Fairfield Department of Parks and Recreation Facilities:
Fairfield Park & Recreation Dept website
Roosevelt Community Recreation Center, 1000 W. Burlington Ave, 472-6159.
Weight Room, Fitness Classes, Game Rooms, Racquetball and Wallyball Courts, Indoor Golf Net
Roosevelt Aquatic Center, 1000 W. Burlington Ave, 472-7088.
The Center contains a six-lane 25 yard lap pool with a diving area and a single diving board.
The three retired water reservoirs in Fairfield are being transformed into water recreation areas. Waterworks Park now has a beach for swimming in Bonnifield Lake. See details on the Water Trails page.
Recreation Trails- See "TRAILS" menu on this website.
Fairfield City Parks:
Central Park - provides a bandstand, permanent benches, bronze sculpture (Coop Statue), and brick walkways. West Burlington at North Main Street in Fairfield's town square.
Chautauqua Park. - provides several shelter houses, restrooms, picnicking, playground areas, horseshoe courts, and a 9-hole disc golf course. East Burlington Ave at North Park Street.
Forest Park. - provides a play field. Forest Drive at East Broadway Ave.
Heritage Park. - provides a playground, ball field, shelter, and a skate park. North 9th Street, north of W. Stone Ave.
Howard Park - provides a playground area, rest area, and is home to Fairfield's Farmers market. North Main Street Grimes Ave.
Lamson Woods State Preserve - provides a natural area with walking trails; connects with the Jefferson County Trails system. South Park Street at East Fillmore Ave.
See a topo map here.
See a satellite view here.
Read more about Lamson Woods.
O.B. Nelson Park - provides "Partners for Play" playground, municipal swimming pool with water slide, sand volleyball courts, softball Fields, restrooms. W. Fillmore Ave at South 2nd Street.
South Wood Park - provides a playground and walking trails. Between Dogwood Drive and Hilltop Lane.
Wilson Park - provides a playground and a shelter. Wilson Boulevard at South C Street.
Woodthrush Woods State Preserve - provides a natural area. Six miles east and 2 miles south of Highway 34 East.
Waterworks Park - provides fishing, picnicking, a playground, a shelter, restrooms, a beach area for swimming, and a walking trail. North B Street.
Other Recreational Facilities:
Little League Park - baseball Fields, playground. East Burlington Ave at Glasgow Rd.
Babe Ruth Park - baseball fields. East Burlington Ave at 28th Street, next to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
Dexter Apache Soccer Fields - West Grimes Ave at 20th Street
Pleasant Lake - provides fishing, a gazebo, and walking trails. This retired reservoir is now being developed for water recreation. Pleasant Plain Road, north of Fairfield. See details on the Water Trails page.
Maharishi University of Management Facilities:
MUM website
Recreation Center,On campus, 472-1112.
Basketball, tennis, volleyball, badminton courts; table tennis facilities; gymnastics area; weightroom; indoor track; archery facilities; indoor climbing wall. There is no charge for students with an ID card.
Campus Swimming Pool,North end of campus, 472-1147.
The swimming season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There is no charge for students with an ID card.
Jefferson County Conservation Board Facilities:
Office in Jefferson County Park: 472-4421
JCCB website
Jefferson County Park -- Multi-purpose 191 acres of land located just southwest of Fairfield. Camping, picnics, nature center, office and 7 miles of trails. Most widely used outdoor recreation area in Jefferson County.
Cedar Creek Timber -- Two miles southwest of Fairfield and one-half mile west on 223rd Street. Access may be gained by walking down the abandoned railroad from the public parking area. Future plans are to connect Jefferson County Park, Cedar Creek Timber and the city of Libertyville via the abandoned Rock Island Railroad (Cedar View Trail). 90 acres of hunting & wildlife observation.
Round Prairie Park -- Nine miles southeast of Fairfield on Glasgow Road and two miles south on Tamarack Ave. Camping, historic school house.
Turkey Run Wildlife Area -- On Osage Ave, in south central Jefferson County. 415 acres, 90% timberland.
Mac Coon Access -- Five and one-half miles north of Lockridge, or two and one-half miles north of Four Corners. Campsites, hiking, access to Skunk River.
Livingston Timber -- One mile north of Perlee off the Pleasant Plain Road. 74 acres, hunting area.
Whitham Woods -- One mile west of Fairfield on Highway 34, it is the original site of the C.W. Whitham Nursery. Interesting diversity of plants. Hiking trails.
Zillman's Hickory Hills -- Three & one-half miles southeast of Fairfield on Glasgow Rd. The 74 acres will be developed for passive outdoor recreaton.
Commercial Facilities in Fairfield:
Private Golf Courses:
Fairfield Golf and Country Club, 905 E. Harrison Ave , 641-472-3798,
Nine holes on the oldest private golf course west of the Mississippi River.
Walton Club Inc., Walton Lake, 641-472-4909
Nine holes of challenging water course.
Miniature Golf:
Putt Putt Mini Golf - includes a batting cage, 2235 Glasgow Rd., 641-472-6752
Roller Rink:
Sunset Roller Rink, 2237 Glasgow Rd., 641-472-3938
Bowling:
Flamingo Lanes, 301 N. 16th St., 641-472-6162.
Movies:
Co-Ed Theatre, two screens, 121 W. Broadway, 641-472-37072.
Lamson Woods State Preserve
Lamson Woods is a 43-acre woodland preserve located on the southeast edge of Fairfield. This hilly, wooded area was willed to the city of Fairfield by Carrie Lamson Ross in 18930. Originally "Lamson's Pasture" was a park that included Fairfield's first golf course. The golf course was in a pasture for cows and pigs along a small woodland, and was dubbed "cow-pasture golf". It was a favorite area for hiking and nature study for people of all ages. The woodland was dedicated as a biological state preserve in 1978.
The preserve is a mixture of upland and lowland forest. Mesic and dry woodland species occupy the slope and ravines that are cut into Pre-Illinoian glacial deposits (500,000 to 2.5 million years old) typical of the Southern Iowa Drift Plain landform region. Trees occupying the canopy include cottonwood, white oak, bur oak, shingle oak, shagbark hickory, Americam elm, hackberry, and black cherry. Ohio buckeye can be found in the understory with hazeknut along the woodland edges. A planted pine grove is located in the southwest corner of the preserve.
The spring wildflower display begins with the blooming of bloodroot, blubells, and spring beauty, followed by prairie trillium, toothwort, white trout-lily, blue phlox, wild geranium, mayapple, Solomon's seal, swamp buttercup, and wilh hyacinth. By May, moonseed and Jacob's ladder can be seen in flower followed by jumpseed and pale touch-me-not in July. Augist brings the blooming of hog peanut among the sensitive dren and maindenhair fern fronds. In the fall, the bright red leaves of Virginia creeper can be seen crawling up the trunks of trees or along the ground.
(From The Guide to Iowa's State Preserves).
To learn more about the Iowa DNR State Preserves program, go to the Iowa DNR website.
Go back to the Lamson Woods listing
