Recreation

There are plenty of places for Rockford families and visitors to recreate. Rockford Park District offers 185 neighborhood parks. Other favorite family getaways include Magic Waters, the park district’s elaborately designed water theme park, and the Riverview Ice House and Carlson Ice Arena, with indoor rinks for hockey, figure and recreational skating. The 162-acre Rock Cut State Park, located just to the northeast of the city, offers sailing, swimming, picnicking, camping and hiking trails. Winnebago County offers residents more than 5,000 acres of forest preserves for golfing, camping, picnicking, hiking, canoeing, fishing and nature hikes.

Take a swing at one of 10 public golf courses in the Rockford area, including the Rockford Park District’s 18-hole Aldeen Golf Club, the city's premier public golf facility that has earned a four-star rating from Golf Digest.

Veteran's Memorial Sportscore, devoted to soccer, softball and volleyball, attracts numerous softball and soccer tournaments; pumping around $10 million into the local economy each year. The Soccer Center seats 100 inside and 75 more outside. Outside are eight soccer fields, eight lighted championship softball fields, nine sand volleyball courts, two children's play areas, a lagoon for fishing and boating, a walking and biking path and a mile-long recreation path.

For bicycling enthusiasts, Rockford has nine spectacular bike trails extending from 1.3 miles to 21 miles in length.