Parks & Recreation in Centralia - inspire community magazine
From nature parks to sports fields, there is no shortage of things to do for activity or fitness for any age. Go for a hike. Bring the kids to the playground. Pick up a game of pickleball. Find something new that you haven’t done before.
Let’s start at the Centralia Recreation Complex in Downtown. The Rec. Complex organizes year-round sports programming such as swimming lessons, youth sports leagues, and adult fitness classes like water aerobics and yoga. The indoor swimming includes a competition pool, family pool, waterslide, and fountains. They also have basketball courts, an indoor walking track, exercise equipment, and more.
If you’d rather be outdoors, there’s a walking track at the former high school Ever’s Field on the corner of Calumet and Perrine. Youth football and soccer use the field throughout the year. Plus, there’s the City of Centralia Dog Park for your four-legged loved ones.
Health and fitness is a key part of quality of life and Centralia has multiple gyms to choose from in addition to the Recreation Complex. While every gym has general workout equipment, each gym offers slightly different class types. The EPOC Experience on North Elm offers daily classes primarily focused on high intensity interval training. Dreamality Athletics in Downtown has a culture of powerlifting and weightlifting. The Body Shoppe on West McCord features an entire area focused on CrossFit training.
If you’re into sports, there are plenty of opportunities at Fairview Park on West Broadway! Play a game of tennis or pickleball at one of the four outdoor courts. Get your friends together for sand volleyball or a game of basketball. The baseball and softball diamonds are used by 618 Express Baseball for games. For the more extreme sports enthusiast, there is a skatepark with several ramps and a quarterpipe.
Also in Fairview Park, there is a large area of playground equipment for kids to run and play. For a break, head over to the CN Pavilion to have a picnic which offers a great view of the 2500 Train Engine, a steam engine that retired from the railroad in 1962. In addition, there are two historic military planes and a missile on display.
Fairview Park is home to the 4th of July Carnival, Oktoberfest, and multiple events throughout the year. With several pavilions, you can reserve space through the City of Centralia for your reunion, outing, or celebration.
Fishing and boating are a part of the Southern Illinois culture, with Caryle Lake just outside our area to the west and Rend Lake to the south. In Centralia, there is Raccoon Lake and Lake Centralia.
Raccoon Lake covers 970 acres and has a 5mph limit, so it is perfect for paddleboats, canoeing, and kayaking. Point Park is on the southwest side of the lake and has picnic areas, a pier for fishing, and the boat ramp. Powerboat races are held each year in partnership with Castle Ridge. This event venue has a rooftop bar and restaurant featuring beautiful views of the lake. It is perfect for weddings and big events!
Lake Centralia covers more than 400 acres. This lake is great for boating and water skiing. Pontoon boats, sailboats, and other boats under 21 feet in length are allowed on this lake. There is also great fishing on this lake. A boat ramp is located on Waverunner Cove.
The largest park in Centralia is Foundation Park - a 260 acre nature park. It is the home to disc golf courses, Catfish Pond, the labyrinth, three miles of nature trails, and an arboretum cataloged collection of trees. Much of the nature in the park has been restored to what would be native to the area, including wetlands, prairies, and meadows.
The 36-hole disc golf course in Foundation Park is one of the top-rated courses in the nation. It has two different courses, the Recreational Course and the Championship Course. The Recreational Course is designed for families and beginners. The Championship Course is designed for more advanced disc golfers. Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) C-Tier has tournaments hosted at the course throughout the year.
If you’d like to play a round of golf, we have several options. Colonial Golf Course in Sandoval hosts an 18-hole golf course that is great for all golfers at any level. Greenview Golf Course in Centralia is a 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Wargo, former senior PGA golfer, that offers spectacular views and challenging greens. For the whole family, head over to C-Town Twist and Mini Golf for an 18-hole mini golf course that everyone is sure to enjoy!
In addition to the softball and baseball diamonds at Fairview Park, Jaycee Park at Sprehe Fields has two, and Rotary Park on South Perrine has four. With all of the ball fields throughout all of our communities, there may be a reason we have four major league professional baseball players – Gary Gaetti, Dwight Bernard, Bryan Eversgerd, and Kirk Rueter – from the area who are on the roster as coaches at Gaetti Sports Academy at Castle Ridge!
If you enjoy history, the Historic Commercial District in Downtown Centralia has over 50 buildings contributing to the Registry of National Historic Places. Included is the wood water tower at Bicentennial Park, which is one of only two wooden structures still standing along the Canadian National Railroad line. Bicentennial Park was established in 1976 as a reminder of Centralia’s proud railroading history.
Also in downtown, Carillon Park features the bell tower which currently ranks as one of the ten largest in the world, consisting of 65 bells and stands 165 feet tall. The carillon is considered the sixth largest in the United States, which has about 180 carillons. There is an estimated 500 to 600 carillons in the world.