McDonnell Park is a county park

County park

A county park is a park managed by a county. In the United States, county parks are lower in hierarchy than state parks. In the United Kingdom, similar parks for recreation are named country parks....

 in unincorporated Central St. Louis County between the cities of Overland

Overland, Missouri

Overland is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,062 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Overland is located at ....

, St. Ann

St. Ann, Missouri

St. Ann is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in mid St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,020 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

, Creve Coeur

Creve Coeur, Missouri

Creve Coeur, derived from French for "heartbreak" , is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city derives its name from Creve Coeur Lake, which is shaped like a broken heart. The population was 17,833 at the 2010 census...

 and Maryland Heights

Maryland Heights, Missouri

Maryland Heights is a second-ring west-central suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was elected the city's first mayor. Mark M. Levin has been City Administrator...

. The park is named in honor of James S. McDonnell founder of McDonnell Douglas Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...

.

History

McDonnell Park was originally referred to as the Adie Road Parksite, when purchased in 1977 and declared a County Park in 1978. In 1980 the name was officially changed to James S. McDonnell Memorial County Park in honor of the late founder of McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...

. The house in the southeast corner of the park is the Park Rangers/Area Managers office.

Ameneties

• Fitness and Bike Trail: The 1.6 mile trail winds through the park and has 16 fitness stations which include parallel bars, isometric squats, balance beam, a chin-up bar and stretch station. Suitable for jogging, running, walking, skating and biking.

• Amphitheater: Natural amphitheater for seating over 200

• Shelters and Picnic Tables: The park features two main shelters with water, electricity barbecue
  Barbecue
  Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
  
   pits and restrooms, McDonnell Shelter named after James S. McDonnell and Lindbergh Shelter named after Charles Lindbergh
  Charles Lindbergh
  Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
  
  . Multiple picnic tables surround the shelters and are scattered throughout the park as well.

• Playgrounds: McDonnell Park consists of two playgrounds, one near Lindbergh Shelter in the northwest corner of the park and the other playground is near the McDonnell Shelter in the middle-south area of the park.

• Volleyball
  Volleyball
  Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
  
  Court: Sand volleyball is available near the Lindbergh Shelter.

Events and usage

Park facilities can be rented for reunions, weddings and other activities. McDonnell Park has been host to the annual Fords Unlimited Car Show for over 20 years.