Find fun in Dixon, Lee County this summer

Nestled in the heart of Illinois, Lee County might surprise you.

Forget bustling cityscapes – the county’s rolling farmland and charming towns offer a breath of fresh air. Communities like Dixon, the biggest city in the county, pack a punch for those seeking adventure, history or a relaxing escape. Dixon is known for being the birthplace of President Ronald Reagan, and guests can visit his boyhood home to learn more about his early life in Illinois.

Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a history buff or a family looking for quality time together, Lee County has something for everyone.

Visit each location online to learn more about hours and admission prices.

AMBOY

Amboy Depot Museum

The two-story former railroad depot, built of brick and cut Joliet limestone, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been completely restored and includes the original brick tarmac surrounding the depot and the grounds of the former railyard, now preserved as a city park. The museum houses artifacts from both the history of Amboy and the Illinois Central Railroad, including a steam locomotive.

Address: 99 E. Main St.

Phone: 815-857-4700 Online: amboydepotmuseum.org or Facebook

Green River Oaks Resort

The resort is full of enchanting oaks and whispering pines, and the Green River and two creeks meander through it. Enjoy weekend camping in your RV or one of the rental trailers. There’s a camp store and a game room, as well as modern showers and flush toilets.

Address: 1442 Sleepy Hollow Road Contact: 815-857-2815 or greenriveroaks@yahoo.com Online: greenriveroaks.com or find Green River Oaks Resort on Facebook

Mendota Hills Campground

The campground offers 130 acres of rolling hills nestled in an oak tree forest; a swimming lake with a sand beach, three lakes for fishing (no license needed) and row boating add to the offerings. The camp store includes groceries, hand-dipped ice cream, soda, firewood and ice, along with an arcade room with a billiard table.

Address: 642 U.S. Route 52

Phone: 815-849-5930 Online: mendotahillscampground.com or Facebook

O’Connell’s Jellystone Park

The resort boasts three swimming pools, three kiddie pools, two adult spas, two fishing lakes, an outdoor movie theater, a game room, sand volleyball court, horseshoes and 700 campsites with five bathhouses. There’s also a camp store, laundry, golf cart rentals, paddle boats, kayaks and mini golf.

Address: 970 Green Wing Road

Phone: 815-857-3860 Online: jellystoneamboy.com or find O’Connell’s Yogi Bear Park on Facebook.

Pine View Campgrounds

The grounds offer camping under 40 acres of pine trees. The campground has a playground, as well as equipment for volleyball, badminton, shuffleboard and horseshoes. There is a sandy lake for swimming and a lake stocked with bass, bullheads and catfish.

Address: 1273 Sleepy Hollow Road

Phone: 815-857-3694 Online: pineviewcampgrounds.com and on Facebook

ASHTON

Mills & Petrie Memorial Building

The building, dedicated in 1936 and named in honor of a pair of Civil War veterans who “adopted” the town, houses city offices, the public library and a gym, and features plaques honoring local war veterans. Tours are available.

Address: 704 N. First St. Contact: 815-453-2213 or library@ashtonusa.com Online: millspetrielibrary.weebly.com or find Mills & Petrie Memorial Building-Library and Gymnasium Facebook

DIXON

Dixon Telegraph Museum

The museum showcases the newspaper and its role in the history of Dixon, including an 1850s printing press, historic newspapers, and photographs showcasing the Telegraph and Dixon history. It also features a tribute to Ronald Reagan.

Address: 113 S. Peoria Ave.

Phone: 815-284-2224 Online: leecountyfun.com/the-telegraph-museum

Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society

The research center is dedicated to providing information about the history of Lee County and the surrounding area, and helping people trace their ancestry.

Address: 113 S. Hennepin Ave.

Phone: 815-284-1134 Online: leecountyhgs.org or Facebook

Historic Dixon Theatre

This restored center for the performing arts, which opened in 1922, boasts a rare Barton theater pipe organ. Features plays, musicals and live music performances.

Address: 114 S. Galena Ave.

