By: Twyla Vlahon

 Fall is here! It’s only a matter of time before the temperature starts dropping and the hoodie-clad masses start rising. Getting your Vitamin D is more important in autumn than ever, since the Illinois winter will soon be forcing everyone inside. Not only is it good for your health to be outside, but a park is a much less expensive place to hang out with friends than a store or restaurant. Luckily, Springfield has a plethora of lovely natural areas to enjoy the changing leaves and cooler weather– more of them than you may think, in fact! The Springfield Park District maintains 34 different parks, each with its own unique amenities, activities and history. Here are some of the most notable to help you narrow down the best place for you to spend your outdoor time this autumn! 

Biggest: Riverside Park

With the Sangamon River at its border, a BMX Club track at its northeast, two shower houses, eight ball diamonds and 100 campsites, is it any surprise that Riverside Park is the biggest park in Springfield? Established in 1965, Riverside is a mighty 470-acres of forest and field. It has a plethora of dirt trails and ample river access, making it great for hiking, fishing and enjoying the natural scenery. Each of its 100 campsites have different resources suited to each person’s individual camping needs, including some that have full plumbing and electricity and others that only have trees and grass. It also has eight baseball diamonds for anyone looking to play with a group of friends, and even stables for all the dedicated horse girls out there (the stables are not open to the public; make sure to reserve any rides/lessons online or over the phone in advance!).  Riverside is just west of North Peoria Road, closer to Sherman than it is to most of Springfield, but its amenities and natural beauty makes it well worth the drive. 

Smallest: Enos Park 

Nestled between three different streets, Enos Park is a neighborhood park through and through. It’s simple and cozy with a single picnic shelter and some new playground equipment, updated by the Park District only in the past few years. The entire Enos Park neighborhood has a canopy of shady trees that serve to make Illinois’ randomly hot days less uncomfortable and also add to the historic qualities of the area, surrounded by homes dating back to the 1800s. With its old-fashioned charm mixed with its modern play equipment, Enos Park has a lot to offer despite its small size! 

Newest: Lawless Park

Close competitor with Enos for smallest park, Lawless Park isn’t one people often go to when thinking of somewhere to spend a few hours outdoors. This isn’t any mark against Lawless Park, however, as it simply hasn’t had time to make a name for itself. The park–previously known as simply “11th and Black” after the streets it borders–was renamed David T. Lawless Park (or just “Lawless Park” for short) in 2012 after the late Springfield resident and youth baseball coach. Fittingly, the park is mostly used for baseball, with four baseball diamonds, a pavilion and restrooms being its main features. Lawless Park is a must-visit for any baseball player or fan looking to be surrounded by the sport they love! 

Oldest: Washington Park

Arguably one of the most popular spots in Springfield, there are few capitol city residents who do not know about Washington Park. And for good reason! The park was established in 1901–over 120 years ago–but instead of getting old and decrepit, it has been continually maintained and updated, making it one of the most versatile and beautiful areas in Springfield! In fact, the Washington Park Botanical Gardens building is going to be updated in the next few years in order to make it more functional and comfortable. Washington Park has a relatively big size of 150 acres and still manages to pack a lot into each inch; all in all, the park has open grassy space, heavily wooded areas, two ponds, plenty of paved and unpaved walking/biking trails, many covered and uncovered picnic tables, 12 tennis courts, multiple sets of playground equipment, restrooms, a pavilion, the aforementioned Washington Park Botanical Gardens, the Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon and much, much more! There’s plenty to explore at Washington Park and always something new to see! 

Most Accessible: Southwind Park

Every one of the parks has varying degrees of accessibility. For example, Riverside and Timberbrooke lack many paved roads (making them difficult to traverse for wheelchair users) but are not often as populated as some of the other parks (making them ideal for those with sensory issues). What is truly “accessible” is different depending on what each person needs to be able to access something. However, few parks in Springfield have such an obvious dedication to accessibility as Southwind Park. The entire 80-acre park is connected by thick, multi-lane sidewalks with spots of tactile pavement at every junction. Not only is Southwind committed to being accessible, it also tries to be as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible. Erin’s Pavilion, Southwind’s main event venue, is geothermally-powered and the park has wind turbines and solar panels to generate power for it and its other attractions. Those other attractions include plenty of open grass, a splash pad, a lake, a gazebo, a bocce ball court, a shuffleboard court, a horseshoe pit, five picnic shelters (with fans and electrical outlets), two playgrounds, three fishing piers and five sensory gardens (dedicated natural areas meant to stimulate one specific sense, such as sound or smell). Too often, accessibility is seen as “burdensome” or “unnecessary,” but Southwind Park shows that accessibility can do more than just “not detract” from something, but can make it more beautiful and unique. 

Most Simple: Timberbrooke Park 

Last and sort of least (but not in a bad way!) is Timberbrooke Park. This 18-acre stretch of land does not look like much on first viewing–in fact, the park’s only real amenities are a single bench and picnic table situated under one large, shady tree. Timberbrooke is difficult to notice and even quite difficult to get to considering there are no dedicated parking areas (it’s only available by foot). However, it is this simplistic charm that makes Timberbrooke so unique. The park is mostly grass with a sluggish stream, surrounded by trees, running through it. It’s a nice spot of greenery next to the bustling urban area of West Washington Street and Chatham Road, perfect for studying/reading outside, getting a few buddies together to play a more simple outdoor game or walking along the stream for some low-stakes exploring. Rarely ever crowded, Timberbrooke offers a peaceful respite from the stresses of everyday life. 

This is just a quick list of the noteworthy parks in Springfield! As the Springfield Park District has 34 properties to its name and each has at least one thing to appeal to every nature enthusiast, there is definitely something for every body. From exercise equipment to splash pads to campsites to elaborate playgrounds to plain-and-simple grass, exploring all that Springfield has to offer is one of the best ways to spend the time before winter’s icy bite comes! Find more information– including a full list of every park in Springfield– at the Park District’s website: https://www.springfieldparks.org/.

photos courtesy of Twyla Vlahon, Springfield Park District, ZuZu for Kids, and Visit Springfield Illinois