Family Friendly Activities
FREE FISHING!!! Illinois is offering free fishing this weekend (more info on that here) and why not take advantage of this opportunity? If you don’t fish this weekend, you can always get your fishing license only - easy peasy!
Ted LOVES to fish. Like he could go out on the water all day every day and sit and relax and be happy as a clam. I need action and movement and things going on and happening; however, the M in the DREAM acrostic for love and understanding in a marriage in Mutual Activities, so we fish. I don’t know how much Ted enjoys B and B and I fishing with him as there isn’t a lot of peace and tranquility, but alas, he likes to fish and he likes us so it works :) He and Brayson just went catfishing on the Mississippi River and caught some Whoppers! Like 30+ pounders! WOOF! We may not have 30+ pound catfish in our backyard, but we do have some EXCELLENT fishing!
We spent an afternoon with friends in Sullivan, playing at Building 1225! This is an AMAZING gem in our area, and they are open for free play Monday - Wednesday from 10:00-1:00! It has a HUGE indoor playplace, a sensory room, basketball hoop and indoor court area, indoor track for walking and/or racing indoor Cozy Coupes! It was so much fun! We also packed a picnic lunch and planned to take it outside when we went fishing; however, Building 1225 offers multiple rectangular tables for people to bring in food and have lunch or snacks while playing. There are also super clean bathrooms right there to use - so be sure to make a stop before you head out to fish!
Right down the road on route 32 is Woods Lake! This is a somewhat hidden gem for a great fishing opportunity! We used small fishing hooks, so if you are looking for larger fish, use heavier weights and larger bait. Since we had the kids, we were looking for quantity over quality as we were going to be catching and releasing, so the excitement of reeling in the fish, as much as possible, is more exciting than anything else! Our friends happened to have a tote in their car so we were able to get some lake water and start a little pseudo-aquarium as we caught the fish, so the kids could see them swim around. We then released the fish prior to leaving!
There was a car that pulled up while we were there and I went up to chat with them for a bit and they said they had no clue this sweet little lake was even here! It is a hidden gem in our area, and you can drive right back to the dock to fish directly off of it. It’s easy to access, there is some shade on the corner of the dock, and lots of little fish to catch for the kids to have excitement!
The Sullivan beach is just a hop, skip, and a jump down route 32 from Woods Lake, so you could easily end your adventure at the beach to enjoy the sand and water! Oh, and there is a great meat market, further south on Route 32 that Ted went to get some burgers prior to coming home and we grilled out that evening! So much to do and see right there!