Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve is a county park of 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 Champaign County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 205,865, making it the 10th-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Urbana. Champaign County is part of the Champaign–Urbana, ...

, and the forest preserve district has built their headquarters in the park.

History

The forest preserve opened its first park in 1948.

Features

Museum

The forest preserve is the host site of the ''Museum of the Grand Prairie'', a

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

facility that specializes in the human ecology of the former

tallgrass prairie The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroach ...

townships of eastern Illinois. The museum features an exhibit on the 1850s-era law practice of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, a reconstructed

blacksmith shop A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

, and

children's museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...

installations. As a private-sector

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, Lincoln's practice encompassed a circuit of Illinois counties that included Champaign County.

Botanical garden

The forest preserve is also the host site of the

Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden The Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden () is a botanical garden located within the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve. It is located just off State Route 47, north of Interstate 74, in Mahomet, Illinois. History The garden is named after H.I. Gel ...

, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

located south of the Museum of the Grand Prairie and featuring displays of

bedding plant In horticulture, bedding is temporary planting of fast-growing plants into flower beds to create colourful displays, during spring, summer or winter. Plants used for bedding are generally annuals, biennials or Hardiness (plants), tender perennials; ...

s. 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.

Facility rentals

Lake of the Woods allows visitors to rent 7 different facilities as well as wedding rentals at the Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden. These facilities are available for partial day and full day rentals.

Carillon

The -tall ''HI-Tower Bell

Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

'', which can be climbed by visitors, and a reconstructed

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

round out the list of forest preserve attractions.

Access

The nearest limited-access highway exit to the park is Exit #172 on

Interstate 74 } Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange ...

, near Mahomet.

References

{{coord, 40.203, -88.391, dim:3000_region:US-IL, display=title Protected areas of Champaign County, Illinois