Attention: Due to construction at Armstrong Park, the picnic shelter is not available to rent at this time. Call front desk at 630-784-6100 if you have any questions.
Armstrong park, named after the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong, is the park district’s largest park. Features include lighted ball fields, playgrounds, six pickleball courts, a sand volleyball and basketball court. Upon entering the south parking lot, visitors are greeted by the historic Gretna Station and Caboose. Walk the trails around the reservoir to Lake George and then to Balog Island, which is home to a colony of Purple Martins. Pass the baseball hub and sled hill as you walk to the north end of the park which features ball field #1, a large picnic shelter and KidsWorld playground.
In 2014, an intergovernmental agreement was formed between Carol Stream Park District, Village of Carol Stream and DuPage County Stormwater Management Commission for the Klein Creek Flood Mitigation Project in Armstrong Park. DuPage County constructed a two-reservoir system that operates when water elevations in Klein Creek increase in order to divert floodwaters from the majority of the nearby Armstrong Park neighborhood. The project was completed in 2015. The Park District’s cost for the reservoir was originally $490,700. The County received grants and shared the cost savings, which reduced the Park District’s contribution to $150,000. That’s a savings of $340,700!
DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee Chairman Jim Zay said, “DuPage County formed an important partnership with the Carol Stream Park District as we planned the Armstrong Park reservoir to relieve residents of local flooding problems. The County was able to leverage Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to complete the project, providing effective relief for homeowners and value for taxpayers.”
Let’s play! Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Volleyball or Pickleball!
NEW! Six Pickleball courts – Reserve one!
2.32 miles of trails
Pavilion/picnic shelter (available to reserve)
4 baseball/softball fields
Restroom with flush toilets
Portable restrooms (seasonal)
1 drinking fountain at Restroom with flush toilets
1 drinking fountain by Kidsworld with ADA height and dog fountain
Basketball court
2 sand volleyball courts
Sled hill (north side of park)
Historical markers
Natural areas
Fishing – State of Illinois requires fishing license from Illinois Department of Natural Resources. We encourage catch and release.
Celebrate birthdays, graduations, reunions or other events in the great outdoors! Picnic shelters are available to reserve April-October. The Armstrong Park picnic shelter is located at the north end of the park off of Idaho Street. Kids World Playground and ball field #1 is nearby. The shelter contains ten tables and can hold up to 100 people. Portable toilet (seasonal) and small parking lot located nearby.
Visit our website for more details or obtain an information sheet from Fountain View or Simkus Recreation Centers.
Newly designed in June 2016, KidsWorld playground retains the qualities and spirit of the original park. Personalized fence pickets and two towers are reused to adorn the entry, and a natural aesthetic flow is created with slides cascading down a stone embankment, with tree logs and rocks outlining the playground borders, and with the original honey locus tree planted in 1998 as the centerpiece. The modern play structures also have décor of a natural element and are designed to attract kids of many ages. Maintaining these features commemorates and preserves the playground’s original sentimental value and spirit.
A playground planned and built by the community! In 1997, neighborhood moms initiated a community wide movement to build a beloved playground. After a year of planning, fundraising and gathering donations, $120,000 was raised for the playground. Donations included building supplies, business services, tools, food and cash, all of which came from community organizations, nearby businesses and individuals.
In May of 1998, in only five days, KidsWorld Playground was built. Over 1,200 adult and children volunteers completed every aspect of the construction, working from sunrise to sunset to be a part of this historical playground raising. Designed to incorporate ideas of the local school children, the playground developed into a 13,000-square-foot fantasy filled “wonderland,” as quoted in newspaper articles of the day.
KidsWorld Playground boasted multiple climbing towers, space shuttles, more than a dozen slides and bridges, a children’s art gallery, game tables, musical instruments, a fire truck, swings, sand play area and more! The towers gave it a castle-like appearance that one could see from afar.
The 1998 KidsWorld Playground project changed Carol Stream, as it is not every Village that can boast their community planned and built such a magnificent playground from the heart of the people and in only five days. A spirit grew in the community. New friendships were formed that became part of the fabric of Carol Stream, a town known for its volunteerism. While the spirit of the original KidsWorld Playground lives on, the structure aged beyond its useful life and was replaced in June 2016.
The colony of Purple Martins at Armstrong Park is an established colony of this type of swallow. Graceful in flight, musical in its pre-dawn singing, Purple Martins nest in birdhouses put up especially for them. Armstrong Park’s colony is housed in several apartment-style houses on Balog Island, located on the west side of the park. The Purple Martins have been returning to Balog Island since the mid 1970’s.
The Gretna Station in Armstrong Park is a partnership of the Carol Stream Park District and the Carol Stream Historical Society. The station was moved from the original Gretna area (now southeast Carol Stream) and in 1976 re-erected as a bicentennial commission and donated to the Park District. For many years it housed a large train table and historical artifacts and documents and was considered a small museum. Due to flooding in the area, the museum closed. In approximately 1978, the Elgin-Joliet and Eastern Railway donated a caboose to the Carol Stream Historical Society, and it sits next to Gretna Station at the south end of Armstrong Park.
