Goat Yoga and More

Cedar Creek Ranch offers unique activities for women

Story and photos by Shannon Serpette

Few things feel better or more freeing as a woman than having some much-needed girls’ time with your best friends. As much as you might love being a mother, a wife, a career woman, or any other role you have, an adventure away with your friends is a chance for you to be unabashedly all about yourself, exploring your interests. For a unique outing for your next girls’ trip, Cedar Creek Ranch, located right outside Cedar Point, offers outdoor fun with a modern twist.

This horseback riding ranch lets you go for a trail ride and caters to more interesting bonding experiences for women, such as goat yoga, ax throwing, and Gator rides through a creek. For those who haven’t heard of goat yoga, Cedar Creek Ranch owner Paul Williams said it’s a yoga class with the addition of adorable and curious baby goats who circulate and check out people as they do their poses. You might have a goat nuzzling your face or find you have a little extra weight while holding a pose.

“They jump on your back,” Williams said.

What if you want goat yoga to come to you for a special event? The goat yoga program is portable, meaning customers can book it for parties or organizations and it will travel to them. While Williams estimates that 95 percent of the people who do goat yoga are women or children, some men do get into the fun as well.

Tyler Lane of Peru, a ranch hand who works for Williams, said he was intrigued by goat yoga even though he’s a 22-year-old man, and gave it a try.

“It was entertaining. It was fun. They (the goats) kind of started jumping on your back,” he said.

The Gator tours are an option for women who want some thrills along with their day out. These vehicles take you on a land/water experience as they drive through the scenic Cedar Creek that flows all the way through the ranch.

One of the newest event additions to the ranch is ax throwing. They have an instructor who teaches would-be ax throwers how to safely do it.

“Bachelorette parties want to do it,” Williams said.

Those looking for a bit of history with their girls’ day out might enjoy riding a horse past the old cemetery on the ranch. It contains 108 graves, with some dating back to the 1850s.

When you’re tired, hungry, and thirsty after all your activities, you can head to the property’s Gunsmoke Grill, a seasonal restaurant that closes in the winter, to indulge in a meal and cold drinks. With a few gaming machines onsite, ladies can see how their luck is holding up.

And for women who need a place to sleep when they are visiting the ranch, Williams said they have partnered with Starved Rock Lodge. Plus, in the near future, there should also be overnight options at the ranch – they are in the process of creating glamping opportunities, he said.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Goat yoga classes are popular with women. Practice your yoga poses as adorable goats walk by, nuzzling your face and sometimes hopping on your back.

Cedar Creek Ranch originally had four horses when it opened 21 years ago, but now it has 30 horses for the trail rides it offers.

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Fishing is another activity available to women who visit Cedar Creek Ranch just outside Cedar Point.

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Williams said there are many activities for women to do at the ranch – and the general atmosphere is a great place to relax.

“Women would be attracted to the nature experience,” Williams said, adding that people want to get back out and do things as safely as possible because of the pandemic, and being outside is a good way to do that.

Williams, who is also known as the Rock ‘N Roll Cowboy because he is in a local rock band called 303 that tours in the Midwest, opened the ranch 21 years ago, starting with four horses. He grew up in LaSalle-Peru and was motivated by seeing his mother’s work ethic and success as an entrepreneur who owned a business.

“She always inspired me to own my own business,” he said.

Since its early days, the ranch has expanded considerably, and now there are 30 horses living there.

Jerry Hrovat, who has worked in maintenance for approximately 11 years at the ranch, said he loves being around the animals. He feels that the number of horses is one of the things that makes the ranch unique.

Williams said he never imagined years ago when starting his ranch that it would be as big and successful as it is now. At the time, he was just a young guy with a dream and a deep love for horses. Now, the ranch is on the verge of becoming a tourist attraction for the Illinois Valley.

“I think that we’re in the process of becoming a regional destination,” he said.

The Gunsmoke Grill is located at Cedar Creek Ranch, serving tasty meals and cold drinks for anyone who needs to refuel after indulging in some of the ranch’s activities.