I've always loved Washington Park! It's very clean, peaceful and one of my favorite places to see…read morenature, take in beauty and get some good walking in and/or a morning run! Being back in the city for a few weeks has really brought back many memories from years ago! This is where I had so many highlights as a teen. Prom pictures, family gatherings, awareness walks and so much more. This is such a beautiful park, located in a beautiful and calming part of the city! Park closes at 10:30 but it's very large, clean and many places to sit.

Beautiful park, lots of wildlife. Loved walking around and seeing all of the landscape, and the…read moreflowers around the botanical garden!

Review Visit: May 12th, 2015…read more Iles park is about as park-y as you can get. It has your typical gazebo/pavilion where you can host birthday parties. There is some playground equipment for the kids to burn their excess energy on. There are some open acreage where you can have a picnic, play hacky sack, throw some frisbees, fly some kites, and various other outdoor activities. Besides all that, there really isn't much else to say about Iles. It seems to be a great spot to hang out with the kids or go on a walk with your significant other.

On my way into downtown Springfield when I spotted this park and hunted for a power outlet. It's…read morebeen cold the last few days and the onboard battery in the Sprinter van is running low. Surprise, there is an outlet here! It's on the north side on the building with restrooms (which was locked). I plugged in and took a walk around the park. Tennis/pickleball courts, a single baseball/softball diamond, walking paths, playground, skate park and several picnic areas with barbecue grills. Absolutely a pleasant experience this morning and now I'm at 100%. [Review 19690 overall - 144 in Illinois - 662 of 2023.]

This was such a fun place to go. They have lots of jogging trails. They have both paved and…read moreunpaved ones. Making this place a good handicap accessible place. They also have free community classes. I did a mushroom foraging class, and a maple tapping one. Lots of fun stuff for the kids to do. They have an indoor and outdoor bathrooms. They also have a free parking lot to park. The staff are very nice and helpful in the visitor center. I definitely plan to go back here. It was such a beautiful, nice relaxing place.

Review Visit: September 27th, 2016…read more I have been to Springfield, IL quite a few times, so it came to me as a surprise that there was a Memorial Garden/Nature Center dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. So, on a beautiful fall day, I decided to make a trip there and see what it was about. Talk about picking a perfect day to walk a perfect place. Parked my car, grabbed my outdoorsy hat and went walking. You could say that this place is split in two, with a section around the Nature Center and a section all on its own. There were only a few people on the trail and they were friendly. It was an enjoyable walk around the Nature Center section. Even saw two fawn play around while their mother fed. If you like to walk some easy trails while enjoying nature, this place needs to be on your list.

It advises the fishing but I've been out here for five hours and I haven't caught anythingread more

Great place to fish, hunt, camp, etc. lots of restrooms throughout park and very clean.read more

Beautiful park! Went Sunday and took nice walk. Just breathtaking setting. For sure will be back.read more

This is a great place to visit for everyone. There are so many things for kids to interact with:…read moresplash pad, playground, giant sundial, chimes they can play, pond (fishing), log house, walking path (wheelchair accessible). It can get busy, but there is so much space it rarely feels crowded.

Cute little park with plenty of picnic seating and a lakeside pavillion! I love what a great view…read moreof the lake you get from here (if you ignore the CWLP smokestacks). There are lots of little ducks and geese wandering around and a bridge that connects the east and west side of the park. I'll definitely be back to enjoy the lakeview and the picnic grilling!

Beautiful display!! I always appreciate the work that goes into this. I will be excited when the…read morecomplete the work on the dome.

Lovely gardens. I had an enjoyable afternoon walking around the grounds. The dome is being…read moreconstructed so I didn't get to see it. I can't blame them for improvement, I will just have to come back! I'm so excited to see so many native plantings. The pollinators were out on full force enjoying the nectar. Well done!

