Willmore Park

Love this place and I love playing some footy in the hockey rink, especially when there’s a good round of pick up being played!

Willmore is so eclectic. On certain days you might see LARPers battling, people fishing or hippies disc golfing. There are a few paved trails that weave in and around the park and near the ponds. They also just redid their jungle gym, I think it’s a space theme now. Righteous.

This park is one of the larger park in St. Louis and I love it because it isn’t crowded and its near my home. The park doesn’t get the attention that other parks do when it comes to upkeep but what it lacks in that it makes up in privacy and peace. No one really knows too much about it so it’s like having your own private park mind the disk players and the sword fighters don’t bother you. I like to go feed the ducks there and there is a huge owl that lives there this park is clean as well not much traffic equals a good ecological score hence the indicator species present (Owl). My only issue is that the bathrooms are nasty and locked about 50% of the time so even though you don’t want to use them when you got to go you may have to find a bush because the door has been locked 3 out of 5 times I had to go. They are getting a new playground but please parents don’t bring your kids I enjoy the peace of this park. They also have a dog park that is quite nice and baseball games which I sometimes enjoy watching.

Probably one of the biggest hidden gems of parks in St. Louis. Absolutely incredible. Huge, gorgeous, and ponds.

Wilmore Park is my new go-​to evening park. First of all, there aren’t many people around. I get a sense that it’s mostly people from the surrounding neighborhoods.
It’s so great for joggers like myself because:
1) It’s scenic! There are several man-​made, stocked ponds that leisure fisherman like to drop a line in. Ducks and water fowl (during the fall migration, this was particularly cool). Lots of trees, smallish hills, twists and turns. Basically a lot to look at when you’re trying not to think about how much pain you’re in.
2) No (few) cyclists! A major plus for me after having a few close calls (fist fights) with cyclists at other *ahem* parks.
3) Open late! Can’t get to the park in time for dusk? No problem here! You’ll want to take precautions while jogging at night, but it’s available! I hate getting bitched out by parks n’ rec for being at a park past dusk.
4) Pavilions! With barbeque pits! Since my fiancé and I live with the fam right now, we relish any true alone time we can get. We’ve been known to pack our groceries, pick up some charcoal and squat at a pavilion for the afternoon.
5) Outdoor fire pit! We have yet to use this, but there is a permanent, stone structure with a fire pit in the middle. It’s been calling my name for weeks.
6) Recycling center: Lots of apartments a surrounding homes may not have curb-​side recycling.
I truly love this park. Sure, it could use a little TLC, but I think that’s part of its charm. My only true complaint is that the only bathroom I know of is the creepiest, rapist, zombie bathroom you will ever see in your life! There are no doors on the «stalls». No toilet paper that any respectable woman would use (on the floor!). The toilets are aluminum with no seats! It is dirty, dirty, dirty. I do think there’s another one, but it’s further down the trail and I’m already well into my work out by then.
Pee before you leave the house and watch for goose poop! You’ll be golden.

Although this is not a flashy or exciting park, it certainly has some pretty good things to offer.
First off, you can fish in this park. Yes, you need a permit, but the lake is fully stocked and you can fish. I don’t know the rules as far as catch and release or take home goes, but I know you can do it here. I think that’s pretty awesome for a city park.
Also, it is close to the River Des Peres Trail, so if you want to extend your bike ride or run, this is a nice place to do so, especially around the lake.
The tennis courts are in pretty decent shape, they are never busy, and they are lit, so you can play past dusk if you so desire.
Also, if you want to throw a huge family party or some other big event such as a friendly softball game or touch football, this is a great place to do it. The park is big, and not really that packed, since most city dwellers tend to migrate to the «cooler» parks in the area.
So, it’s not anything special, but it’s a nice little park with a surprising amount to offer. Oh, and if you have a souped up Honda Accord, you just might enjoy cruising around this place on nice Saturday afternoons with the other hellions.