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Parks and Recreation

The St. Charles Park District is an award recipient of the prestigious National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management presented by the National Recreation and Park Association and The Sports Foundation, Inc. This award identified the St. Charles Park District as one of the Best in the Nation, serving a population of 20,000-50,000 residents.

The Park District, established in 1911, preserves and protects numerous park sites including neighborhood parks, community parks, athletic fields, wetlands, woodlands, and high-quality natural areas. The Park District also maintains playground units at 10 St. Charles school sites and the tennis courts at the Haines/Thompson Middle School Complex. In total, your Park District owns or manages nearly 1,500 acres of park land where you and your neighbors can enjoy leisurely walks, running, bicycling, golfing, picnicking, boating, fishing, skating, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, swimming and much more!

The Park District has built an excellent reputation by offering a variety of well-established and creative programs. Some of the offerings for preschoolers include parent and child classes, arts and crafts, music melodies and dance programs. Our widely-acclaimed preschool program gives children a great start to their schooling years.

Youth can enjoy athletics, dance, gymnastics, nature workshops, fine arts, swimming lessons and much more. Teens participate in special programs such as Friday Live!, skateboarding classes, educational workshops and numerous seasonal trips.

Fitness classes and athletic leagues are just a few of the many programs designed for teens and adults. Ages 50+ are welcome to drop in at Pottawatomie Community Center to play bridge or bingo, watch movies on designated days, or take an adventure on one-day or overnight trips.

Keeping current on the latest in recreation programs is a high priority of the staff. Classes for working parents, inter-generational special events and programs provided through cooperative efforts with other organizations and agencies are a focus of the Recreation Department. With many program offerings to choose from, we are confident there is something for everyone. We strive to provide quality recreation experiences for all of our residents.

Baker Community Center, located in downtown St. Charles, is owned by the Baker Board and managed by the Park District. The center is home to the Park District’s administrative offices, several senior programs and STC Underground, the community’s teen center. Many local organizations rent the building for meetings, classes and special events. Serving St. Charles residents as a community center for over 80 years, this building was a gift to the community from Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Baker as a “living memorial” to their son, Henry Rockwell Baker, and to veterans of World War I.

STC Underground Teen Center is a unique place for teens to “hang out,” socialize, play games, surf the Internet, watch TV, do homework and much more. Located on the lower level of the Baker Community Center, the center is open to middle school and high school teens residing within Community Unit School District #303 boundaries.

Pottawatomie Community Center, located along the Fox River in Pottawatomie Park, is the hub of Park District activities and offers something for everyone. Amenities include a dance studio, gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms, preschool rooms, adult activity areas and a Native Plant Demonstration Garden. This building, constructed in 1991, houses the main offices of the Parks and Recreation Departments.

Pottawatomie Swimming Pool, located east of the community center, includes two swimming pools, two waterslides, sundeck, water toys, children’s sand play area, tumble buckets, rain drop, water curtain, drop slide and diving board.

Pottawatomie Golf Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., is a nine-hole course offering people of all ages and golfing abilities a challenging and scenic course along the Fox River. This par 35 course, which is certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System, protects and preserves natural habitats for native plants and animals.

River View Miniature Golf Course, open May through October, is the most beautiful miniature golf course in the Fox Valley area. Located along the Fox River, this challenging par 42 course provides an interactive babbling brook, waterfall, sand traps, windmill, lighthouse, bridges and scenic views.

Primrose Service Center, located on Bolcum Road west of Crane Road, serves as the Park District’s maintenance headquarters. Parks Department supervisors maintain offices in this building.

PARKS

The Parks Department works diligently to maintain quality parks, natural areas and athletic fields. Throughout the community, numerous park sites are evaluated and updated on a continual basis. Most parks are open from dawn to dusk unless otherwise designated. Parks with lighted facilities close at 11 p.m. when in operation. The Park District is committed to managing all of your parks to conserve and enhance their value to the community. We welcome and encourage you to enjoy all of the beautiful park settings.

• Adjacent to the east side of the Fox River and four blocks north of Main Street, the 92-acre Pottawatomie Park offers picnic grounds, pavilion rentals, playgrounds, swimming pools, 9-hole golf course, paddlewheel riverboat cruises, amphitheatre, mini-golf course, pedal boats, concessions, restrooms, Gaffney Ballfield, sand volleyball and tennis courts, fishing and a trail system along the Fox River.

