Bradley Park

Phone: 309.682.6684

1317 North Park Road
Peoria, IL

This large park, located adjacent to Bradley University, was established in the late 19th century. Within its 140 acres, you’ll find amenities that will appeal to dog lovers and sports fans alike, the park traverses a high bluff woodland that grades down into the floodplain of Dry Run Creek. Along with numerous picnic sites, the park also features a beautiful Japanese bridge. The roads through Bradley Park provide paved, but not so level hiking opportunities. If you have questions about rentals at this park, please call 309-682-1200.

Amenities

Baseball Fields
Trails / Hiking
Disc Golf Course
Dog Parks
Horseshoe Pit
Pets Welcome
Picnic Tables
Playgrounds
Public Restrooms
Rentals
Sand Volleyball Courts
Shelters
Tennis Courts

The Bradley Dog Parks officially opened in spring of 2010. The lower Bradley Park dog park (south entrance off of Park Road), is a fenced facility and includes dog water fountains and trash stations and welcomes well-behaved dogs 4 months and older. The upper Bradley Park dog park (northwest of the lower Bradley Park dog park), is also a fenced facility that welcomes well-behaved dogs 4 months and older.

The Peoria Park District has also designated Vicary Bottoms, (a section of property off Kickapoo Creek Road, north of Farmington Road, 2000 N. Kickapoo Creek Road), as a dog exercise area. It is highly recommended that this area be used only by well-trained dogs and their handlers as this area is not fenced.

All parks, including dog park areas are open sunrise to sunset.

Bradley Park is home to Corn Stock Theatre, a community theatre group performming in Upper Bradley Park under “The Tent!”

Corn Stock Theatre Website

Bradley Park has 6 hard courts that are not lit.

Court rules:

Courts are to be used for tennis only.
No dogs, bicycles, scooters, skateboards or rollerblades are allowed unless specifically authorized by the Peoria Park District.
Play is limited to 1 hour for singles and 1 – 1 &1/2 hours for doubles when others are waiting.
Players may not hold courts when others are waiting.
Alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
Glass containers are prohibited.
General hours of operation are from sunrise to sunset. Our lighted facilities operate from sunrise to 11pm.
Tennis shoes are required.
All Peoria Park District ordinances apply.
In an emergency, call 911.

Upper Laura Bradley Park is home to a powerful work of public art created by renowned Peoria sculptor Preston Jackson. The bronze sculpture honors the Native American peoples who lived in the region long before European settlement and recognizes the deep cultural history connected to the land.

A nearby signs accompanies the sculpture and reads: Native Americans have lived in the Illinois River Valley for at least 12,000 years, developing distinctive cultures, communities, and practices as the region’s landscape and circumstances evolved over millennia. Their history in this valley is marked by adaptation, movement, and change, shaped first by environmental shifts and later profoundly altered by European contact and settlement.

Through thoughtful design and symbolic elements, the piece reflects the traditions, resilience, and heritage of Indigenous communities tied to Central Illinois. Installed in Upper Bradley Park, the sculpture invites visitors to reflect on the area’s history while enjoying one of Peoria’s most scenic park spaces.

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Bradley Park

Amenities

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