Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Van Petten, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Van Petten and the surrounding area.

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Van Petten

• Astronomy & Satellites ...
  • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
  • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Van Petten:
  • 41.704199, -89.622048
  • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
  • The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Van Petten

• Bird Watching ...
  • We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
  • The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Lee County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Lee County
  • Since Van Petten is near Whiteside County and also Bureau County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Whiteside County
  • eBird sighting report for Bureau County

• Waymarking ...
  • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
  • Waymark.com

Curious and Interesting Names Near Van Petten ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

• Deer Grove
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Grove
  • Deer Grove is located in Whiteside County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deer Grove <2>
• Lincoln Heights
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Heights
  • Lincoln Heights is located in Lee County
• Nelson
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nelson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
  • Nelson is located in Lee County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nelson <2>
• Normandy
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Normandy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy
  • Normandy is located in Bureau County
• Prairieville
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
  • Prairieville is located in Lee County
• Rock Falls
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Falls
  • Rock Falls is located in Whiteside County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,648 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rock Falls <2>
• Walnut
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
  • Walnut is located in Bureau County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,296 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walnut <2>
• Woodland Shores
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Shores
  • Woodland Shores is located in Lee County

How Far From Van Petten to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Van Petten to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Van Petten and extending to:

• Dixon, which is the Seat of Lee County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Van Petten to Dixon, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
• Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 132 miles [212.4 km] to the south (S). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 8 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 689 miles [1,108.8 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 40 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,263 miles [10,079.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,005 miles [11,273.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,892 miles [7,872.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Van Petten. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov