Peoria Outdoor Adventure

I’m going to say something, that for some, is going to be controversial.  Here it goes. “Peoria is Awesome” 

Peoria can be a metaphor for life. What you get out of it is directly proportional to what you put into it.  If you don’t contribute to it, if you don’t explore what it has to offer, if you don’t try to find the good in it-you’ll never find it, appreciate it or understand it. 

Peoria has been my home for over 50 years...I’m a Peoria Lifer. By chance, as much as by choice. But also by luck.  

Don‘t get me wrong. There were times it was fun to visit some place else. Most times however, I couldn’t wait to get back. I grew up here. I met my wife here. We’ve raised our kids here. We've helped thousands of people buy their first home here. We created a life I wouldn't trade for anything here.

Here's what I've learned.

If you lean in, get involved, focus on all of the positive elements, like anything in life -you’ll be rewarded. 

Peoria can be an investment of sorts. If you visit for a weekend -you won’t get it. If you rely on Google reviews-you’ll be mislead. But…if you dive in, soak it up and see what is available, you’ll find the most hidden gem 💎 out there. And all the treasures it has to offer. 

Peoria is not perfect. But no place is. You can make the decision to focus on the negative, or the positive. You can make a decision to be “that guy” that just loves to post negative online posts about every...single...feel good story that comes up, without any offer of assistance, or any kind of a solution to help.

I don’t have time for people that complain about where they live, yet decide to stay there and not offer any kind of assistance to change things. 

You see something you don’t like? 

Great. Change it. 

Offer to help. 

Offer some positive ideas. 

Or move on.

Enjoy everything your community has to offer, or try to improve it. Life is too short, and time too precious, to complain about your surroundings without stepping up to the plate to try to make a positive change. 

If you think the grass is always greener elsewhere, well, as the saying goes, maybe you need to water your own lawn. 

Want to debate this with me? Buckle up...let's go down rabbit hole together.

What are you looking for in a community?

Low cost of living? Check. 

(The cost of living in Illinois is 8% lower than the national average. Housing is 20% lower than the national average, while utilities are 7% lower. When it comes to basic necessities such as food and clothing, groceries are around 5% lower than in the rest of the country, while clothing costs 5% lower. Source. Rentcafe.com )

Great local restaurants/foodie scene ? Check 

We've got some amazing local restaurants serving up a wide variety of unique and special meals and drinks-many of which can be found all along the Rock Island Trail from north Peoria, through Peoria Heights, down to the riverfront. 

Looking for some green space? 

We've got it....oh boy do we have it...in the form of thousands of acres of trees, parks, forests, lakes and rivers. Not only that-you can be in the middle of it from anywhere in about a 15 minute drive from wherever you are at.

With over 9,000 acres, the Peoria Park District is not only the oldest park district in the state of Illinois, but it's also the largest-and that's just the Peoria Park District. There are numerous park districts throughout all of the Peoria area communities, as well as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, forests and state parks. 

Not only do we have green space, we've got white space as well!

(Ok..you got me. I've just been looking for a place to post that picture for years).

Access to water/places to paddle, boat or float? Check.

We've got rivers, lakes, creeks, streams, reservoirs-you name it, we've got TONS of outlets and places to paddle your canoe, kayak, paddle board or raft. 

Where else can you drive 15 minutes in any direction, and be either downtown, or in the country? Or in the middle of the river, middle of nowhere, middle of downtown-all at the same time?

The Mackinaw River, as well as the Kickapoo Creek and Spoon River, the Illinois River, Banner Marsh, Wildlife Prairie, they all offer some really unique paddling opportunities throughout the area. 

There are 70 miles of smiles and places to explore by boat or trail between Hennepin and Havana along the Illinois River valley. Be sure to check out the Illinois River Valley Outdoor Alliance page at www.RiverValleyOutdoors.org   and another amazing source- www.LocalOpal.org   for a enormous treasure trove of things to do outside locally!

