Swimming

Cool off on hot summer days with a dip in a lake or pool. Surrounded by towering rock bluffs and the thick canopy of Shawnee National Forest, Poplar Camp Beach on Cedar Lake might just be your new happy place. Nearby, Kinkaid Lake is home to one of the best swimming holes in Illinois and it’s a bit of a local secret. On the backside of the spillway, water gently cascades over natural rock formations for 700 feet before reaching the Big Muddy River. Raging Rivers Waterpark offers fun for all ages with the endless river, wave pool, slides, and itty-bitty surf city. When the mercury rises, relax in the waters along the byway.