Sometimes you just need to take a detour from the mundane activities of everyday life. Today, I escape to Paradise Cove – a natural artesian well and waterfall in small town Winslow, Illinois.

I first learned about Paradise Cove from the Find A Spring website during my early days of van life. I made a list of natural springs and planned to stop at some of them during my travels.

How’d that plan work out for me?

It didn’t.

I got too busy exploring and doing other things and never got around to visiting any of the natural springs on my list.

But better late than never… and 8 1/2 years later… I visit my first artesian well!

Earlier This Month…

My brother, Corey, went to Paradise Cove and sent me a picture of the waterfall.

Until Corey sent the picture, I’d all but forgotten about the cove.

Mid-Last Week…

On a pleasant sunny morning, I drive to Freeport for a Walmart pickup, make a quick stop at Starbucks for some ponderin’ juice, and stop at Krape Park to ponder what to do with my day.

Great coffee and perfect weather quickly influence my decision.

Today would be a great day to check out Paradise Cove!

Driving To Winslow…

For the record, it’s Winslow, Illinois… not Winslow, Arizona. There’s no corner to stand on at the cove! If you know, you know. If you don’t know, there’s always Google.

Winslow is about half an hour from the Freeport Starbucks.

A sign welcomes me to Winslow – home of the Artesian Well.

Winslow is a small town in northern Illinois – not far from the Wisconsin border.

According to World Population Review, Winslow currently has 268 residents.

Getting To And Parking At Paradise Cove…

The entrance to Paradise Cove can be a little confusing (speaking from experience).

The address is 418 Hubbard Street, Winslow, IL. The GPS may tell you to take Hubbard street but Hubbard street won’t get you to the cove.

The cove entrance is just past Hubbard street (or, if you’re coming from the other direction, it’s just before Hubbard street).

There’s a helpful sign at the cove entrance. However, there’s minimal parking directly at the cove and I would not recommend taking a big rig through this entrance.

I had no problem in my 20 ft long, 8 1/2 ft tall, 6 ft wide van but maneuvering and parking a large rig via this entrance might be more stressful than necessary.

But never fear! There’s another parking option…

Instead of taking the entrance at the Paradise Cove sign, there’s additional parking in back of the lot next door.

This parking lot is for visitors to the cove and to other businesses in the area.

The Google Earth view shows the parking lot next door. You can enter and exit this lot from any of the businesses in that stretch.

From the parking lot, you get to the cove using the covered walking bridge. This cute little covered bridge crosses over Indian Creek.

Exploring Paradise Cove…

Now that the entrance and parking situation is taken care of… let’s move on to the cove!

A Welcome To Paradise Cove sign offers a friendly greeting.

After parking in the small circular parking area in the cozy little cove, I walk over to the infamous artesian well.

I’ve heard the water is safe to drink but I don’t taste or gather any of the spring water.

Not drinking the water is a me thing, not a Paradise Cove thing.

I’ve become seriously ill a few times in my life from drinking water I’m not familiar with. The fear of becoming violently ill overpowers any desire to drink unfamiliar-to-me water straight from the source – even when I’m told it’s safe.

A small recreational picnic area overlooks Indian Creek.

Beyond that, lies a grassy walking trail.

The babbling brook sounds of Indian Creek harmonize with the waterfall.

It’s sooooo peaceful.

It’s time to check out the waterfall.

The cove is small and the waterfall is only a few steps away.

There are a few short pathways leading to the waterfall.

As I approach the little plunge pool at the bottom of the waterfall, I hear a splash. Wondering what made the splash, I quickly give the pool a quick once over and see a frog swiftly swimming away.

Talking To The Volunteers Before I Leave…

A couple of lady Volunteer’s are pulling weeds by the gazebo.

I did not take pictures of the gazebo because the Volunteer’s were bent over pulling weeds. Having said that, you probably already have a “heads-down, bottoms-up” picture in your head!

I wouldn’t appreciate someone plastering my booty on the internet (clothed or not) and I won’t do it to someone else. On the other hand, if you happen to find yourself on my bad side… all bets are off (hehe)!

As I walk towards the van, one of the ladies stands to talk to me. As she speaks, she holds a handful of weeds in her gloved hand.

She said additional landscaping will be done to the cove in the near future. She also said the water wheel was removed for repairs but will be back when funding allows.

Water Wheel Update: See my August 22, 2024 post titled “A New And Exciting Discovery At Paradise Cove” that includes info and a video of the water wheel back in action!

Parting Thoughts…

Paradise Cove is small, peaceful and cozy. It’s also free!

And to think, I lived in The Homeland area for 52 years before hitting the road in 2015 and not once did I ever go to Paradise Cove. I didn’t even know it existed until I started van life… and I even graduated from Lena-Winslow high school!

It’s funny how, when our surroundings become the norm, we often overlook the extraordinary.

I wonder what other hidden gems I’ve overlooked in The Homeland…

There’s not an official Paradise Cove website but there’s a little more information and a picture of the water wheel on the Enjoy Illinois website.