Four seasons? Not only do we have four seasons, but being Illinois, we sometimes have all four seasons in a single weekend! What more could you ask for than that??? God grant me the serenity to forgive those unfortunate people that live in the 120 degree temps of Arizona or hurricanes of Florida or wildfires and mud slides and 2 hour commutes of California . Everyone has to live somewhere I guess. Not everyone can be this lucky. 

Low commute times? Check.

Peoria's average one-way commute time takes 17.5 minutes. That's lower than the U.S. average of 26.4 minutes.

Great local health care? Check

From St. Francis to Carle Health, to Proctor and a whole network of other hospitals and physicians, along with new innovations (like the new OSF Cancer Center) being announced all the time-we're fortunate to have world class health care right here in Central Illinois. 

Want to feel inspired, read a feel good story and maybe cry a little? Check out the Road to Graham posts on the Peoria Outdoor Adventure page about all the different ways Bray Dierker took to visit his wife Cheynne, and son Graham, in the NICU at St Francis.. Click here for the 1st of 5 parts.  And yes...that kayak in the picture above is one of the ways he got there.

Microbreweries and wineries? Check and double check. 

From Rhodells Brewery to Obed's and Isaacs to Black Band Distillery, from Industry Brewing to Mackinaw Valley Winery. Whether it's hops, grains or grapes-there are some amazingly creative and fun places to visit throughout central Illinois. 

Hiking? We've got places that look like you are in a another world. 

Like to bike?

Don't get me started. There are so many different biking groups around, there's something for everyone. 

From gravel rides....to road, dirt, asphalt and everything in between. There are night rides, breakfast rides, pub rides, coffee rides, taco rides...there's a ride for everything. 

Not sure what to categorize this one below-but man it was a fun day. 

The Peoria area has you covered for two wheeled exploits. For a list of 2023 rides around the area, click here! 

Quilting? OK, you’ve got me. I don’t know anything about quilting in Peoria but I bet if I were to lean in a little there is a whole underbelly of wild and crazy quilters out there getting together. (Edit...since this came out I've been deluged by this previously unbeknownst to me quilting clan). 

Like to camp?

Ton's of places to camp...from Camp Wokanda and it's massive trail system, to sleeping near cactus at Sandridge State Park, to sleeping in a caboose at Wildlife Prairie Park, to sleeping along the river at Carl Spindler Marina in East Peoria-the options are unlimited. 

Art scene? Check  

Art can be where ever you find it. You just have to look. 

You don't even have to understand it to appreciate it. 

And sometimes life imitates art....

College town? 

Peoria is home to Bradley University, Illinois Central College, Methodist College, OSF College of Nursing and the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria. 

 
Museums? Check.

From the Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria Playhouse Children's Museum,  Caterpillar Visitor Center, to the Peoria Historical Society and Wheels O' Time-plenty of culture and historical options. 

Farmers Markets? Check

If you would have told my 15 year old self that I'd some day enjoy going to a farmers market, I might have punched you. But maybe it's the freshly made doughnuts or coffee, the live music, the people walking their dogs and smiling, or just the good ol' fashioned small town vibe you get, but we've got them everywhere. From the Peoria Riverfront Farmers Market, to Keller Station and Peoria Heights, all nicely scattered throughout the week so you don't need to wait more than a day or two to hit the next one. 

Close-but not too close-to major cities? Check

Need a big city fix? Hop in the car and drive 2-3 hours and you can be in Chicago, St. Louis or Indianapolis. And then when you are done overpaying for parking and hotels, you can come home and save a few bucks. Or jump on a plane for a quick weekend trip to Vegas-from Peoria Airport and park for free.

Road Trip-able?

This just might be one of my favorite things to do. I believe every small town offers something really unique that you can't find anyplace else. And there are dozens of such small towns within 30-40 minutes of Peoria. 

