Extend your visit to the LaSalle Canal Boat and Lock 16 Visitor Center with trips to one or more of a variety of nearby attractions. Here is a sampling:
Starved Rock Lodge and State Park, Utica
A 1930s lodge situated atop a wooded bluff overlooking the Illinois River, in the ever-popular Starved Rock State Park, complete with dramatic canyons, waterfalls and more.
Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort & Indoor Water Park, Utica
Featuring Grand Bear Falls, a 24,000-square-foot indoor water park, and the Enchanted Forest, 36,000-square-foot indoor amusement park.
Hegeler Carus Mansion, LaSalle
This Victorian-Era mansion, on the National Register of Historic Places, is within walking distance of the Lock 16 Visitor Center and open for tours.
LaSalle County Historical Museum, Utica
Interpreting the history of LaSalle County in an 1848 stone warehouse built to serve the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Includes the Aitken Schoolhouse, an 1865 one-room schoolhouse; the Kidd Blacksmith Shop; and an 1875 barn.
Apple Tree Acres Alpacas, Utica
A two-acre alpaca farm, with a store featuring alpaca yarns and hand-knit items.
Illinois Waterway Visitor Center, Ottawa
Watch river barges on their way to the mighty Mississippi, get out your fishing pole and enjoy a panoramic view of the Illinois River.
Ottawa Scouting Museum, Ottawa
In 1910, Ottawa resident William D. Boyce founded the Boy Scouts of America, an institution that is honored – along with Girl Scouts and Camp Fire – at this museum.
Washington Square Park and William Reddick Mansion, Ottawa
The first of seven historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas took place in this park. Mr. Douglas was among the guests at the Italianate Reddick Mansion across the street, which is restored and open for tours.
Weber House & Garden, Streator
A storybook Tudor cottage set in a picturesque English garden. Long-time Chicago broadcast personality Ted Weber gives tours and tells stories of the luminaries he has known.
With so much to see and do, plan to spend the weekend. There is plenty of lodging to choose from.
