Heritage Park

The Heritage Park building was the original home of the Wheeling Park District, serving as headquarters for more than 20 years until the addition of the Community Recreation Center in 1994. The building contained a gymnasium, a variety of multi-purpose rooms, and the registration office. The facility was renovated in 1995 and is now home to the Parks Division and Park Planning Department.

Through a land exchange with the Village of Wheeling and a purchase of 10 acres of open space from St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Heritage Park expanded from an already impressive 83 acres to 97 acres in 2007.

• 104 Acres
• Picnic Tables
• Rest Rooms
• Picnic Shelters
• Drinking Fountains Play Equipment
• 4 Baseball/Softball Fields
• Soccer Fields
• Outdoor Ice Skating Rink

Heritage Park Environmental Map

Lake Birds

Heritage Lake provides an ideal habitat for a variety of fowl such as Canadian Geese, Mallard Ducks, Great Blue Heron, and Egret. One may occassionally see a majestic Bald Eagle gliding above the lake. Native plants and shallow lake areas help make the lake community bird-friendly allowing us to catch these amazing creatures close to home.

Creek Birds

Characterized by its jet-black body with a yellow and red stripe on the tip of its wings, the Redwing Blackbird calls this area home. It is not uncommon for the male of this species to protect his territory by chasing down anything that ventures too close to its nest, even hawks and eagles. Be on the lookout for an Egret or Great Blue Heron stalking around in the shallow creek.

Creek Plantings 

Buffalo Creek flows through Heritage Park to the Des Plaines River. The plantings include a variety of wet tolerant short grasses and perennials including Side-Oats Grama, Little Bluestem, and Yellow Coneflower. Once established, these native plants can survive fluctuating water levels. Look for the birds, animals, and insects that make this creek their home.

Lake Edge Plantings

The lake edge plantings are based on a changing water level and include wet edge plantings, such as Bottlebrush Sedge and Hardstem Bullrush, wet prairie plantings such as Swamp Milkweed and Black-eyed Susan, and short prairie grasses such as Butterfly Weed and Purple Coneflower. These native plant mixes were selected for their adaptability to the soils, hydrology of the lake, and natural beauty. Look for the birds, animals, and insects that make these plantings their home.

Council Ring

This circular stone seating area provides a quiet place to stop and take in the serenity of nature. A signature element of landscape architect Jens Jensen (1860 – 1951), a council ring is intended to suggest communication and friendship without hierarchy. A feature of Jensen’s Viking past and Native American tradition, the circle symbolizes that all members of the community are equal in importance.

Bio-Swale 

A bio-swale is a vegetated open trench designed to filter stromwater run-off through deep rooted forbs, cover crops, sedges, and rushes as well as native grasses. This particular bio-swale filters and cleanses run-off from the parking lot before it percolates into the ground or is sent to a catch basin.

Function of the Lake

Lake Heritage is not only the visual cornerstone of the park, it is also a functional stormwater retention basin that serves Wheeling and other communities downstream of the Des Plaines River. With the help of a team of ecologists and naturalists, the Wheeling Park District takes a Best Management Practices approach towards the lake. Then banks are enhanced through native plantings, outcropping stone, and water edge stabilization where necessary.

Relief Basin

The open playfields serve a much larger role for Heritage Park and the surrounding communities than just soccer or football fields. This area acts as a relief basin, which can hold more than 49 million gallons of stormwater upstream of the Des Plaines River to alleviate flooding concerns in Wheeling and the neighboring communities of Mt. Prospect and Prospect Heights.

Park & Conduct Ordinances

In 2014, the Board of Commissioners adopted an ordinance that regulates the use of the parks and property owned or controlled by Wheeling Park District.