Parks & Recreation

Staff

Hillsboro Parks & Recreation

The Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department is responsible for all facets of recreational opportunities for the community.  Unlike many other cities which have a Park District, all of Hillsboro’s recreational facilities are funded and maintained by the City of Hillsboro.

Those responsibilities include care and maintenance of:

• Hillsboro Veteran’s Memorial
• Triangle Park
• Challacombe House
• Hillsboro’s 620K9 Dog Park
• Central Park-pickleball courts, playground, public restrooms
• A newly developed 1.25 mile asphalt paved hiking trail throughout Challacombe & Central Parks
• Historic Harkey House & Museum
• Constitution Bank Community Aquatic Center
• Fireman’s Clubhouse
• Sherwood Forest Campground
• Brewer’s Spring Disc Golf Course
• Lake Hillsboro-4^th of July Point Park, fish stocking, public restrooms, lake health & preservation, launch ramps & docks, dam inspection & maintenance, etc.
• Glenn Shoals Lake-marina, dam inspection & maintenance, lake lots, fish stocking, lake health & preservation, launch ramps & docks, public restrooms, youth fishing pond, ADA fishing dock, bass tournaments, etc.
• 5 public pavilions
• Duck blind & archery deer hunting license assignments
• Mowing 110+ acres of park space and public property

Hillsboro Sports Complex and Youth Sports

Hillsboro Sports Complex was originally constructed in 2001 in a partnership between the City of Hillsboro, Hillsboro Lions Club members, and numerous donors with funding assistance from the State of Illinois OSLAD grant.  The original installation included five baseball/softball fields, a baseball concession stand, and two soccer fields.  Since then, Hillsboro’s Sports Complex has grown into one of Hillsboro’s finest assets with the addition of soccer concessions, five additional soccer fields, and a JFL field.

Countless hours have been volunteered by community and Hillsboro Sports Association members over the years.  The City of Hillsboro, partnered with Hillsboro School District, assumed the full time care of the facility in 2022 and hired Bill Christian as Youth Sports Administrator.

Constitution Bank Community Aquatic Center

In 2025, after closure of Central Park Pool in 2023, the Hillsboro City Council voted to construct an $8.1 million aquatics facility at Hillsboro’s Sports Complex with a projected opening mid-summer of 2026.

Challacombe House & Park

Challacombe House was built before the Civil War by Captain Thomas Phillips, an early settler and Hillsboro’s first mayor.  It stood on a 15-acre tract at what was then the east edge of town.  Captain Phillips, a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War, moved his family from Kentucky to this area in 1827.  Captain Phillips built his home on this site prior to the Civil War and later sold it to his son, Colonel Jesse J. Phillips, a veteran of the Civil War who was commander of the Ninth Illinois regiment, which he helped organize in April, 1861.

The colonel returned after the war and practiced law in Hillsboro, then later became chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.  He eventually sold the property to Mr. and Mrs. John Challacombe, prominent Hillsboro residents.  Mr. Challacombe was a hardware merchant, farm implement dealer, bridge builder, and landowner.  He left the estate to his only child, Miss Esther Challacombe.  Members of the family occupied the property for more than 60 years.  When she died on December 17, 1942, she left the property to the City of Hillsboro as a memorial to her parents.  She requested that the house be used as a community meeting place and the property be named Challacombe Park.  She also left a trust fund of $70,000 to help maintain the property.

A fire occurred on February 24, 2007 in the west end of the house.   Money from insurance and the trust fund allowed the City to perform extensive renovation and modernization of the building.  A large deck was added to the rear of the building in 2017.  Challacombe House is a great venue for showers, graduation and birthday parties, family reunions, receptions, etc.  The venue includes twelve 8’ folding tables, one 6’ table, and 80 chairs. Reservations can be made by contacting City Hall at 217 532-5566.

Over 13 acres of park space make up Challacombe Park.  This park includes Hillsboro 620K9 Dog Park and a newly constructed, 1.25 mile, asphalt paved hiking trail linking Challacombe Park to Central Park.

For a list of rules when renting the Challacombe House, click here.

Hillsboro 620K9 Dog Park

Through a partnership of Imagine Hillsboro and the City of Hillsboro, “Hillsboro 620K9 Off-Leash Dog Park” was completed in 2019.  This area is included in the Challacombe Park area.  This park provides a gathering place for dogs and their owners and features fenced in areas for both large (over 50 lbs) and small (under 50 lbs) dogs, waste bags and disposal stations, and a hydrant to provide fresh water for your canine friend.  The park is open to the public form sunrise to sunset.

Central Park

Central Park has a long history in Hillsboro.  The natural spring that still flows from the hill (giving Water Street its name) provided water for a distillery operated by early settler John Nussman just after 1800.  In 1899, the town erected a 70 foot brick water tower and water was drawn from the spring to provide water for the people of Hillsboro.  By 1903, the town’s growth had outgrown the spring’s capacity and a “puddle wall” was erected where Seward Street and its bridge are located.  The dam created a 14 foot deep, 30 acre lake when the lake was full.  After the completion of Hillsboro Lake in 1918, the lake at Central Park was drained.

In 1937, local workers, with the help from the Works Progress Administration, constructed a 60 x 120 foot concrete swimming pool.  This pool, with upgrades and improvements along the way, cooled swimmers in the hot summer months through the end of 2023 pool season when the pool was determined to be beyond repair.  Efforts to build a new pool at Central Park were abandoned after soil borings deemed that the spring water and soil conditions were not suitable for construction of a new pool.  See the Sports Complex and Youth Sports tab for information on Hillsboro’s new aquatics facility to be opened in the summer of 2026!!

