Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock

About

Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock, located at 2643 IL-178, North Utica, IL, is a family-friendly resort offering a convenient base for exploring the nearby Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks. It features an indoor water park with a wave pool, lazy river, and slides, along with other amenities such as an arcade, mini-golf, and dining options, making it a popular destination for leisure and outdoor adventures.

The indoor water park at Grand Bear Resort features multiple pools, including a wave pool, lazy river, and kiddie pools, which are consistently heated to ensure a comfortable swimming environment for guests throughout the year. While specific temperatures for each attraction are not explicitly published, they are maintained at a pleasant warmth suitable for extended stays in the water. Hot tubs are typically kept at a higher, relaxing temperature.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? text: "Some visitors say this resort hotel offers a fun-filled family getaway with exciting amenities like an indoor water park featuring slides and a lazy river, a cafe with delicious pizza, live music, mini golf, and spacious villas.\n\nOther reviews mention the customer service can be disappointing and maintenance can be slow." language_code: "en-US"

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Good for Children
• Accepts Credit Cards
• Accessible Entrance

Reviews

Listing Reviews

September 15th, 2025

Matthew Wallick

Only got 4 star on service cause the hotel restaurant was supposed to call when food was done but never did. The rooms were super nice. Location beautiful. Water has a funky smell to it other than that it's a great place to go.

September 3rd, 2025

Kevin Glynn

We pretty much only come here to hike into the canyons in starved rock state park… and we overlooked this place dozens of times in the process. While we still love to pitch a tent in the campground, i cannot deny that this hotel is super cool. Love the rooms, staff is always super cool, decent little gym, mini golf, epic little water park, sweet cafe, killer arcade. Will def come back here.

September 9th, 2025

Izzy Wetzel

Perfect location. Establishment could use updating, Also pretty sure I only saw one adult working there the whole time. For kids they were nice and helpful tho. Kathy makes good coffee. But what’s up with those stale beignets? Also scary abandon building across the street, but maybe that may entice some people. Overall. Great for a stay to hike starved rock if that’s your main priority

August 2nd, 2025

Amelia Mae

A Disappointing and Frustrating Stay Our recent stay at Grand Bear Resort was incredibly disappointing, and the problems started almost immediately. We were greeted with poor customer service during check-in, which was a bad start to our weekend. We chose to stay for one night of our planned three-night trip, but after a series of issues, we decided to cut our trip short. First, the plumbing in our room was a major problem. The only sink to wash our hands was clogged, and while a staff member did fix it within 20 minutes, the shower was also clogged and wouldn't drain properly. By morning, we were ready to leave. I called the front desk at 8 a.m. to check out and was told I would still be charged for a second night, which I reluctantly agreed to. However, when I got home and checked my bank account, I discovered I was charged even more than I had agreed to. On top of the initial charge, I was hit with an additional fee of over $350 and a pending charge. I reached out to the resort for clarification but have yet to receive a satisfactory response. The combination of plumbing issues, poor customer service, and deceptive billing practices made for a terrible experience. I do not recommend this resort and would advise others to look elsewhere for a better and more honest stay.

April 29th, 2025

Easy Lab Tech, LLC

We did a little getaway with the kids and found that this place has so much potential. On the upside, the staff were so nice and helpful and I liked how large the rooms at the lodge were. On the other hand, we would have liked more food options and to be served later than 8pm. We ended up having to order pizza from an outside place and paid $45 bucks for a medium😞I would have appreciated a dining experience for breakfast rather than the buffet and better options for the price. And there were signs posted of several food items they were out of along with live videos streaming of these extravagant looking meals that weren’t actually available. The room for sure could have used some upgrades such as better lighting, taller toilets and more spacious bathrooms. And the room was a bit dusty. Overall, it was ok to experience. The location was nice a secluded.