Joliet Parks and Recreation
In addition to owning and operating over 50 park sites covering more than 1,500 acres, the Joliet Park District offers a multitude of programs for a community diverse in age and interests. Youth programs include arts and crafts, cooking, music, fitness, dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics, while adult programs range from dancing (country/western, tap, and jazz) to a variety of competitive sports.
Seniors also have a selection of engaging programs, which include “Day Away Tours,” trips to the Chicagoland area for shopping, cruises, antique shows, and horse racing. Programs for the disabled include swimming lessons, a variety of sports, bowling, and social activities.
The Park District’s numerous recreational centers each offer a variety of activities and events, along with ample parking and comfortable facilities. Three public golf courses (Inwood, Woodruff, and Wedgewood), offer athletic challenge at competitive prices. Each course offers lighted driving ranges, practice greens, and watered fairways and greens.
The Park District’s Hartman Recreation Center is home to a large gymnasium equipped with a stage, weight room, multi-purpose room, and kitchen facility. The Center offers year-round and seasonal programming, along with special events and community meetings. Sator Sanchez Memorial Park and playground facilities are conveniently located next to the Center. The Multipurpose Center on West Jefferson provides a wide variety of recreational activities for both kids and adults, including sports, gymnastics, dancing, and parent-child activities.
Inwood Recreational Center & Sports Complex provides a variety of activities and facilities for children and adults, including regularly scheduled open public skating, seasonal figure skating, and youth hockey at its 1,000-seat, regulation-size ice skating arena. Other offerings include a state-of-the-art aerobic studio and a fully equipped fitness center. Additionally, four soccer fields and six softball fields are also available at the complex. The US Slo-Pitch Softball Association uses the Inwood complex for annual national and state tournaments.
Located adjacent to the Inwood Recreation Center, the Multi-Purpose Center is the Joliet Park District’s hub for over 200 general recreation activities. Programs include the preschool play center, gymnastics, athletics, dance, art, and special interest classes serving toddlers through senior adults. The Multi-Purpose Center provides two indoor gymnasiums, a multi-purpose room, kitchen, and several program rooms. Open gym hours are offered throughout the day and evening. The Multi-Purpose Center also houses the District’s Special Recreation division, which provides recreational opportunities to individuals with special needs.
The Joliet Park District and Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center have formed a partnership named Provena Saint Joseph Inwood Athletic Club that combines an amazing health and wellness facility with the resources of a leader in the healthcare industry. The facility features a 10,000 square foot fitness floor (including ADA approved equipment for those with special needs); a 25-yard, eight-lane indoor competitive pool; walking/running track; steam rooms; whirlpool; youth gym; spinning room; group exercise areas; and locker rooms for men, women, and families. The partnership reflects the vision of both organizations, placing a priority on exceptional service and the highest quality facilities. As part of this partnership, Provena Saint Joseph has a community room in the new fitness facility and clinical space for physical therapy services, nutritional counseling, massages, and heart screenings. Provena Saint Joseph also offers specialized programs like Sturdy Senior Strengthening Program, HeartSmart for Women, and Meded Heart Support Group.
Joliet is home to the Bird Haven Greenhouse & Conservatory, an Italian Renaissance style greenhouse with formal gardens perfect for weddings or special occasions. Throughout the year, visitors can enjoy magnificent, seasonally themed floral shows.
The Barber & Oberwortmann Horticultural Center, located adjacent to the greenhouse, features a multi-purpose room, resource center, kitchen, gift shop, and covered deck.
Outdoor enthusiasts flock to the wooded, serene Pilcher Park, home to playground areas, picnic grounds, and scenic hiking trails. Over 640 acres of land provide a habitat for wildlife and the perfect environment for outdoor recreation. Pilcher Park is also home to the Pilcher Park Nature Center, an educational and park information center. The Center includes display rooms, meeting and banquet rooms, observation windows for outdoor bird watching, large aquariums exhibiting native fish of Illinois, an indoor turtle pond, and exhibits of the area’s natural history, plants, and animals.
Nowell Park in Joliet offers 20 acres of amenities, including new play equipment, ball fields, recently renovated pavilions, tennis courts, an open play area, and a picnic area.
“Preserve the natural habitat” was the charge given to the award-winning designers of Rock Run Corridor, a 1.4-mile recreational and educational corridor along the Rock Run River. Its natural wetlands, forest preserves, and bird habitats run along the Rock River, providing city dwellers an escape from urban reality. Winding through the Rock Run Corridor are a medley of trails, boardwalks, overlooks, and interpretive signage wind.
Joliet Memorial Stadium (a spacious arena featuring a fully lighted grass field, encircled by an asphalt track) hosts Joliet’s youth, high school, and intercollegiate football teams. Additionally, the 10,000-seat stadium provides a home for summer festivals, concerts, and Joliet’s annual July 4th celebration.
On a piece of land that was once Joliet’s first street, a cultural complex was established in honor of the city’s and the county’s 200th birthday. Once known as Will-Joliet Bicentennial Park, the Mayor and City Council approved renaming it to Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in May of 2000 in honor of Mrs. Limacher, park president and tireless volunteer since the park’s inception.
Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park is a 10-acre compound located along historic Bluff Street and the Des Plaines River, where Joliet’s early merchants and artisans established their homes and businesses. The park boasts a riverwalk promenade, overlooks, theater and band shell, as well as a 300 plus-seat indoor theater. Bicentennial Park is home to many of the city’s festivals and functions as a gathering place to celebrate the city’s diverse culture and established arts community.
Challenge Park Xtreme in Joliet is home to a year-round skate park, paintball grounds, and five miles of mountain bike trails. Play by yourself or with a group on the park’s 150 acres. Also in Joliet is the Haunted Trails Amusement Park & Entertainment Center, which features two miniature golf courses, go-karts, Naskarts, indoor/outdoor rides, 150 games, batting cages, restaurant, meeting rooms, and a picnic grove.
To the delight of outdoor enthusiasts, the Will County Forest Preserve boasts miles of winding, interlinking trails traveling through Joliet. These trails provide hikers, bicyclists, in-line skaters, joggers, equestrians, and cross-country skiers safe, scenic trials on which to exercise.
The Greater Joliet YMCA has been serving the Joliet community since 1927. The YMCA serves all socio-economic levels and financial assistance for membership is available. Its mission is “to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.” Tens of thousands of residents use the YMCA each year for activities including swimming lessons, aquatics, youth sports leagues, and before and after-school day care. Residents are served by two facilities, each of which provides year-round programs and activities for all ages. Members also have access to two 25-yard indoor pools, two gymnasiums, weight-lifting equipment, and more.
For those who prefer to exercise their minds, the Joliet Public Library system has been serving Joliet residents since 1876. The Joliet Public Library currently offers two facilities housing more than 300,000 books, 400 magazine subscriptions, numerous audio and videotapes, magazines and newspapers from across the nation, reference materials, and more. Adding to the character of the historic main library building is a bronze statue of explorer Louis Joliet, which has stood guard on the lawn of this important facility since 1904. The Joliet Public Library is a member of the Heritage Trail System, an interlibrary loan program that grants members access to resources at area libraries in 13 counties in Northern Illinois.
 |
 |
|---|---|
 |
|
