Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve

Carillon tower at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, Lake of the Woods, Illinois.

Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve is a county park of 900 acres (360 ha) in size, located adjacent to Lake of the Woods, Illinois, USA. It is operated by the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, a governmental agency of Champaign County, Illinois, and the forest preserve district has built their headquarters in the park.^[1]

Museum

The forest preserve is the host site of the Museum of the Grand Prairie, a living history facility that specializes in the human ecology of the former tallgrass prairie townships of eastern Illinois. The museum features an exhibit on the 1850s-era law practice of Abraham Lincoln, a reconstructed blacksmith shop, and children's museum installations. As a private-sector lawyer, Lincoln's practice encompassed a circuit of Illinois counties that included Champaign County.^[2]

Botanical garden

The forest preserve is also the host site of the 8 acres (3.2 ha) Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden, a botanical garden located south of the Museum of the Grand Prairie and featuring displays of bedding plants.^[3] In addition, a parcel of forest preserve land has been replanted as the Buffalo Trace Prairie, a replanted tallgrass prairie matching the ecosystem that is celebrated in the museum located immediately to the east.

Carillon

The 100 foot (30 m)-tall HI-Tower Bell Carillon, which can be climbed by visitors,^[4] and a reconstructed covered bridge round out the list of forest preserve attractions.

Access

The nearest limited-access highway exit to the park is Exit #172 on Interstate 74, near Mahomet.

References

Coordinates: 40°12′11″N 88°23′28″W / 40.203°N 88.391°W / 40.203; -88.391