Whistlestop-Miniature Golf

I’m going to have to seriously disagree with the other reviewer of Whistlestop. Out of all the mini golf I’ve played in Central Illinois, this place is actually the worst.
You can find better mini golf at Pheasant Lanes or Grady’s in Bloomington, and there are probably a handful in Champaign and Peoria that are better.
This particular place is in disrepair. In a word it’s dingy and the owners appear to have cut corners wherever they could. The greens are ripped up in many places with unevenness around the edges and around the holes. Leaves were everywhere on the greens, so we had to remove them on lots of holes.
Many of the courses have edges made of bricks spaced too far apart so if your ball hits a corner it stops dead. The holes themselves were dirty. The clubs were old and the handles were oddly sticky.
I did like the amount of greenery on the course, the high level of difficulty and the strange flowershop/​tombstone combination of the entryway.
If you want good miniature golf, look elsewhere.

Without a doubt, the Whistlestop is the best mini golf in Central Illinois. The course lies behind a huge historic train depot that the owners fought to save from destruction in the 90’s. The course is entirely shaded with trees – over 40 – and each hole is expertly landscaped and planted by the owners of the adjacent flower shop. It’s an amazing, classic course with several fish ponds, a tunnel and a series of streams and waterfalls. The gardening alone makes it worth a visit, and imparts a sophistication to the mini-​golfing that is unlike anything you’ll come across elsewhere.
The backdrop for the whole course is an active train track, with downtown El Paso’s main street behind it. Whistlestop is a fun course in a really classic small town setting that none of the more commercialized mini golf courses in Bloomington-​Normal offer.
They sell drinks, ice cream, snacks and pizzas, and there are some fantastic patios and areas to sit and enjoy them. It’s also a wonderful setting for smart spring thru fall parties.
I had a casual wedding party here about 6 years ago and recently visited to see what’s changed. It has really grown and matured since then, sprawling all over with interesting features and hidden nooks to discover. The plants and water features are absolutely lush now, making it feel like a cool oasis in the summer heat. Whistlestop is a true gem hidden away in sleepy little El Paso.
5 big stars to the Whistlestop, with its noble goal of raising mini-​golf above the plasticity of their kitschy competition.