Stephen A Forbes State Park
Stephen A Forbes State Park
4
11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Full view
The area
Address
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Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Attractions
1 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
13 reviews
Excellent
2
Very good
8
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
1
barkus1968
Saint Louis, MO4,416 contributions
Oct 2020 • Friends
Who needs to go to Maine for fall colors? Leaf season in the Smokies? Nah. How about Illinois. This place has incredible picnic areas with amazing views. Look at the reflection in the water.
Written October 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jack G
Salem, IL37 contributions
Nov 2013 • Couples
Great place to have a meal by the lake. The restaurant is in the Forbes State Park Marina and overlooks the lake. You can eat inside or out and they have a great Friday night fish fry. (all you can eat) They have a good selection of food on the menu. A small bait and tackle shop is also there if you want to do a little fishing after or before your meal. This establishment was called the Leaky Bucket. It is now called Lakeside.
Written October 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandy G
Farina, IL50 contributions
Sep 2018 • Business
Last time we went , found out the owner was shutting it down because of an Irate Game Warden causing problems with customers and her business . She was told too limit her business too now Motorcycle people . This is what I was told, she tell the game warden in question she would just shut it down. have not heard anymore for some time now, too bad, good food, nice scenery , fun too visit, hundreds of Humming Birdies all about the place.
Written February 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott S
Irvington, IL25 contributions
Sep 2017
Forbes state park is truly a gem. This is a beautiful lake and has a wonderful marina, restaurant, swimming beach, 2 campgrounds, great fishing and is one of the few State Park Lakes that allow water skiing. I went for the great tent camping which is located in its own campground well away from the nicely equipped "electric" campground for the RV and Camper crowd. This place has awesome facilities for both the "minimalist" tent camper and the RV / Camper folks. The shower building is located at the "electric" campground and although a bit outdated it was very clean and had great hot water. The Restaurant is a short hike away across a floating bridge to the marina. It is nothing fancy but the beer was cold and hamburgers were awesome! For the boaters they have plenty of slips available at the marina and ample parking for your trailer. They have a great swimming beach on the NE side of the lake which is very popular with families. If you like the outdoors then this is a destination for you! I know I love it.
Written July 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandy G
Farina, IL50 contributions
Jun 2017
We walk around the dock, often you can see the Carp, and I have seen Turkeys in the fall, but besides great food walleye and catfish , their must be a thousand Humming birds , they have feeder's all around and Humming birds everywhere, fun to watch them, flay across the water,around the feeders and building ,lots of other area's too go too at Stephen Forbes Sate Park also
Written October 15, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bluegrassfan76
Sullivan, IL152 contributions
Sep 2017 • Couples
My wife and I just spent two nights here in what was a very nice shady campground with mostly level spots. Even though there were quite a few people camping it was nice and quiet. The campground is secluded and well away from any busy roads or towns which is nice. Several reasons for only giving it a 3 star rating, for one, no water hookups at campsite, also, the bath house is very outdated. It's dark inside and out, kinda dirty, no soap soap dispensers to wash your hands, and the mirrors in both the men's and women's restrooms were so scratched/fogged up that you could not see to do hair, shave, etc.
Written September 23, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S4603OEdawnw
Jackson, TN, United States12 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
We will definitely visit this campground again but will be better prepared.
We encountered a few concerns but were able to adjust. We arrived after hours in the dark. The main building simply had hours posted but no after hours instructions. We moved on to the campground and found a check in shack. Again hours were posted on three sides of the shack but no instruction, so we thought. Across from the shack is the camp host. I knocked at the door and asked how to check in. The host scolded me for not reading the sign on the shack door, told me to just pick a spot and come back tomorrow. It's never good to arrive after hours at a new camp ground so thats on us. When we did check in the next day we were surprised they only accept cash or checks. We weren't ready for that! They were good about allowing us to stay while we tried to figure out where to get cash. There is a Walmart and banks 10 miles away in Salem, IL.
