neighborhood parks

The town of Orland Park boasts more than 500 acres of park land and green space, all of which are maintained by the town’s Recreation and Parks Department. In addition to those parks, though, Orland Park also features an extensive network of “bikeways,” totaling more than 30 miles of existing bike paths and sidewalks. Those trails are also expected to be expanded in the future, as plans have been introduced to increase the size and scope of Orland Park’s bikeway network by about 50 percent.

Orland Park’s biggest and most-used park is Centennial Park (15600 West Ave, 708-349-4386), a 230-acre village park that features several baseball/softball fields, soccer fields, as well as an extensive path system. In the summer, one of the most popular features of Centennial Park is that parks Aquatics center, which has been open for more than 15 years. The Aquatic Center features a few water slides (and a tube slide), a platform jump, a lazy river, lanes for swimming laps, and even a “zero depth” pool for children. And the feature of the Recreation and Parks Department that’s most appealing to the town’s teenage population is the Grinding Edge Skate Park. The ramps and half-pipes were built by professional skaters and local teens that were aided by professional architects. It only costs a couple of dollars to get into the skate park, and it costs about $30 dollars for a year-long membership.

After Centennial Park, the town’s John Humphrey Sports Complex (708-403-7275), which is named after John Humphrey, the “father” of Orland park, and it contains more than 20 acres of lighted baseball softball and football fields. In addition to the park’s sports facilities, the Humphrey complex has a concession stand, restrooms, and a large playground for children. And one of Orland Park’s newest facilities, the Village of Orland Park Sportsplex (11315 W 159th St, 708-645-7275), is an enormous 90,000-square-foot indoor sports complex that was completed in 2001.