I am an avid walker, especially when the weather is nice. St Charles County boasts a large number of well maintained parks. This park is especially a favorite for me. The park has a walking loop throughout the entire park. The path is paved and easy to navigate. There is also a man made pond with path and bridges. There are three small jetty's if you are interested in catch and release fishing. I've brought my yoga mat on several occasions and enjoyed the peace of the water. The playground area is perfect for kids of all sizes. The restrooms are clean and well maintained. If disc golf is your thing, the course loops throughout the park. read more

When I lived in North O'Fallon I walked around the small lake in the late afternoons for health reasons. I chose a different morning time when bikers came zooming along preparing for serious rides. There were plenty of trees, shade, birds, fish, frogs, picnic areas and I was never approached by criminals. I saw some children practicing "catch and release" in the large pond / small lake. It was serene, peaceful and beautiful. read more

Nice put together park for putting up Christmas lights called Celebration of Lights. Even has horse carriages for couples. Must get tickets in advance. Maybe traffic before you go in so come early. Might be a half hour cruise thru the parks lights. I do it every year!! read more

Fort Zumwalt Park - Celebration of Lights - Parks Near Me - O'Fallon, Missouri

This older O'Fallon city park recently had its main attraction, Lake Whetsel, renovated and it's a wonderful improvement. A concrete path now circles the lake. ADA piers were added for disabled fishers. Two bridges cut across eco-features that benefit the lake. Educational plaques explain the features and their purposes. Overlooking the lake, the restored Zumwalt's Fort is still being improved. An intriguing statue of a horse--made from barb wire--has been added across from the Heald Home. (Heald tours available occasionally.) Plenty of picnic areas, a 1-mile walking path, playground, and disc golf course are other features of the park. The St. Charles Model Railroad Club houses its train exhibit in a park building. On weekends the club offers free public tours for viewing the trains as they wind through various rural and urban landscapes. read more

Fort Zumwalt Park - The Salvere Hitch, a sculpture made from barbwire, was replaced spring 2020 with a much less interesting creation. - Parks Near Me - O'Fallon, Missouri

A nice little park with a large pond / small lake (Lake Whetsel). There are waterfowl depending on the season. You can fish here, but I never have. Check the rules (presently the only thing you can take are Channel Catfish). Don't miss Zumwalt's Fort and the Heald Home. You'll have to be content with the exteriors unless you come by when they're open for tours (check the website). There is also a disc golf course. The area right around the lake is cooler than you'd think, which makes it a nice place to walk laps during warmer times. Be aware the place closes around Thanksgiving until the New Year for a holiday light display (when you can drive through for a fee during certain hours). read more

We were able to enjoy the Christmas light celebration here while riding on a horse drawn carriage. What a wonderful way to experience the light display. We were invited by friends who had their granddaughters with them. Watching the joy on children's faces as we rode thru was just one more way to find joy in the season. It has been years since I have been to this display. (The last time was when our grown daughters were little, and the horse we rode in was a 1968 Mustang. convertible with the top down in light snowfall.). No snow this year but the lights reflecting off the lake was beautiful. Highly recommend going either in your car or by carriage read more

See all

It's not a bad place to enjoy historical buildings and play frisbee golf. Picnic benches, pond, playground, good place for a light walk as the entire park is essentially a "track". Not really a nature park as there really isn't hiking available. The park has historical significance to O'Fallon but its main draw is the Christmas lights show every year. read more

Lovely find. Great place to take the kids. Some local history, a nice walking path around the lake, few hiking trails through the "woods"and playground area. Kids explored and enjoyed seeing dragon flies, lots of birds, duck families, geese, fish in the lake, and frogs and tadpoles in the shallow water edges. Clean and safe. Lots of parking. read more

I was surprised to find a bunch of other puny parks on Yelp in O'Fallon, but not able to find this historic behemoth. This park was once land owned and lived on by Jacob Zumwalt from the early 1800's and beyond. The park has remnants of his log cabin here in the middle of the park, it existed during the war of 1812. The building is undergoing renovation at the moment. Fort Zumwalt park has plenty of amenities to offer. It is surrounded by a one way road that travels in circle to find your way out. This is smart, because it eliminates traffic, and confusion within the realm of the park..it is orderly. Here you have besides the obvious walking trail along it's road (which is also where you park, only on the left side), they have off road walking, and hiking trails. I'm not too sure if I've ever seen mountain bikers here...just road bikers. The hiking trails coincide with and depart from the park's newly built Disc Golf Course. I LOVE Disc Golfing, and was super excited to find a new local course close to home. I usually throw at Quail Ridge in Wentzville, so this was a huge plus for me personally. The course starts where the public restroom building is located and across the street from that building you will find benches, grills, and picnic tables galore. They are all free to use for the public except for the one and only overhang near the childrens newly updated playground. You will find the playground nearing the exit...you have to follow the road all the way around. They have a bunch of tables and grills nearby too and is a short walk down the hill to the lake. Their are plenty of space for frisbee, football, picnics, and other sports across the hills that overview the lake. The lake is beautified with its fountain and offers some good fishing here too, but it's catch and release only. I've known for years but never really checked out the "Herald home" her either or the Railroad club here, both of which are open to the public for free. I'm going to have to see that sometime. This park holds quite a few events, from pioneer festival, to biking and etc. A hometown favorite here that many will attest is the Christmas light show they have here in the winter time...The lines are super long to get in, but it's worth sharing the holiday spirit with your kids plus its cheap. It's usually a hit or miss with this park as far as how crowded it gets here. The park has seen an increase in crowds with the new disc golf course here, but that's all part of the fun. Meeting people and their pets out in the park... read more

See all

Amazing park don't miss it if you are near it on the 2nd or 3 rd Sunday. It is really an amazing old house that was settled in the 1700s. We found it o. A Tuesday and thanks to a terrific park attendant and a wonderful and very knowledgeable local police officer we had a fantastic tour. Thank you soooo much O'Fallon policeman and the park attendant. read more

Great park for the family to stop and have lunch at on a road trip. Bathrooms were decently clean for a public park, lots a green space and a playground for the kids, and very scenic. read more

Went to the "Celebration of lights" last night. This was the best year ever. The Girl Scouts have a display that will put all other light parks displays to shame! It's worth going just for that but be warned. Because of that display cars are slowing and stopping making the time through the park about 45 mins on a slow night. on the way out there was a Candyland display that was adorable! Well done Ofallon! read more

We did the walking Celebration Of Lights last night. It was awful! The parking and traffic was a nightmare! No organization what so ever! The hoards of people were overwhelming to say the least. The lights were mostly just draped on trees. There were several scenes made from wood or other material, but very few actual light displays. The crowd was so thick on the walk we couldn't get to the sides to see the displays. The fireworks were done in a very small area in the middle of thousands of people. It felt unsafe and too close for comfort. There were blinding flood lights shining on the entrance/exit so on the way out with the earsplitting fireworks and all the little babies crying I felt like a refugee escaping a war zone. The worst part was the entire time I had to hear about how great the carriage ride was at Tilles park, but we got this! Yay us! read more