Visiting Perry Farm Park, Bourbonnais IL

After leaving the somewhat boring city of Peoria, we headed northeast to the much smaller Illinois village of Manteno.

Due to its size, we were a little concerned that there might not be that much to do in the area, but we needn’t have worried. In fact, Manteno and the nearby villages of Bradley and Bourbonnais seemed to have plenty of fun stuff to do.

One of the places we visited was Perry Farm Park, an attraction in Bourbonnais that was a lot of fun to visit. With caves, waterfalls, animals, trails, wildflowers, playgrounds and more, it’s fun for people of all ages. And best of all – it’s free!

Here’s more about Perry Farm Park and why we enjoyed it so much.

Trails

One of the things we liked the most about the park is that it’s pet-friendly. We’re on a 5 year, 50 state road trip with our dog Truffles, so we like to bring her along to as many places as possible rather than leaving her in whichever hotel we happen to be staying in that week.

There are several miles of paved trails around the park which Truffles enjoyed, as did Shae and I. If you’re visiting when it’s hot, be sure to bring along plenty of water as there aren’t many trees for shade.

Having said that, there are a couple of sheltered seating areas for respite from the sun if you need. Truffles isn’t a big fan of being out in the sun, so she was quite happy to rest under here for a few minutes.

If you’d prefer to check out the trails on two wheels rather than two legs, there are bikes you can rent to cycle around the park. Bike rentals only cost $1 per half hour, which seems like pretty good value and can be found in the parking lot.

Prairie

The trails will take you through the Harold LaGesse Prairie. When entering the area, you’ll see a board that lists the dozens of wildflowers you can expect to see on the prairie.

To keep older kids entertained, you could take photos of the lists of wildflowers and do a scavenger hunt to see how many they can spot while walking around.

Kankakee River

If you follow the walking trails along, you’ll eventually come to an offshoot that takes you on another path down towards the Kankakee River.

There are a few beach-y areas along the way, although there are signs stating that no swimming is allowed. Still, it’s a nice spot to walk down to and would be a perfect location for a picnic.

Indian Caves & Waterfall

Continue following the path north along the river and you’ll soon come to the tranquil Indian Caves.

If you wade out into the water, you’ll be able to see a waterfall in the cave to the right.

A family that was there while we visited walked into that cave and was able to climb up and walk back down a trail on the other side. We were in flip-flops and had Truffles with us so that wasn’t an option for us, but it sounded fun.

Be very careful if you decide to do this though. The website for Perry Farm Park warns against exploring the caves in this way. That’s due to the danger involved as some people have been injured and others have even died in the past after losing their footing and falling into the ravine.

Picnic Shelter

I mentioned earlier that the Kankakee River would be a nice spot for a picnic. If you prefer sitting at a table, there are a couple of covered picnic shelters, along with several other picnic tables dotted around.

The picnic shelter pictured below also has restrooms and water fountains in case you need them during your visit.

Playground

Perry Farm Park has a large playground area for smaller kids with climbing frames, slides, etc. There’s a larger climbing frame than the one pictured below, but there were some children on it and so I didn’t want to look like a creeper taking pictures of kids at a playground!

Farm & Animals

Another attraction of Perry Farm Park is its small farm with several farm animals including goats, sheep, chickens, ponies and more.

You can get small handfuls of food for $0.25, so be sure to bring along a few quarters to entice them over.

Children’s Museum

The park also has a children’s museum on site called the Exploration Station. We didn’t go inside, but it seems to have positive reviews online.

Tickets cost $7 for both adults and children which seems fairly reasonable. The reviews online suggest it’s best for kids under 8 though, so be aware of that if you’re considering taking older kids there.

The Exploration Station also has a Little Free Library outside if you need any reading material.

Final Thoughts

Shae and I spent a couple of hours at Perry Farm Park with Truffles and had a great time. If you have kids, you could keep them entertained for even longer with all there is to do there. Best of all, it’s a fun and free day out.

Address

Perry Farm Park, 459 N. Kennedy Drive, Bourbonnais, IL 60914