Phone: 815-285-1917 Online: dixontheatre.com or Facebook

The Lincoln Statue

Sculptor Leonard Crunelle portrays Abraham Lincoln as he might have looked in 1832, while captain of a company of soldiers during the Black Hawk War. It is the only known statue of Lincoln showing him in military dress and without a beard. The bronze dominates the site of the old Dixon blockhouse.

Address: President’s Park, 100 Lincoln Statue Drive Online: dixonparkdistrict.com/parks/

Loveland Community House & Museum

Exhibits include Civil War artifacts, old farm tools, a pioneer kitchen and bedroom, along with personal items from city founder John Dixon. The museum also has an extensive Ronald Reagan exhibit.

Address: 513 W. Second St.

Phone: 815-284-2741 Online: lovelandcommunityhouse.org and on Facebook

Lowell Park

Established in 1907 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 200-acre park along the Rock River, where Ronald Reagan once spent his summers as a lifeguard, offers a spacious picnic and recreation area, a playground, several hiking trails, cross-country skiing, fishing, boat docks, a nature center and a 40-acre state nature preserve. Rooms in the historic Woodcote lodge, built in 1909 with native limestone quarried on site, are available to rent.

Address: 2114 Lowell Park Road

Phone: 815-284-3306 Online: dixonparkdistrict.com/lowell-park

Midway Drive-In and Diner

The Midway Drive-In opened in 1950 and has been in continuous operation since. This landmark is home to the oldest standing drive-in screen in Illinois, and the owners are dedicated to its preservation and to paying tribute to the American drive-in theater tradition. It features a retro “spaceship” ticket booth, a playground, a full-service diner and concession stand, a parking lot that can hold up to 500 cars and a 90-foot-wide screen with digital projection and sound.

Address: 91 Palmyra Road

Phone: 847-647-3124 Online: themidwaydrivein.net or Facebook

Old Settlers Cabin

Maintained by the Lee County Historical Society, the Old Settlers Cabin was built in 1894 as a memorial to the area’s early settlers and moved to its present site in President’s Park in 1969. It houses antiques and articles that belonged to early-day settlers, including city founder John Dixon.

Address: 115 Lincoln Statue Drive

Phone: 815-284-1134

Nachusa House Hotel

Former hotel building, named Nachusa House for city founder John Dixon, whose Indian name, Nachusa, means “head-hair-white.” Five U.S. presidents – Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Ronald Reagan – stayed there, as did Jefferson Davis, Stephen A. Douglas, William Jennings Bryan and evangelist Bill Sunday. It now is apartments for senior citizens.

Address: 215 S. Galena Ave.

The Next Picture Show

This nonprofit art gallery and fine arts center offers two floors of changing exhibits by local professional and student artists. It also hosts workshops, classes and special events.

Address: 113 W First St. Contact: 815-285-4924 or nps@grics.net Online: thenextpictureshow.com and on Facebook

Northwest Territory Historic Center

Originally South Central School, and now a museum and research center, it features Ronald Reagan’s restored sixth-grade classroom, historical displays and an art gallery. In 2014, two new permanent exhibits were added – one of regional Native American life and another of early American farming; the additions prompted a name change from the Dixon Historic Center to its new name. It is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

Address: 205 W. Fifth St. Contact: 815-288-5508 or info@nthc.org Online: nthc.org and on Facebook

Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home & Visitors Center

The two-story white house, built in 1891, became the home of the Reagan family on Dec. 6, 1920, just two months shy of Ron’s 10th birthday. They lived there for three years. The next-door Visitors Center is chock full of information on all things Reagan. Ronald Reagan Memorial Park includes a statue of the former president.

Address: 816 S. Hennepin Ave.

Phone: 815-288-5176 Online: reaganhome.org or Facebook

Veterans Memorial Park

Dedicated to all who have served in the military, the park has military artifacts of all kinds, including an F-105 Thunderchief fighter plane, a Howitzer tank, a Cobra helicopter, and a landing ship tank anchor. It also features a 9/11 memorial and a small museum. It is handicapped-accessible.

