014-11-21T14:44:00.001-06:00

Rochester Community Park or better know as the "Princess Park" to my kids is one of our favorite parks. An enclosed wooden castle style jungle gym to go play on, picnic & shelter area, pond close by, and tons of open space to play, what more can you ask for? If you have young kids, just go, you'll thank me!

This park also has other community events frequently like a fireworks display (sparks in the park http://rochesteril.org/sparks-in-the-park), small fairs, etc. For more info, just visit http://rochesteril.org/ and look under community activities and events.

Carpenter Park in Springfield IL

2011-10-24T08:16:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for a simple, secluded, and beautiful place to hike and observe nature near Springfield, IL, this is an ideal spot. Dirt paths crisscross this 434 acre park next to the Sangamon river, providing some really great views. Sit down next to the river, and enjoy some peace and quiet. I recently had a doe and two fawns walk by as I was sitting next to the river, and have run across dozens hiking off the trails, so sit long enough or walk far enough and you might get to see them or their friends. The entrance to this park is just inside the entrance to the Rail Golf Course. Pick and choose your hiking style, you can walk fairly easy flat paths, or venture off for some fairly rugged climbing up steep banks. Not quite the mountains, but you can work up a pretty good sweat here if you want to go off the beaten path a little.

It is easy to hike for 5-10 miles here if you want to get off the beaten path, this runs into Gurgen's Park which is another 270 acres. I would recommend a GPS app like AllSport GPS for the Android until you get used to the terrain, you can follow the river but it winds quite a bit so being able to take a little more direct path for the trip back might be helpful.

Treasure Hunts!
Looking for a little more adventure? Check http://www.letterboxing.org/ and http://www.geocaching.com/ to see if there are any treasures to be found today! If not, why not hide something so that the next person can find it?

More Information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_Park
http://www.springfieldparks.org/parks/carpenter.asp

Tanner's Orchard - near Peoria IL

2011-10-19T20:06:00.000-05:00

If you haven't been to Tanner's Orchard located about half an hour just north of Peoria, you are missing out! This place has it all for kids, and can quickly become an annual or semi-annual family tradition that can be counted on to be remembered for a lifetime. So what's so special that people drive from all over to get here? Read on.

Corn Maze
Have fun trying to find your way through this huge corn maze. Give a map to your little pilot and watch them take off. They often have multiple paths, ranging from one to two miles long, so you can get a great walk in while entertaining the youngsters.

Playground
This place has an awesome playground. Unfortunately you have to pay to play, but it is well worth it. There is enough here that the kids will play until you drag them out or they fall over from exhaustion (yes, they'll sleep well tonight!). Big hills, tractors to pedal, miniature golf, a train and school bus to climb around in, swings, slides, tether ball, pony rides, and more await your little guys here.

Goats
Yes, there's goats here...a lot of them. Pet and feed them, or watch them climb up a unique ladder system amongst and between the buildings. Yet again something you may need to drag your kids away from to see the rest of this place.

Rides
There are many rides to be found here for the kids, including a barrel train and a wagon ride to go pick your apples or pumpkins.

Apples, Pumpkins
Of course you may think orchard...doesn't that mean apples, pumpkins, etc? Yep, and they have a ton of them. Go on a wagon ride into the orchards or fields themselves and go pick however much you can carry! This would be a great way to get pumpkins for carving for Halloween, have fun!

Tanner's Website
http://www.tannersorchard.com/

Centennial "Big Hill" Park - Springfield, IL

2011-10-19T19:32:00.001-05:00

Centennial park in Springfield IL is a great spot during the summer and winter alike to get out and enjoy on a sunny day with the kids. This is a relatively new park, so there is not a lot of shade here so it can get warm during the summer and you may want to take to the cover of somewhere like Washington Park. When snow flies you cannot find a better sledding hill anywhere near Springfield! During the warmer months, there is an awesome playground, tennis courts, biking paths, and even a skateboard park, and the park is not heavily used so you're usually not tripping over a lot of people. See you there!

http://www.springfieldparks.org/parks/centennial.asp

Colburn Park in Loami, IL

2011-10-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for a peaceful place to let the kids play, look no farther than Colburn Park in Loami, IL located less than half an hour west of Springfield. This peaceful spot is great for letting the younger kids run off some energy at the playground while you or the older kids kick back with a fishing pole at the lake across the parking lot. This offers a unique opportunity for everyone to have fun.

Playground
The playground here is pretty basic, slides, tic tac toe, and monkey bars, but is plenty to keep the little ones entertained for quite some time.

Picnic Area
There is a nice picnic area next to the playground, perfect for an enjoyable lunch or supper without breaking the bank.

Fishing
What would a park be without some great fishing? Bass, bluegill, and channel cat all call this 10 acre lake home. Best of all, you can drop in a line while keeping an eye on the playground! Or if you don't have the kids, go for a hike around the backside of the lake for a little better fishing spots. I'm sure I've had my bait taken by at least a fifty pound catfish...or maybe it was just a tree :). Good luck!

Washington Park in Springfield IL

2011-10-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

If you live in or around Springfield, IL, don't pass up the opportunity to stop in at Washington Park located at S Grand Ave and MacArthur Blvd. This is a great park for many activities, a quick walk over the lunch hour, fishing with the kids on the weekend, feeding the ducks, playing Frisbee, hiking or just enjoying a quiet picnic.

Playgrounds

There are at least two playgrounds located in the park. The main one will give your kids hours of enjoyment, and has space for playing Frisbee, throwing balls, or just playing tag to the side. Tired of the munchkins climbing the walls at home? Sand pit, swings, slides, rock climbing, and much more will keep your kids entertained for free for hours, just think of it as free babysitting!

Hiking

Many people do not realize there are many hiking trails scattered throughout this park. Check around the ponds and behind the playgrounds for several nice trails! As with any hiking trip, if you are going in the summer, hose everyone down with some deep woods off so you can enjoy it without being carried off by the mosquito's.

You will usually see squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and an occasional deer during your hikes. Sit down on the side of the trail for 10-15 minutes and watch the forest come alive around you!

Ducks
You (and your kids) can enjoy seeing the ducks, just watching them or feeding them. If you feed them, get ready to be mobbed! You can also drop small pieces of bread in the water and feed the fish as well. Tip of the day - the bread store next to the gas station at the corner of Jefferson and Bruns lane often has "duck food" or stale/expired bread available very cheap. Just be aware a "bag" is a grocery bag full of bread, so that's a lot of bread! Imagine my surprise when I asked for several bags the first time...

Fishing
I haven't seen many big fish out of these ponds, but my girls absolutely love fishing here because it is so fun. Get some small wax worms, put them on a #8 hook with a bobber, and you should get a little sunfish with almost every cast during the summer and fall months in the right spots. If you aren't getting bites, move! Toss them back so the next person can enjoy!

Treasure Hunts!
Check http://www.letterboxing.org/ and http://www.geocaching.com/ to see if there are any treasures to be found today! If not, why not hide something so that the next person can find it?

Other Activities
There are lots of other activities to keep you busy as well, ranging from the botanical garden, to tennis, to music in the park. Check out http://www.springfieldparks.org/parks/washington.asp for more information.