Hillsboro always finds a way to improve and Central Park is no exception.  New playground equipment, a picnic pavilion, public restrooms, a ball diamond, and pickleball courts provide recreation for patrons of all ages.

Also, completed in 2025, is a 1.25 mile, asphalt surfaced hiking trail that connects Central Park to Challacombe Park.  The trail includes bridges crossing babbling streams, views of wildflowers, a mural as the trail crosses under Wood St., access to Hillsboro’s 620K9 Dog Park, and amenities such as benches, trash receptacles, and dog waste stations.

Glenn Shoals Lake and Lake Hillsboro

The lakes are one of Hillsboro’s main attractions. Get away from the hustle of life and have fun in the sun while boating, skiing, canoeing, or relax with a fishing trip in the serene environment of Hillsboro’s two beautiful lakes.  All water craft must have a permit, but one permit gets you boating access to both lakes all year long.  Or, you can buy a daily permit to check things out, but we’re confident that you’ll want to return to our lakes again and again.

Glenn Shoals Lake

Created in 1978 by damming the Middle Fork of Shoal Creek, Glenn Shoals Lake was built for recreation, sport fishing, and water supply purposes. Glenn Shoals Lake is managed for bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, and hybrid striped bass. The lake is regulated in two halves, north and south of the Meisenheimer Avenue bridge, with a speed limit of 35 mph south of the bridge but only 5 mph north of the structure.

Near the lake dam, at 700 Glenn Shoals Drive, is the South Marina with public restrooms, a pavilion, parking area, and two concrete launch ramps.  The Marina restaurant is operated seasonally with snacks and drinks, fuel and boat permit sales, and boat slips available for rent.  Adjacent to the Meisenheimer Avenue Bridge is the north access area with two concrete launch ramps, public restroom, an ADA accessible fishing dock, kayak launch, covered pavilion, and shaded public park space to enjoy a family picnic or fish from the bank.

Further information about the lake and fishing limits can be found at https://www.ifishillinois.org/profiles/waterbody.php?waternum=00180

Hillsboro Lake

Work was completed in 1918 creating Hillsboro Lake.  Commonly referred to as “the old lake”, this 110 acre reservoir has no horsepower limit, but a 10 mph speed limit on the entire lake.  This lake has a healthy population of largemouth bass, redear sunfish, bluegill, and channel catfish. The lake has a concrete launch ramp just off of City Lake Road near the entrance to the campground.  The lake has rolling park space adjacent to the lake with two covered pavilions and public restrooms.  This park hosts the 4^th of July celebration with fireworks, concerts, and the cardboard boat regatta.

Reservations for the pavilions can be made by contacting City Hall at 217 532-5566.

Further information about the lake and fishing limits can be found at https://www.ifishillinois.org/profiles/waterbody.php?waternum=00181

Sherwood Forest Campground

Sherwood Forest Campground, located at 920 City Lake Road, is situated in a wooded setting adjacent to Hillsboro Lake.  There are 125 permanent campsites, 15 short term campsites, and two host sites.  All sites have electrical and water hookups with a dump station available within the campground.  There is a clean, well maintained shower house facility as well as another public comfort station available for campers and their guests.  Other amenities include a covered stage, pavilions, and a playground.

Oo-De-Lally Bike Trail

The Oo-De-Lally mountain bike and mixed use trail was developed and is maintained by volunteer mountain bike enthusiasts from the community.  The trail is located at the far northeast corner of Sherwood Forest Campground.  Parking to access the trail is located near the Lake Hillsboro boat launch.  The trail course provides challenges for all levels of riders with obstacles strategically placed throughout the wooded trail.  The trail offers scenic lake views, bridges, and plenty of elevation changes.

Fireman’s Clubhouse

Constructed in the late 1940’s by firemen returning from World War II, this public building was once the meeting place for Hillsboro’s highly respected volunteer fire department.  After the fire dept and training facility on Broad St. was updated in 2002, the Fireman’s Clubhouse building has been used exclusively as a public building available for rent to the public.  Extensive remodeling was performed to the interior of the building in 2018.  Its setting in Hillsboro’s Lake Park makes this an ideal smaller venue for showers, graduation and birthday parties, family reunions, receptions, etc.  The venue includes ten 6’ folding tables and 48 chairs. Reservations can be made by contacting City Hall at 217 532-5566.

For a list of rules when renting the Fireman’s Clubhouse, click here.

Brewer’s Spring Disc Golf Course

This 18 hole course designed by Hall of Fame disc golf professional and owner of Gateway Disc Sports.  The course offers a nice mix of open and wooded holes with two tees and two pin locations per hole. Concrete pads are available at short tees. The front 9 is more open and park like with some elevation. The back 9 is shorter, but more challenging with technical shots in the woods with elevation. Hole 13 and 14 offer scenic views along a creek. This disc golf course is very well-maintained with lake recreation and camping nearby.

The “Brewer’s Spring” moniker is a nod to the course location’s history when water from the naturally flowing artesian well near the 15^th tee pad was used to brew beer in the 1860’s & 70’s.  A historical marker near the spring provides a more detailed account of its existence.

To schedule a tournament, please call the Parks Dept. office at 217 532-6778.