Peck Farm Park is located on 395 acres of open space at Kaneville and Peck roads, just across the street from the Stephen D. Persinger Recreation Center. The facility includes a butterfly house, picnic tables under a three-sided barn, an observation silo, the historic Peck home (circa 1869), interactive history exhibits and an indoor facility for presentations. The grounds also contain beautiful gardens, soccer fields, baseball fields and outdoor signs that offer insights about wildlife and lead people through a natural maze of tall grass and wetlands. Beautiful vistas and a wealth of fascinating exhibits make this a must-see park for Geneva residents.
Good Templar Park's history is fascinating and closely tied to the city of Geneva. It is a private park, purchased in 1924, primarily because the International Brotherhood of Good Templars were charged the hefty sum of $4,000 by Ravinia Park to hold its annual Midsommar event called Svenskarnas Dag ("Swedes' Day"), to which attendance had grown to 10,000.
The Good Templar Park Association was established in 1925 after the purchase of about 66 acres of land that stretched from what is now East Side Drive to the Fox River. The park land by the river eventually was donated by the Good Templars to the city, and is now part of Bennett Park.
Good Templar Park presently encompasses about 60 acres and ends at Bennett Street. There are 51 cottages on the site, each owned by a Good Templar family.
The park is home to the Viking ship that was a replica of an 860-AD Viking ship and built for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Good Templar Park holds its annual Swedish Day in June and also opens to the public, usually on the Saturday of the city's Swedish Days festival. The public and corporations can rent the park at reasonable rates. Several soccer associations use the park's three soccer fields, and local Boy Scout organizations have visited annually.
Good Templar holds various fund-raisers during the year to help raise money for local charities.
Island Park, located off of State Street along the river, is a beautiful centerpiece for Geneva. Featuring bike and walking paths, Island Park is a great place for a picnic, bike ride or romantic stroll along the Fox River. The park is a little more than 11 acres and features a pavilion, stage area for plays or music performances, public restrooms, playground with swing sets, slides and a jungle gym. Fishing is permitted and there are some popular spots for catching bass. Public parking is available across State Street at the Old Mill Park near Bennett Street (Route 25.) From there, the park is just a short walk under the bridge. The historic Mill Race Inn and Gazebo outdoor restaurant are housed within this park. There are also two bike shops near Old Mill, which rent bicycles.
This recreation center is named after longtime Park District director Steve Persinger. Located on Kaneville Road across the street from Peck Farm Park, the modern 4,000-square-foot facility operates in conjunction with the Sunset Racquetball and Fitness Center. The center features an indoor track, two indoor basketball courts, training facilities, rooms for the Park District's numerous pilates, gymnastics and dance programs, men's and women's steam rooms, personal viewing screens and an indoor playground for children called The Farm.