Atwood Center - Rockford, Illinois

Michelle S.

11/9/24 update: We've come here quite often, but I have to say that I don't love the park anymore. Yes, there are occasional trail maps, but none up by the raptors where most families start their hikes. It really wouldn't be that hard to pound a (for example) blue stake in at each turn for little to follow one path, a green for another, etc.

There are no signs telling you about the animals that live here, why they are here, why they can't be released, etc. The silver metal hardware cloth of the enclosures makes it very hard to see the birds. You literally can't see the screech owls unless you know they are there and get the right lighting. Painting the metal black on the outside would help visitors, and still leave the hardware cloth visible to the birds for safety. I would also love to see bigger and take enclosures, and have explanations as to why the birds that would live in pairs or groups in the wild are living alone here.

This is still a nice place to enjoy outdoor time with the family, but if they would make some improvements like marking the trails and adding more educational and interpretive signs and demos a lot more people would be here

Fun for the family on dog friendly trails. I wish the trail entrances were clearly marked. And I wish each spot where the trail has options to take was marked so you could just follow that and not worry about how far away you were going with little kids that needed to be able to make it back. The raptors were fun to look at. I wish there were signs by each animal talking about the species, and saying why each animal was there and couldn't be released. Seems like 2 missed enviro ed opportunities missed by not having signs. My five year old son, our dog, and I enjoyed our time here. I recommend finding your way to the bridge over the river.

Ryan K.

I come to Atwood park to do Mountain biking from time to time. I recently discovered they had a Birds of Prey exhibit. It's very cool to see the types of birds they had on display up close. I read up on the exhibit and I guess these are birds that have been rescued and can't be returned to the wild. I will be back with my kids to show them these birds up close.

DJ R. R.

As an outdoor facility to see nature up close, along the Kishwaukee River, this is very accessible and fun. Went here on my child's school trip as a chaperone. I got to see a fun age appropriate team building exercise the kids loved it! A great resource for learning about animals and nature. Here are some pics, enjoy.

Joanna S.

I had a beautiful nature scenery this morning before heading to work. Absolutely beautiful

Jory F.

Really fun trails to walk. They have old training courses you can play on. The suspension bridge is fun to walk across.
Birds of prey exhibit is very interesting.
Btw all the birds were unable to survive in the wild on their own.

Pamela P.

Great place for an adventure. Fun for all. The bird sanctuary is awesome also.

Mary G.

It's definitely the best Rockford has to offer. The people that work there really care about what they do. They do a lot of education for the schools and it definitely keeps the kids attention, the adults too!

Anaikia B.

We really enjoy taking our dog to walk through the trails at Atwood Center and the Birds of Prey are always a must see. The only issue I have with the trails is that they are not well marked and some of them are a wee bit overgrown. Nevertheless one of the main trails is pretty straightforward and goes through some lovely forest trails.