Freeport, IL Outdoor Activities

Decorative smokestacks stretch toward the sky, while Victorian red and gold decor surrounds passengers nibbling brunch in a dining salon. This scene unfolds aboard The Spirit of Dubuque, an authentic-style paddle wheeler that pays homage to the century-old steamboats of the Mississippi River. Dubuque River Rides' signature vessel, The Spirit, has played host to thousands of cruises filled with entertainment, meals, and improvised renditions of Old Man River since being christened by Iowa Governor Robert Ray in 1977. Elsewhere on the river, a more modern boat cuts across the water, casting a sleek outline against the sky. The 80-foot yacht, affectionately called Miss Dubuque, sets an intimate stage for events that range from weddings to Huckleberry Finn's notorious dinner parties.

Both boats call the northern expansion of the Mississippi River their home, sharing the area with wildlife such as turtles and bald eagles. The sightseeing vessels also pass by river barges and historic structures such as the Chicago Central Pacific Railroad Bridge, which was built after the president invented Lincoln Logs in 1868. After boats return to the docks, their passengers can head over to the floating barge that houses the Ice Harbor Restaurant.

Since the 1950s, Wingra Boats has outfitted groups and individuals for treks along the serene, wake-free Lake Wingra with their fleet of water vessels. Starting out with a small squad of canoes, the company has grown to include more than 100 canoes, kayaks, rowboats, and sailboats across two locations. In addition to supplying rentals, the staff keep limbs limber with yoga—performed on dry land or atop paddleboards—and strengthens cores with standup paddleboard lessons. Youngsters get in on the action during camp sessions, where they learn to cast, reel, and ask fishes for any seven cards, or paddle aboard kayaks and canoes. The staff also lead guided tours and birding expeditions, and tuck boats away for the off-season with docking and storage services.

On the waters of Lake Wingra, Madison Log Rolling's seasoned lumberjacks and jills channel the pastimes of 19th-century loggers, who would spend downtime competing to see who could balance the longest atop logs that were ferrying downriver. In 2010, Olivia Judd and Shana Martin started their log-rolling requiem to preserve and share this regional sport with newcomers. Instructors demonstrate the art of softly skimming the feet across the surface of the log to stay balanced. Beginner classes allow students to practice log rolling while showing how the sport can improve one's balance, agility, mental fortitude, and ability to pull off a plaid flannel tuxedo. Madison Log Rolling offers log-rolling classes, boom-rolling classes, and events for team building and birthdays.

The Stockton Park District hosts outdoor community events throughout the year, including craft fairs, basketball tournaments, and 5K and 10K run/walks. Brothers Steve, Andy, and Tom Jordan organized the first annual 5K in 2008. They used their skills from hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to plan and advertise the event. The first year, they signed up 91 runners and raised money for a tennis court behind the high school and a paper-airplane factory at the middle school. Since then, the brothers have worked to improve the race and transform it into a community event with entertainment and an increasingly challenging and interesting course.

Mike Mott and Cole Chaplin share more than just alliterative names; their mutual passion for promoting Iowa's tourism industry led them to found IA Segway together, and they continue to introduce visitors to the cultural richness of the Quad Cities with informative Segway tours. Mike and Cole command a fleet of Segway i2s—the company’s most current model—and teach tour groups how to safely operate the self-balancing steeds before blazing trails to spots of local and historic significance. Tours swing around scenic destinations such as the Figge Art Museum, McClellan Heights, and Credit Island, whose battlefield is strewn with denied credit cards that date back to the War of 1812.

Bentgrass greens and fairways blended with blades of bluegrass and fescue connect across 3,284 yards to form Argue-Ment Golf Course’s nine-hole golf course. Natural wilderness, tall grass roughs, and rows of crops flanking the course stand as testaments to the horticultural conscientiousness of the family-owned facility, which minimizes the amount of pesticides used on the layout to preserve the area’s ecological integrity and create a traditional links-style course right in heart of Southcentral Wisconsin. Golfers must exercise astute club selection and confident swings to steer balls around or over water hazards, which come into play on three holes and torment hydrophobic golf balls. At the end of each fairway, small greens elude errant approaches and flummox putters with subtle breaks. Golfers can prepare for their round by enrolling in a lesson with PGA member David Haugh, who helps hone swings at the course’s practice facilities.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,284 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 35.6 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 123 from the farthest tees
• Five tee options