Illinois Waterway Visitors Center Ottawa, IL 61350

"This place is great. Highly recommended. If you love boats, ships and commerce, don't miss this stop. No charge for admission."

"This was a wonderful stop! They have a stamp here if you have a stamp passport. We got to see a boat from Florida going through the lock from Ft Lauderdale, Florida! There is loads of information if you are interested in what the Army Corp of Engeniers are doing here and what it is they do! There's also free observation viewers that you can look at the eagles in the blue herrin nests! This us a must see!"

"Nice stop if you make it out to Utica or Ottawa, Illinois. Always fun to watch a barge lock through. There is a nice visitor center and several good spots to observe. Clean restrooms. Great view of Starved Rock from this location. Picnic area onsite."

"Driving the bottom road back from Utica we stopped on a whim and were glad we did. My first time being back in the area after many years and this stop was awesome. We were lucky enough to see a barge coming up river. We thought there was no way it would fit but it did. Really neat to see. There is a small exhibit hall with bathrooms that we used. We were thankful for them. We didn’t interact with anyone and the place was very dusty inside. Outside was were the real beauty was. Definitely worth a visit."

"A fine place to calm your mind and relax. It is a small visitor center but the watching the locks operate is quite interesting and by the time one barge gets by, an hour and a half is up. At February you can watch eagles fishing over the dam. People interested in nature, engineering and ornithology would like it here."