Did you know you can have a coffee in a Coffee Can in Hanna city? ☝

Or sleep in a train caboose at Wildlife Prairie Park in Edwards? 👆

Or choose from a huge selection of craft brews in an old firehouse in Galesburg? 👇

Every town has their own special something...from Chillicothe's historic main street, to Washington's Town Square, Metamora's court house-sight of a Lincoln/Douglas debate, and the Morton Pumpkin Fest-go for a drive and explore. 

Sporting events? Check

From Peoria Chiefs Baseball at Dozer Park, to the Bradley Braves and Peoria Riverman at the Civic Center, Peoria has you covered. 

Crime? Check. We’ve got it. I know this isn’t on the positive list, but …..what city of this size doesn’t have it? You want trouble? You know where to find it. Want to stay out of trouble-you know where to go. Want to change that narrative? Plenty of opportunities to make a difference. 

Theater options?  You could enjoy various theatre almost every weekend! Musicals… comedies… tragedies…dinner theatre…under a tent… children’s productions… small & large casts… all for the fraction of what it costs in a big city.  Honestly, this wasn’t even a category I originally had in this story until somebody brought it up to me. I’m still learning. 

Good place to retire? Check. According to U.S. News and World Report  and Kiplinger  , Peoria has made both of their lists as great places to retire, based on the low cost of living (20.8% lower than the national average for retirees)

Live Music? While the Peoria Civic Center hosts nationally touring bands and musicians, the real musical magic happens every weekend throughout central Illinois, at places like Pour Brothers Craft Tap Room in Peoria Heights, during their Saturday Night Concert Series, as well as every 3rd or 4th watering hole along the way, and also on the Peoria Riverfront at Cefcu Center Stage. 

Glam and glitter. It's fine. But I also like a little gritty. Glam and gritty is maybe more like it. When I go for a ride, hike, walk or drive, I want to know there’s a reason to be thankful, a reason to give back, a purpose to help, a history lesson to learn about what's around me. Peoria has a long, long history of accomplishments, as well as grittiness, which is what makes it unique and special.

Rodeo Drive? No thanks. 

Grandview Drive? Absolutely-all day long.

Michigan Avenue? No thanks. 

Prospect Avenue? Let’s go!

Detweiller Drive below....go for a ride and then explore the huge park at the bottom!

Maybe I've been drinking the cool-aid too long . Maybe I’ve got rose colored glasses on. So what if I do? Given the option-why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t you? Why decide to hate on a place instead of trying to find the reasons to like it? And if you can’t find a reason-why not try to make a reason?

“Well you live in a different Peoria than where the issues are. “

Maybe I do. But I also think the heart and soul of the city isn’t in the suburbs. It isn't where everything is "new". The heart of a city is no different than the heart pumping in your own body-it's the life source that feeds everything else connected to it.

When I go for bike rides -or hikes or paddling on the river -it’s the green space, it’s the “gritty” of downtown, it’s the pulse of the city, that can only be found in its core, in its center, in its heart. It’s the murals, it’s the historic buildings, it’s the history, it’s the amazing local people that took the risk of opening a local restaurant, bar, art center, yoga studio-in areas that were almost forgotten-and then because of their efforts-it's new again. That’s the heart. That’s the pulse. That’s where it’s at. 

That’s life. That’s Peoria. It’s what you make of it. Not what it gives as a handout. 

If you try to love Peoria, it will love you back. If you want to hate on Peoria, it will reflect that back on you as well. 

It’s not up to Peoria. It’s up to you. 

Peoria was here well before you, and it will be here long after you’re gone. 

Whatever it is during your time here, or isn't, is entirely your own decision, not mine or anyone else's. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this to the end. Really. Thank you. It‘s a rambling of someone that just got tired of hearing some of the negative out there, when there’s so much more positive to talk about. I’ve gotta run…or hike, bike, paddle and peddle, explore, discover, love, appreciate this town some more, this life, eat, drink and be merry. 

Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Mark Monge