Local Sites to Visit and Explore

Outdoors​

• Bike Ogle County - Nachusa Bison/John Deere Loop Bike Route: This relatively short ride takes you twice across the Rock River, past Nachusa Grasslands, and by the small historical village of Grand Detour – the pioneer home of John Deere where he invented the modern plow in 1837.
• Byron Forest Preserve: 7993 North River Rd, Byron. Enjoy hundreds of acres of prairie and woodlands with hiking trails, picnic shelters, and an observatory for all to appreciate.
• Castle Rock State Park: 1365 W. Castle Rd., Oregon. Castle Rock, the central feature of this 2000–acre park, is a high bluff above the Rock River. Among the many activities for visitors are picnicking, fishing and boating, hiking, and camping.
• Franklin Creek State Natural Area: 1872 Twist Rd., Franklin Grove. Franklin Creek flows through the 882 acre property consisting of natural springs, hardwood forests, and rock outcroppings. Enjoy bird watching, hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, equestrian trails, and visiting the Grist Mill.​
• Illinois Audubon Society Amboy Marsh: U.S. Route 52 and Mormon Rd. Owned by the Illinois Audubon Society, this 302-acre wetland also features a black oak savanna, sedge meadows, and a dry sand prairie.
• Lowell Park: 2114 Lowell Park Rd., Dixon. A 200–acre park with picnic tables and shelters, a playground, a ball diamond, hiking and cross country ski trails, two boat ramps and a Nature Center.
• Lowden-Miller State Forest: W. Nashua Rd., Oregon. Lowden–Miller State Forest is 2,291 acres of hardwood and pine forest.  Twenty–two miles of hiking and cross country skiing trails are maintained for visitors to enjoy.
• Lowden State Park: 1411 N. River Road, Oregon. Comprising 273 acres along the Rock River, this state park features picnicking, camping, and almost four miles of hiking trails.  
• White Pines Forest State Park: 6712 West Pines Rd., Mt. Morris. Hiking, fishing, camping and picnicking are some of the activities offered in this 385-acre state park.  

Historical

• Chaplin Creek Historic Village: 1715 Whitney Rd., Franklin Grove. An evolving living history museum featuring a typical 19th century prairie settlement.
• Franklin Creek Grist Mill: Built in 1847 and reconstructed by the volunteers of the Franklin Creek Preservation Area Committee, the timber frame mill is open for tours from April to October. In the Interpretive Center, a bison display can be viewed. On the last Saturday of each month, visitors may observe corn being ground. The Grist Mill can also be rented for meetings and special events.
• John Deere Historic Site: 8334 S. Clinton St., Grand Detour, Dixon. Built in 1836, this small house was where the Deere family raised eight children and where John Deere invented and tested the self-scouring steel plow.
• Lincoln Highway National Headquarters: 136 N. Elm St., Franklin Grove. The headquarters celebrates the famous Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway made especially for the automobile. The headquarters is open from 10 am to 4 pm on Mondays through Saturdays and 12 pm to 4 pm on Sundays.
• Northwest Territory Historic Center: 205 West Fifth St., Dixon. Housing several exhibits depicting regional American life and early American farming.
• Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home: 816 South Hennepin St., Dixon. The boyhood home of our 40th President, fully restored with period furnishings, where the family lived during the 1920s.​

See Blackhawk Waterways and  Lee County Tourism Council for additional locations, information, and directions.

UPDATED 02/2021