HIVC Fox River Resort Sheridan Illinois

[puppymommo]

I am spending a week here at Fox River Resort, used to be Silverleaf, now Holiday Inn Vacation Club. I used to own here and have been here at least a half a dozen times. I really like it. It is kind of out in the middle of nowhere, pretty rural area, about 70 miles southwest of Chicago. It's a good hour and a half drive into the city if you avoid rush hours. I drove into the city three days mostly to see the museums, which I love. The rest of the time I just spent relaxing. Today I went on a short hike. They have a nice gentle hiking trail through a wooded area. It is hard to find but once you get on the trail it is well marked. They have many activities including an indoor waterpark which has an extra admission charge. They have a very large indoor pool. These two amenities, along with cross country skiing make it a four season resort.

There is a beautiful state park about a half hour away called Starved Rock State park. Grocery shopping is about 30 minutes away in Ottowa or Shorewood (on the way to/from Chicago). I liked the Jewel/Osco in Shorewood better than the Kroger in Ottowa for the selection. There is also a little store (Norway store) right outside the resort that has some grocery items along with Norwegian treats but I haven't been in there in years. The town of Norway is adjacent to Sheridan and has some Norwegian tourist sites. The Norway Store also has a gas station now.

One thing to know about Fox River is that they have basically 2 types of units; the "lodges" and the "presidentials". They different mostly in size and decor. The presidentials have more updated and nicer decor and have a washer/dryer in the unit. If you get a 2 bedroom the only way to distinguish between the two on RCI is the presidentials are listed as 6/6 (sleeps 6, privacy for 6) and lodges are listed as 6/4 (sleeps 6 privacy for 4). I have stayed in lodges many times but definitely prefer presidentials. This trip I chose a 1 bedroom because I knew it would be the larger portion of the 2 bedroom lock offs. The 1 bedroom side has a full kitchen, dining room, living room and bedroom with a patio or deck. There are outdoor grills at each building. The bathroom has the w/d, a tub and a very large shower with a shower head at each end. Never saw that before!

I got this as an RCI Last Call Sale for $199 for the week. A great value! I know I will return to this resort many times in the future. I like the balance of tranquil setting with proximity to Chicago.

 

[Pietin]

Fox River is a nice, quiet, quiet, quiet, resort. It's been several years since we have been there but really enjoyed it. We live about 45-60 minutes from there. If you go to Starved Rock State park you can go eagle watching. As a matter of fact there are eagles all along the Fox River. You can go gambling in within an hour, I thing Joliet is the closest, off of I-80 or you can got to Elgin a bit further off of rt 31. There are many antique shop within a hours drive too, in all directions. If your want some great shopping head toward Naperville and the Fox Valley Mall, it is a large shopping area or Woodfield which is about an hour. If you get a chance take a drive to visit the towns along the Fox River, St Charles, Batavia, Geneva, Elgin, and north (not listed in in geographical order). A lot of small shops and little town charm, either take Rt 25 or Rt31 as they parallel the Fox River.

Also if you want to go to Chicago and avoid driving all the way into the city, there is Metra (commuter rail) stations in Aurora that will take you downtown. You can hop a bus to the museums from here, just check the time they are running. The Metra is a safe, clean, alterative to driving all the way in but it is still an hour or so on the train.

There is also a Jewel and an Aldi in Yorkville which is that far from the resort off of rt 47.

Well Enjoy your stay.

 

[puppymommo]

One more thing about this resort. Since it is in a rural area, cell phone coverage is spotty. Sometimes I was able to send a text from my unit and sometimes not. I was never able to make a call. There is internet access (wifi) at the registration/activities center and a few select buildings. I happened to be in one of those buildings, so I had great internet access. I was told that they are in the process of putting wifi in all the buildings but they don't know how long it will take. So yes, this is a quiet, quiet resort in all ways!

 

[scootr5]

Welcome to the area! I live about 10minutes from downtown Yorkville.