Be prepared for the bathrooms. No hand soap or sanitizer, bring your own. There are hand dryers but no towels. Mirrors are polished stainless. The showers are suppose to be on 2 minute timers but the one I used did not properly work. I had to push the button with one hand to keep the water flowing. Also there is no temp control. You get what comes out. The temp for me was fine but the one on the men's side was too hot. If you have small ones just beware of the temp issue. On the plus side the restrooms are an easy walk from the campground and cleaned daily. There are also two out house type restrooms in the middle of the campground.
Our camp spot was nice. Each camp spot offered a fire pit/BBQ, table, shade and electric. We traveled with a pop up trailer tent. No water hook up. The water spigots are shared with one spigot approximately every 4 camp sites. We did not make reservations which was fine because there were plenty of open spaces. However, now that we know the lay of the land we would reserve next time.
We did not sue the swim area or the marina, only camped. Overall this is a nice place and we will stay again when in the area.
We encountered a few concerns but were able to adjust. We arrived after hours in the dark. The main building simply had hours posted but no after hours instructions. We moved on to the campground and found a check in shack. Again hours were posted on three sides of the shack but no instruction, so we thought. Across from the shack is the camp host. I knocked at the door and asked how to check in. The host scolded me for not reading the sign on the shack door, told me to just pick a spot and come back tomorrow. It's never good to arrive after hours at a new camp ground so thats on us. When we did check in the next day we were surprised they only accept cash or checks. We weren't ready for that! They were good about allowing us to stay while we tried to figure out where to get cash. There is a Walmart and banks 10 miles away in Salem, IL.
Be prepared for the bathrooms. No hand soap or sanitizer, bring your own. There are hand dryers but no towels. Mirrors are polished stainless. The showers are suppose to be on 2 minute timers but the one I used did not properly work. I had to push the button with one hand to keep the water flowing. Also there is no temp control. You get what comes out. The temp for me was fine but the one on the men's side was too hot. If you have small ones just beware of the temp issue. On the plus side the restrooms are an easy walk from the campground and cleaned daily. There are also two out house type restrooms in the middle of the campground.
Our camp spot was nice. Each camp spot offered a fire pit/BBQ, table, shade and electric. We traveled with a pop up trailer tent. No water hook up. The water spigots are shared with one spigot approximately every 4 camp sites. We did not make reservations which was fine because there were plenty of open spaces. However, now that we know the lay of the land we would reserve next time.
We did not sue the swim area or the marina, only camped. Overall this is a nice place and we will stay again when in the area.
Written July 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joan
127 contributions
Oct 2019
Hiding out in the middle of no where is this lovely state park. Nice size lake for recreational boating and lots of people fishing. Fish cleaning stations can be found in a few places. Sandy beach for swimming during the season. Lots of areas set up for picnics with grill stations, picnic tables, primitive restrooms and some pavilions. Some areas have playground equipment. There are hiking trails available. A fairly large campground is pretty popular. There is a horse campground that I've used numerous times. Electric at some sites but water is available from a little pond or a water outlet. Horse trail does go around the entire perimeter of the lake but not so many lake views from trail. Couple nice places to park and destress while watching a sunset.
Written October 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2017art
Texico, IL473 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
Empty building, unless someone started another restaurant and doesn't advertise.. went to auction where they sold out wall to wall. Wasn't managed properly and priced themselves out of business..too high prices on the lake but wasn't good. Might be offered up for sale or lease???
Written March 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Onewag01
Kansas City, Missouri79 contributions
Sep 2015
The campground has a nice remote setting near the lake. Camp sites are mostly spacious and on larger than average plots. The rest rooms sorely need updating and improved cleanliness, but are tolerable. Shade is available throughout. Very little light pollution, so good for stargazing.
Written October 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So. We got a camper and want to camp the first weekend of March 2018. I understand the campground is open, am I correct?
Written February 25, 2018
I cannot give you a good answer, been trying too find a open date too no avail. I guessing , sometime in March , depending on weather ...sorry , best I can do....
Written February 27, 2018
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