Huge Outdoor-Adventure Park Is Now Open In Lemont, Illinois

Over the last few months, we've heard far more stories about things closing rather than opening here in Northern Illinois, especially entertainment and recreational spots.

I think it's cool to see a new entertainment venue declare themselves open for business during the midst of this COVID-19 mess, especially with so many limitations on recreational facilities.

And, even if we weren't in the middle of dealing with a pandemic, The Forge: Lemont Quarries is undeniably impressive. It was originally scheduled to open on May 25th, then have its grand opening on June 27th, but the pandemic pushed everything back, and they opened last Friday, July 17th.

So, what is The Forge: Lemont Quarries? It's the largest "aerial-adventure" park in North America, covering over 300 acres. To put that into perspective, that's about the same amount of acreage as Six Flags Great America.

According to their website, they've got an exhausting ropes course, massive climbing towers, four over water ziplines, mountain biking and pump track courses, bouldering zone, paddlesports and five miles of running and walking trails. They also feature a Kid Zone that's fully netted for safety.

If you've been going a little stir-crazy in Rockford over the last few weeks/months, and you're the adventurous type, this could be wildly fun for you.

One thing is quite certain, though. You won't run into Joe Dredge or me out on the high-ropes course. Way too scary for most media-types, anyway. If they decide to add a beer garden, we may change our minds.