Illinois Travel Guide 2009 - (Page 27) Karnak that leads through the Cache River State Natural Area in Belknap, home to a magnificent cypress-tupelo swamp. Stop in at the Barkhausen Wetlands Center to discover more about this fascinating area. Learn the ropes of rock climbing at Vertical Heartland Climbing School in Buncombe. Sign up for a full- or half-day session held on the school’s private cliff in Johnson County. Instructors will help you master a 20-foot beginner’s rock climb before tackling the 120-foot Draper’s Bluff. Advance reservations are required. Grafton’s Pere Marquette State Park, located in the Southwest region, is the largest state park in Illinois. At the Pere Marquette Visitors Center, view exhibits about explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, and pick up trail maps. Eight different trails take hikers past wetlands, underground springs and an Indian burial mound. Other outdoor activities include biking, boating, fishing, horseback riding and bald eagle-watching in the winter. KAREN HIRSCH GOLF ILLINOIS Take a swing at this short list of some of the state’s top golf courses Harborside International Golf Center, Chicago Harborside beckons urban golfers with two 18-hole championship courses designed by Dick Nugent, spread out over 450 acres with panoramic views of the Chicago skyline and Port of Chicago. Golfweek magazine ranks Harborside as the third-best municipal golf course in America. BY AIR See Chicago from the open cockpit of an old-fashioned biplane with Red Baron Rides, based at the suburban Schaumburg Airport. Hop into the fire-engine-red airplane, strap on your retro leather helmet and get ready for amazing views of the city from 2,000 feet up in the air. Take to the skies with Silver Lining Balloons. Sunrise and sunset hot air balloon rides are available for groups up to four. The balloons launch from Crystal Lake. Or view the sunrise or sunset high above the Galena countryside during a hot air balloon ride with Galena on the Fly, which launches from Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa. Soar above the rolling hills of Jo Daviess County, then touch down at Eagle Ridge and toast your voyage with a glass of champagne. Ta k e t h e p l u n g e a t S k y d i v e Chicago, located on a sprawling complex with its own airport in Ottawa. Skydive Chicago has a training center and licensed instructors who will ensure that you have a safe and fun dive. If you’d prefer to keep your feet on the ground, Skydive Chicago offers other activities on site, including horseback rides from Black Socks Stables and canoe or kayak rides on the Fox River with River Adventures. Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Lemont Rated five stars by Golf Digest, Cog Hill welcomes the public to play its four 18-hole courses, including the world-famous Course #4, Dubsdread. Cog Hill also offers a driving range, a golf shop and a restaurant. Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, Galena Home to four fantastic courses, it’s no surprise that Eagle Ridge was hailed as the best Midwest golf resort by Travel + Leisure Golf. Eagle Ridge’s crown jewel is The General, an 18-hole course that features natural limestone cliffs and dense oak forests. Aldeen Golf Club & Practice Centre, Rockford Golf Digest named Rockford the best mid-sized golf city in the U.S. for three years in a row. The Dick Nugent-designed Aldeen Golf Club & Practice Centre, ranked 41⁄2 stars by Golf Digest, is a must-play. TPC Deere Run, Silvis Get a taste of the PGA Tour experience at this renowned golf course that’s home to the annual John Deere Classic. TPC Deere Run is listed in Golf Digest’s roundup of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses.” Southern Illinois Golf Trail Consisting of five different courses, the scenic Southern Illinois Golf Trail begins in Marion and winds all the way down to Vienna. The 18-hole Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion, designed by acclaimed golf architect Steve Smyers, was named by Travel + Leisure Golf as one of “America’s 100 Best Courses for $100 or Less.” Hickory Ridge Public Golf Center in Carbondale is one of the highestrated public golf courses in Southern Illinois, earning four stars from Golf Digest. Pedal the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail, a 20-mile paved path that rides along the Great River Road between Alton and Pere Marquette State Park, with the Mississippi River on one side and soaring limestone bluffs on the other. Check out the mural of the Piasa Bird, a local Native American legend, painted on a bluff in Piasa Park at the start of the bike trail. Glide along the Mississippi River into downtown Alton on a Segway Tour, offered from May through October. A variety of scenic tours depart from the National Great Rivers Museum, and include rides to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Riverfront Park, Clark Bridge and the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. 800/2CONNECT BY WATER Looking to take a dip, or maybe just dip your toes, in the cool waters of Lake Michigan in Chicago? You’ll find a sunny stretch of sand and great people-watching at Oak Street Beach, located right off busy Michigan Avenue. Or catch some rays on North Avenue Beach, just a little farther north along Lake Shore Drive, where you can enjoy a waterfront meal on the rooftop of the North Avenue Beach Boathouse. Experienced paddlers will want to take the Skyscraper Canyon Trip with Chicago River Canoe & Kayak, an Rend Lake Golf Course, Whittington This 27-hole golf course, part of the Rend Lake Recreation Complex, was ranked as one of the best public courses in the Midwest by Golf Digest, which rated it 41⁄2 stars. © 2004 ROCKFORD CVB Aldeen Golf Club & Practice Centre
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