When you find yourself lucky to have found Perry Farm Park of the Bourbonnais Township Park District, you will have found one of the most fabulous local parks in Illinois. Local parks are not born great, but rather when vision is combined with proper planning, great parks develop.
Where does the road to greatness begin? Parks, like people, are given a name at birth. Most likely a park will have been named after someone great. However, there are plenty of posers. Let’s not forget the Enron Field debacle. And I bet we can all think of a dive park named after someone respectable. Names mean a lot, but the real magic happens when a great name is combined with vision, ingenuity, sound management practices, quality control, consistent care and a little luck, greatness is solidified. That’s exactly the stuff that this park’s namesake, the Durham-Perry family needed as they pioneered one of the first white settlements in the Kankakee River Valley in 1835. Their greatness didn’t begin with their name, or did it?
In the not too distant past, Oliver Perry, won our greatest naval victory (and a killer middle name, “Hazard”) on Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
In our recent past, the name Perry has brought fun to our lives. Not unlike Perry Farm Park! Enter stage left, Matthew Perry, who played Chandler on the TV show, “Friends.”
Do you remember a character from one of my favorite cartoons, Phineas & Ferb. Even though Perry the platypus never says a word, the vision, ingenuity and luck of his friends make the show great.
As Perry transforms each episode from a normal platypus to a secret agent, his friends always end up looking for him: “Hey, Where’s Perry?” “Oh, there you are Perry!”
I feel the same way when searching for Perry Farm Park. Is it in Bradley? Bourbonnais? The answer according to google is “yes.”
Phineas and Ferb always begin there day with: “Ferb, I know what we are going to do today!”
You don’t even have to ask. You can start by going to Perry Farm Park. First, visit the Exploration Station if you have kids. I hear Children’s museums are a big hit with kids.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz always makes something that is the best in: “THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE AREA!”
The trails at Perry Farm Park are some of the best in the entire tri-state area. Check out the trails. What park has this many miles of stroller smooth and sneaker savvy pathways? Seriously, I could walk to Custer Park barefoot on their beautiful hardball.
Perry’s alter ego “Agent P” is always foiling the evil plans of Dr. Doofenshmritz. They usually meet up with a confusing dialogue from Dr. Doofenshmirtz. “Ah, Perry the Platypus, what an unexpected surprise… and by unexpected, I mean completely expected!”
Perry Farm Park is full of completely unexpected surprises. Seek out the incredible Indian Caves section of the park. This is one of the most unexpected and unbridled beauties in central Illinois. And the views of the Kankakee River aint too shabby either.
Before his mission, Perry’s boss, Major Francis Monogram always tell him:
“Good luck, Agent P.”
If you choose to accept this mission, you’ll certainly find something for everyone in your family. I guarantee you won’t find a local park with more to offer. History, trails, prairies, canyons, caves, forests, farmsteads, children’s museum, trails and you might even find yourself lucky to find your own “Perry.”
Visit: Perry Farm Park of the Bourbonnais Township Park District, 459 N. Kennedy Drive, Bradley, IL 60914 https://www.btpd.org/perry_farm.php
Consider: The Kankakee River Valley region gets a bad rap, but it has a lot more to offer than you can imagine. Make a day of your visit and enjoy a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. On a hot summer day, nothing can beat a frosty mug root beer. Cap off your visit at Jaenicke’s Root Beer Stand and you won’t be disappointed.
