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Centralia's Foundation Park is a scenic 235-acre (0.95 km²) park that features hiking trails, an exercise trail, an ice skating pond and two fishing ponds both stocked with bass, bluegill and catfish. The park also sports a restored prairie, a Chapel in the Woods, the Hall Shelter, the Sentinel Shelter, The Bowl (an outdoor amphitheatre), Moose Oven and the Miner's Memorial.
Foundation Park is the site of the annual Balloon Fest, a hot air balloon festival. Recent events have had about forty balloons and drew 40000 visitors.
In addition to Foundation Park, the Centralia Foundation also supports the Centralia Carillon, ranked as eighth-largest in the world with 65 bells, the greatest of which weights 5-1/2 tons.
Centralia is home to Kaskaskia College and Centralia High School.
Over the past half century, Centralia has experienced many economic tragedies including many factories/industries either shutting down, or moving out of town/state/country.
Centralia is the home of the Centralia Cultural Society. This community theatre has been providing the tri-county area with performances for over 50 years.
One of only two remaining 2500 class steam locomotives from the Illinois Central Railroad is preserved on static display at Centralia's Fairview Park. The locomotive is maintained by the Age of Steam Memorial non-profit organization.
The city of Centralia also provides a historical downtown area dating back to the 1800s of shops, restaurants and entertainment for the whole family. Tourists can enjoy the bell tower, called the Carillion, located downtown. Visitors can come to the Carillion to listen to the musical concerts or a stroll through the beautiful park surrounding the structure.
At the Centralia Area Historical Society Museum you can experience the area's rich railroad history through vintage pictures, tools, clothing and even a tour of a real caboose. Civil War items, military uniforms, equipment, ration books, flags, awards and other artifacts mark special times in the history of this country and the Centralia area.. Centralia is rich in mining history, and detonators, lunch buckles, rescue equipment, and newspaper reports of the #5 Mine Disaster can be viewed at the Museum. The experiences you can have here are too numerous to list, but we know you won't want to miss the history of this unique area..
Come see and hear the distinctive sites and sounds of the Centralia Carillon towering 165 feet high above the city. The Centralia Carillon, the sixth largest bell tower in the world, is played by a professional carillonneur who climbs 173 steps to play the bells in concert. The base of the tower contains a small museum, and tours of the Carillon are available free to the public by making a reservation. The beauty of the Centralia Carillon is enhanced by the surrounding tower park just west of the carillon tower. The "sitting wall" is a perfect spot to listen to the music. Soft amber lighting at night makes the park an attractive place to take an evening stroll. Concerts are held Wednesday and Friday at noon, Sundays at 2 pm. For private tours or concert information you may call 618-533-4381.
A visit to Centralia can be enriched by the Centralia Cultural Society. You may catch a performance by the Centralia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Choral Society, the Little Theater Players, or maybe an exhibit by the Palette and Brush Club. The Cultural Society facility has an auditorium that seats 250.
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