Address: 668 Veterans Parkway

Phone: 815-288-1911 Online: honorourvets.org or Facebook

Victory Memorial Arch

Dixon’s signature arch was built in 1919 to celebrate victory in World War I and to honor its veterans. At the time, it read, “A grateful people pause in their welcome to the victorious living to pay silent tribute to the illustrious dead.” Now, it simply reads, “Dixon.”

Address: South Galena Avenue between Second and Third streets

Wings of Peace and Freedom Park

A Bulgarian immigrant donated the Wings of Peace and Freedom sculpture to the city. The little park, which also has a full-size replica of a section of the Berlin Wall, recognizes President Ronald Reagan’s efforts to attain worldwide peace and freedom.

Address: Northeast corner of Second Street and Galena Avenue

FRANKLIN GROVE

Chaplin Creek Village

Chaplin Creek Village is an evolving, full-scale historical restoration project depicting a mid-1800s prairie settlement. The site, established and maintained by the Franklin Grove Area Historical Society, is home to the Chaplin Creek Muzzleloaders, a group of local antique and historic gun collectors.

Address: 1715 Whitney Road Contact: info15@chaplincreek.com Online: chaplincreek.com/ and Facebook

Franklin Creek State Natural Area

This 882-acre park features natural springs, hardwood forests, bedrock outcroppings, and a large variety of flora and fauna. It also contains a 198-acre nature preserve. Fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and hiking are permitted, and the nonprofit Rock River Trail and Horseman Association (rrtha.tripod.com), the oldest chartered saddle club in Illinois, has built and maintains horseback-riding trails, a shelter and a show ring.

Address: 1872 Twist Road

Phone: 815-456-2878 Online: franklincreekconservation.org/ or dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/FranklinCreek.aspx, or find Franklin Creek Conservation Association on Facebook

Franklin Creek Grist Mill and Interpretive Center

The Franklin Creek State Natural Area also is home to the Franklin Creek Grist Mill and Interpretive Center. It’s a functioning, water-powered grist mill and museum. A demonstration of actual corn grinding is done on the last Saturday of the month. See events calendar for special concerts, movies in the park and family activities. Trail runners compete in 10K run in September.

Address: 1893 Twist Road

Phone: 815-456-2718 Online: dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/FranklinCreek.aspx, or franklincreekconservation.org/ or find Franklin Creek Conservation Association on Facebook

H.I. Lincoln Building

Built in 1860 by a cousin of Abraham Lincoln, and originally a dry goods store, this restored historic stone building is the national headquarters of the Lincoln Highway Association. It also has a museum and gift shop.

Address: 136 N. Elm St.

Phone: 815-456-3030 Online: franklingroveil.org/nflncbld.htm or find H. I. Lincoln Building on Facebook

Nachusa Grasslands

The Nachusa Grasslands, owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy, has more than 3,800 acres featuring more than 700 native prairie plant species as well as many important birds, insects, and reptiles. In October 2014, it became home to a herd of bison, the first to live at a Nature Conservancy preserve east of the Mississippi, and the first conservation herd in Illinois. The bison, more than 100 strong, are helping with restoration of the bluestem prairie. A new visitor center opened in summer 2018; it offers an outdoor classroom and plenty of displays to give visitors a good grasp of the ecology and work that takes place at the grasslands. The herd, which can be viewed from the public roadside only, and the prairie, grasslands, rolling hills and oak savannas make this a paradise for photographers, hikers and birdwatchers. Binoculars and long camera lenses are advised.

Address: 8772 S. Lowden Road

Phone: 708-406-9894 Online: nachusagrasslands.org or find Friends of Nachusa Grasslands on Facebook

HARMON

Green River State Wildlife Area

With more than 2,665 acres of native prairie, this is one of the largest preserves in Illinois. It’s a haven for endangered species of birds, plants, reptiles and insects, and a venue for students, campers, hikers, and from April through October, horseback riders.

Address: 375 Game Road

Phone: 815-379-2324 Online: dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/GreenRiver.aspx or find it on Facebook