I visit this park a lot, as there are nice large off leash areas for my dog to run. This park has…read moreits challenges because it does flood a few times a year, so it can be hit or miss with the roads/trails. But overall, the Park District folks do a good job of keeping it cleaned up, mowed, and the roads graded. Really wish people who use the park would be more conscientious about throwing their trash IN the receptacles (not on the ground next to them). Two downfalls to this park: Park District is inconsistent with opening the gates in the AM. It's a bummer to drive to the park expecting the gates to be open at first light, only to find them randomly closed. Second: other reviewer is right about the creepy men cruising for sex (hence why we go early AM). Would be nice if the Park District PD would have more presence to discourage the hummer shoppers

Normally pretty decent place for fishing on the Sangamon River. Sort of suprised by the negative…read morethings I've heard about this place as we've never had any sort of issues here. Very peaceful & secluded spot, while sort of messy sometimes (pick up your trash people!) Lots of kayaking & rafters during the summer months.

Review Visit: April 24th, 2017…read more Carpenter Park is more than your typical park. Since the coming of Spring, I have been getting the itch to hike. There are plenty of places to hike in Illinois, but I wanted something different. Something off the beaten path. Somewhere that wasn't Starved Rock or a 2 hour drive for me. After scouring Google Maps for a place, I stumbled upon Carpenter Park. So in my car and off to hike I go! Carpenter Park is located on the outskirts of Springfield, almost in Sherman. Taking Sherman Road in, you will find it on the right. Your turn will take you to a one lane road where it leads to a small but ample parking lot. Beware, this road is mighty bumpy and will test your suspension due to all the dips and holes. Parking at Carpenter Park, you'll easily notice the main board that has a map with the trails marked on it. Food for thought, if you ever go hiking, take a photo this is map with your phone. You never know when you will need it. I have referred to the maps on my phone many times, just to make sure I was where I thought I was. The main parking area has all the entry hiking points, so it is easy to hop on a trail and start walking. I noticed main of the trails tend to intersect and cross each other, so you could easily go from one path to another to another. While this was fine and dandy, it was at a certain point that I noticed all the crossings no longer had markers. So you really need to pay attention to where you are going or you may end up getting lost... like I did. Just like at Matthiessen State Park, I somehow wandered out of the hiking area and into the main road that leads to the parking lot. As for the trails, they are all fairly flat, well-defined and suitable for people of all hiking skills. There are quite a few that had logs laying across the path, so you will have to go around or climb over. Not a hassle for someone who is in shape, but if you are looking for a gentle walk, this may be a problem. Some paths had a path going around the logs, but it's not a guarantee. While kind of getting lost, I did stumble upon some really cool cliffs/canyon of Sandstone. They were facing the Sangamon River. If you view some of the images below, I managed to sit on a part that stuck out. It was a fantastic view as long as you didn't look down and see the rocks and river below. Thrilling! Overall, I was here just shy of 2 hours and it was a fun place to hike. It is somewhat connected to another place called Gurgens Park that seems to offer more of the same as here. So if you felt daring, you could literally cross the road that splits them and hike both places. Carpenter Park has some interesting history, if you read the Wiki link below. Guess it is an Old Route 66 attraction. How cool! If you do hike/camp/fish in nature areas, please please please pick up after yourself. I filled an entire Kroger bag full of trash. Keep Nature Beautiful.

Could use better maintenance and more signage…read more Pro tip- to find this park on google maps search "Historic Stone Shelter" This park is a nice little oasis in Springfield and my go to place for a short hike. I love the views by the river but my biggest gripe with the trails is that there aren't very many signs to delineate where trails are intersecting. The trails that are not by the water are nice for a little taste of nature but don't have any standout features. In all, I enjoy coming to Carpenter Park to hike and enjoy a scenic lunch but I wish there was better marking of the trails.

One of the best places to hike around in Springfield. There is a playground for kids, a grassy area…read morewith mowed paths for walks and hiking/mountain bike trails in the woods. Great for dogs too! It's never over crowded like some of the other parks. The trails in the woods link up with the Sangamon Valley Bike Trail.