• Campton Hills Park includes hundreds of acres with soccer (practice and game) fields, football fields, a splash park, dog park, disc golf course, picnic grounds, playground, concessions, restrooms, community garden plots and natural areas featuring restored wetlands, prairie and savanna. Future amenities: Environmental Education Center and pool complex.

• Primrose Farm Park, a 210-acre community park, offers ball fields, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, tennis courts, a soccer field, a playground, pavilions, restrooms, community garden plots, Primrose Farm and a trail system.

• Ferson Creek Park, a riverside park of 13 acres offers picnic grounds, pavilion rental, restrooms, playground, fishing pier and canoe launch.

• The 102-acre East Side Sports Complex and Edward N. Regole park site, owned in part by the Kane County Forest Preserve District, offers eight lighted softball/baseball fields, lighted soccer field, 10 multipurpose playfields, lighted skate park, two lighted tennis and four sand volleyball courts, two lighted basketball courts, two playgrounds, dog park, fishing pond with pier, two shelters, a trail system, eight-station fitness trail and restrooms.

• Boy Scout Island is a 7.5-acre special-use park on the Fox River. The public boat launch is a favorite with boaters and fishermen. In addition, this park offers picnic tables along the shoreline.

• Mt. St. Mary Park, a riverside park of 29 acres offers an arboretum, picnic areas, pavilion rental, tennis and basketball courts, skate park, community playground, picturesque waterfall, restrooms, canoe launch, fishing areas and a trail system along the Fox River.

NATURAL AREAS

St. Charles Park District residents are fortunate to own several natural areas. People of all ages can have enjoyable experiences by participating in Park District-sponsored programs or by taking walks to explore and discover the community’s remaining natural landscapes. These rare places contribute greatly to the quality of life of Park District residents.

• Norris Woods, a dedicated 73-acre Illinois State Nature Preserve, is an outstanding red oak forest with a wide diversity of wildflowers. It is located north of Main Street on 3rd Avenue directly west of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

• Ferson Creek Fen, a dedicated Illinois State Nature Preserve located adjacent to Route 31 north of Main Street, is a premiere 46-acre wetland with many rare plants. Visitors will find a boardwalk, sedge meadow, 3Ú4-mile walking trail, prairie restoration and floodplain forest.

• Delnor Woods Park, a 23-acre park adjacent to Route 25 north of Main Street, has a native oak forest with very large older trees, native plantings, paved pathways, open playfields, playground, two shelters and areas to fish (state license requirements apply).

• Persimmon Woods is 30 acres in size and located adjacent to Keim Trail, which can be reached from Fox Chase Boulevard. It offers a unique upland swamp with adjacent marshy wetlands.

• The Campton Hills Park Natural Area, located on the far west side of the park and south of Campton Hills Road, covers 131 acres and is known for its large and extremely diverse environment featuring wetlands, prairie and savanna.

• Otter Creek Bend Wetland Park, located on Crane Road between Bolcum and Silver Glen Roads, is a 69-acre restored wetland.

BIKE & PEDESTRIAN TRAILS

With miles and miles of trails throughout St. Charles connecting to adjacent communities, there is ample opportunity to explore the Fox Valley area. Trails include:

• Great Western Bike Trail
• Peck Road Bike Trail
• Fox River Bike Trail
• River Bend Bike Trail
• Randall Road Bike Trail

• Baker Community Center
101 South Second Street
(630) 584-1055
www.st-charlesparks.org

• STC Underground Teen Center
101 South Second Street
(630) 513-4380
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Pottawatomie Community Center
8 North Avenue
Recreation Department & Adult Activity Center
(630) 513-6200
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Parks Department & Naturalist Office
(630) 584-1885
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Pottawatomie Swimming Pool
Located in Pottawatomie Park
(630) 584-3314
www.st-charlesparks.org

• River View Miniature Golf Course
Located in Pottawatomie Park
(630) 584-1028
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Primrose Service Center
37W755 Bolcum Road
(630) 587-3373
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Primose Farm
5N576 Crane Road
(630) 513-4370
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Campton Hills Splash Park
Corner of Campton Hills and Peck Roads
(630) 587-2385
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Campton Hills Park Disc Golf Course
Campton Hills & Peck Roads; west of Randall Road
(630) 584-1885
www.st-charlesparks.org

• Pottawatomie Golf Course
845 North Second Avenue
(630) 584-8356
www.st-charlesparks.org