Attractions
"Chain O'Lakes "
The Chain O'Lakes is a waterway system in northeast Illinois composed of 15 lakes connected by the Fox River and man-made channels. Encompassing more than 7,100 acres of water, 488 miles of shoreline and 45 miles of river, the Chain is the busiest inland recreational waterway per acre in the United States. Located on the border of Lake County and McHenry County, about an hour's drive from the cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Rockford, the lakes are popular with boaters and fishermen, drawing weekend crowds of 30,000 and holiday crowds of 100,000 people. Chain O'Lakes State Park borders three lakes at the northwest corner of the system. The Fox Waterway Agency, a special local governing body, is responsible for oversight of the Chain O'Lakes.
"Chain O'Lakes State Park "
Chain O'Lakes State Park is a 2,793-acre Illinois state park at the inlet of the Fox River into the Chain O'Lakes in Lake and McHenry counties, in the suburban wildlife of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is one of the centerpieces of the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.
"Volo Auto Museum "
Established in 1960 by the Grams family, the Volo Auto Museum is an automobile museum and collector car dealer in the Chicago suburb of Volo, Illinois, USA. The museum contains an exhibit of collectors' autos from vintage to modern classics, with the main focus being American cars of the 1950–1980 period, TV and movie cars, bizarre cars, cars previously owned by the rich and famous, and a large, one-of-a-kind, Disney and Looney Tunes characters display. Unique to this museum is that many of the vehicles on display are for sale. One of 33 exhibits on the 25-acre museum campus is a military-oriented "Armed Forces Exhibit," added in the late 2000s. Of the 4 antique malls on the museum grounds, one is reported to be haunted and has become a magnet for ghost hunters and sightings and an episode of the TV show Ghost Lab. The museum has its own TV series on History called "Volo, House of Cars" beginning in 2017.
"Nippersink Creek "
The Nippersink Creek, or simply "The Nip", is a freshwater tributary that flows for 23 miles in the Illinois River / Fox River watershed, mostly in McHenry County, Illinois, within the Glacial Park Conservation Area, but also enters the Fox River / Chain O'Lakes area in Lake County, Illinois. The creek is managed by the McHenry County Conservation District with the exception of the sections that flow through private property. The creek has a mean annual water discharge of 159 cubic feet per second and closes when water levels reach 650 cubic feet as this makes passing under the creek's two bridges a dangerous affair. The creek and its wetlands support a diversity of fish, frogs, turtles, and other aquatic animals. Shorebirds, water fowl and other wading birds can be seen along the shorelines in addition to native plants. The creek itself is a shallow, calm waterway with some riffles that is a popular with kayakers and canoers during the spring and summer months; with three distinct launch sites - Keystone Landing, Pioneer Landing, and the Nippersink Canoe Base.
"Volo Bog State Natural Area "
Volo Bog State Natural Area is a nature reserve in Illinois, United States, preserving Volo Bog. The bog was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973 as the only remaining open-water quaking bog in Illinois. The site also contains woodlands, savanna, marshes, prairie restoration areas, shrubland and old fields. Maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the site is located about a mile west of U.S. Route 12 between the towns of Volo and Fox Lake, Illinois.
