They include playgrounds and picnic areas, sledding hills, tennis courts, recreation buildings with meeting rooms, jogging and walking trails, horseshoes, shuffleboard, ball fields, and shelters and pavilions. Riverside parks offer boating and fishing and one features camping and a marina. Another has a farm museum and petting zoo. A portion of River Trail of Illinois provides a lesson in wetland characteristics. This section of the trail has a six-foot wide boardwalk that stretches for 1,200 linear feet over wetlands along the Illinois River.
Signs relate facts about wetland plants, trees, and wildlife encountered along the trail.
The trail is part of the Park District's riverfront green way, encompassing six parks and other district facilities. These are Spindler Marina, Spindler Campground, Cooper Park South, Bennett's Terraqueous Gardens, and Cooper Park North. The district schedules a full roster of sports, activities and events for all ages. There are Kiddie Camps and Day Camps for preschoolers, golf and basketball camps for youngsters and teenagers, slow pitch softball league play for adults, and potlucks, bingo, and cards for seniors. The park district's Central Illinois Riding Therapy facility is unique, offering horsemanship programs for persons with special physical needs.