Welcome to the NEW Springfield Park District website.  We hope the new features will better assist you in discovering more about the Park District and the numerous recreational programs, facilities, parks and other services available to you and your family.

Please take the time to provide us with your comments, suggestions and feedback on this site as well as the services we offer to the community. Understanding the needs of the community will allow us to better serve you. Our goal is to provide the most outstanding parks and recreation services to our growing community.

Don't forget to stop by any of our locations to pick up your complimentary copy of our most recent seasonal brochure which includes a complete list of programs, events and park information.

Below is a list of upcoming events, programs, and activities you may find of interest.

Thank you for visiting the Springfield Park District!

Three FREE rounds of golf.   This is a limited time offer from Dec. 1, 2011 until Feb. 15, 2012   The popular Golf Coupon Book offers golfers a great opportunity to play their favorite local public golf courses at a significantly discounted rate. For the cost of seventeen rounds of golf you will receive a punch card valid for 20 rounds of golf! Short of purchasing a season pass, this is the most cost-effective way to play golf.   For more information or to purchase a coupon book please call the Bunn Golf Course at 217-522-2633       Bunn Lincoln Greens Bergen Pasfield   18 holes 9 holes 18 holes 9 holes 9 holes 9 holes Regular Price $395.00 $220.00 $445.00 $270.00 $220.00 $220.00 Coupon Book Price $335.75 $187.00 $378.25 $229.50 $187.00 $187.00 You save $59.25 $33.00 $66.75 $40.50 $33.00 $33.00

The Henson Robinson Zoo will began winter hours and new admission rates on Sunday, January 1st. Winter Hour (Jan 1 - March 4) Weekends:     10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Weekdays:    closed (groups will be scheduled by appointment) Admission rates  $5.00 per adult $3.25 per child 3.50 per senior

The Springfield Park District recently initiated a process to develop a master plan for the Henson Robinson Zoo. This process charged two professional facilitators with the task of engaging the community and staff to define reasonable goals and expectations that would guide future progress of the zoo for years to come. We are excited to announce the master plan is complete and staff will be working hard to implement these recommendations. Zoo Master Plan

All 2012 golf season passes will be increasing by $25.  BUT WAIT!!! If you purchase your 2012 SPD Season Pass on or before February 15, 2012, you will receive it at the 2011 rates!  Passes will be available for purchase beginning December 1, 2011.  Click here to learn more about the different types of season passes as well as pricing.  Stop by any of the SPD Golf Course Pro Shops today and save!  Pro Shop winter hours are Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Pro-shop locations

During the Springfield Park District’s regular board meeting on October 19 Scott Selinger presented a $10,000 check that was donated to the Springfield Zoological Society. This money represents proceeds raised from the annual Carter’s Drive.   Springfield Zoological Society President, David Ploskonka “Each year Carter’s Drive raises significant funds to support various causes that benefit local children. They are a wonderful organization and Zoological Society is honored to be the recipient this year. The donated funds will go directly back into helping the Henson Robinson Zoo continue to provide a high quality zoo experience for its visitors.”   Park Board President, Leslie Sgro “The Zoological Society has been a cornerstone of the Henson Robinson Zoo for years. The Society has greatly accelerated growth throughout the zoo by fully funding multiple new exhibits and they are now a critical member of the zoo master plan development team that will help shape our future for years to come.

The first 5.5-mile leg of the Sangamon Valley Trail which extends from Centennial Park on the southwest side of town to Stuart Park on the northwest side officially opened on July 26, 2011. The Sangamon County Highway Department constructed the tail which is now being managed and maintained by the Springfield Park District along with nearly 15 miles of existing bike trails which connect Springfield to Rochester and Chatham.   Future Plans…. The Sangamon Valley Trail is a 38-mile (61.2 km) right-of-way that has been set aside for future use as a pedestrian trail from Girard to Athens, through the townships that border Springfield on the west. The right-of-way occupies an abandoned segment of the St. Louis, Peoria and North Western Railway, later consolidated into the Chicago and North Western Railroad.The trail will span the western half of Sangamon County in a north-south direction. The right-of-way also traverses small sections of Macoupin County and Menard County. The trail is currently owned and operated by the Sangamon County Highway Department.

Play the Springfield Park District’s “Discover our Parks” geocache game.  This game uses GPS units to locate great prizes throughout Springfield parks.  Players use specific coordinates to locate caches within different park district parks.  The coordinates for all caches are listed below.  Once you have located the cache, list the park in which it was found and the keyword found inside the cache.  When all caches are found, return the completed form to the Henson Robinson Zoo at 1100 East Lake Drive.  All forms will go into a drawing for the grand prize (a Springfield Park District Mega Pass).  Other prizes include: “first to find” like t-shirts and daily admission passes.   Download Geocache Form Here

On October 4, 2008, the Springfield Angel of Hope, NFP dedicated an Angel of Hope Statue in the Washington Park Botanical Garden.  The angel statue honors the lives of all children gone too soon and serves as a place of hope and healing for parents, families, and friends dealing with the tragic loss of a child.  Over 300 area children’s names are commemorated on the Memorial Wall located at the angel statue site. New names will be added annually, and submissions must be received by September 15 each year.   The Springfield Angel of Hope, NFP was organized in August 2007 and raised all the necessary funds to pay for and install the angel statue.  Construction began on the Springfield angel statue site in April 2008 at the Washington Park Botanical Garden and was completed in October 2008.  The Springfield Angel of Hope, NFP continues to accept donations to cover expenditures such as engraving costs for annual updates to the names listed on the Memorial Wall, expenses associated with the Annual Candlelight Remembrance Ceremony, ongoing landscape costs, and general site maintenance. Each year the public is invited to attend the Candlelight Remembrance Ceremony on December 6th at 7 p.m. at the Angel of Hope Statue site to commemorate the lives of all children gone too soon.  Attendees are invited to bring a white flower to place at the base of the angel statue in memory of their beloved children.   More than 100 communities—including 7 in Illinois—have installed or are in the process of installing an angel statue to respond to the needs of local families who have experienced the loss of a child. Springfield’s angel statue is the only one of its kind located in central Illinois. The children whom the angel statue commemorates should be playing, working, and living in our community—now they will be honored at the angel statue site for generations to come.   For more information about the Angel of Hope Statue, please contact Doug Reynolds, President of the Springfield Angel of Hope, NFP, at f16ratt@mac.com or 553-1329 or visit our website at www.springfieldangelofhope.org. Where is the Angel of Hope?