A Park One Hour from Rockford Was Once A Missile Launch Site

There's a former missile launch site in Illinois that has been converted into a park with some of the original structures still standing.

If you're looking for a short trip to an interesting park outside of the 815, look no further than Nike Park in Addison, Illinois. It's only a one-hour drive down I-90. The site was once used as a nuclear missile launch site for 17 years, from 1957-1974, according to Wikipedia. The actual missile launch equipment is gone but a control tower still stands, which is near a baseball diamond.

The control site still standing.

Here's an aerial view of the park.

OnlyInYourState.com described it as, "This historic site was built as a precaution but never actually used for its potential purpose." Its purpose now is to serve as a park for all ages to enjoy, which is exactly what people in Addison use it for. Here are directions to get to the park.

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