This area is very popular and for good reason. Located right off of Lake Opeka there are amazing…read moreviews, plenty of footpaths, a nice park, picnic benches, regular benches, and more. Be prepared for limited street parking on nice weekends, people will come out and bring their grills and camp out for a while. It's really a nice open area but always seems to be crowded, lots of families, people walking pets, bikers, people fishing. Lots of people doing lots of different things.

Absolutely beautiful!!! I needed a place to relax after my…read moreflight into Chicago. While I waited on my daughter's flight to come in (about 5 hours later). Next trip I'll be planning a picnic either when we land or before we fly out. What a beautiful and well maintained space. Filled with so much information and respect for America's heroes. Can't wait to come back!

We stopped here whilst waiting for our pizza order to be done. It was just alright; I was rather…read moredisappointed. There are two sections to the park, with the big rocket being the centerpiece. It's huge, multiple levels. There are at least three slides coming out from it. Lots of places for kids to climb and scurry and jump. But that part was too big for my kiddo so we went to the smaller section a few steps away. There was a structure to climb, several slides, some bars, and then even a little further away a bunch of swings. I tried to keep her from seeing the swings, to be honest, since I didn't want to have to deal with an upset kiddo when we had to leave without enough swing time. She played around a bit but didn't seem as interested in the playground. We went down a slide or two, but some of them had standing water since it has been a bit rainy recently. The playground isn't technically fenced in, but it is effectively so because it's behind the practice courts which are all fenced in. It'd be hard for your kid to get away from you. There's a parking lot for the Norridge Park District building but the neighborhood parking could be tricky, especially in the summer because there is restricted parking from Memorial Day to Labor Day (ostensibly because of the large pool structure that would keep the residents from having any parking for three months otherwise). The terrain of the park is wood chips and soil, decidedly not my favorite (maybe especially after a rain) and she got dirty pretty quick. I may bring her back when she's old enough to play on the rocket ship, but this won't be a park that we return to much if ever.

Very very nice huge playground in the woods. The air is clean, the people are nice... I wish we…read morelived closer :))) it has actually 3 playgrounds near to each orher

My niece and her husband had their wedding reception here a few days ago. The weather was rainy and…read morecool, but as someone visiting from hot and sticky Texas, I gladly welcomed it. An outdoor pavilion surrounded by the forest was where the celebration was held. It easily accommodated all the guests. Because private events here use outside caterers, we were treated to an amazing buffet style dinner that included salad, chicken, steak, salmon, potatoes and vegetables. All were abundant and delicious. The exterior of one of the historic buildings served as the spot for the open bar. I went inside the property and was transported back in time to mid-19th century Illinois. Parts of the building resembled a hotel off the beaten path in Mexico. I confess that I didn't do much research on The Grove beforehand. It appears to be a place where you could get in a quiet weekend walk. Simply put, a must visit for anyone seeking to escape the hurly burly of Chicago proper. Fair warning, however. It's easy to get lost looking for The Grove so be sure to keep an eye out for the sign indicating it while traveling down Milwaukee Avenue.

The nature center is a great place to see some animals and other exhibits. The forest is much…read morebigger than it looks from the street and has nice flat paths. We saw several deer and chipmunks. Great place to go for a hike.

Friendship Park Conservatory is part of the the Mt. Prospect Park District. It has beautiful…read moreindoor and outdoor spaces commonly rented out for events, banquets, and environmental program. The outdorr grounds has a large variety of flowerbeds, a pavilion, a butterfly garden, and a wooden gazebo. I have been to several events hosted by the park district or private. This time we were there for the Native Plant sale . The sale took place in the outdoor pavilion . The conservatory's greenhouse staff where available to answer questions. All the plants were neonictinoid-free, , making them 100% safe for local pollinators and birds. Plants were 3 for $15 . The proceeds from the plant sale go directly toward supporting the Mt. Prospect Park District's environmental initiatives and educational programming

Walked all over this park on a sunny Sunday morning with my sister!…read more This place is around 10-15 minutes away from my house and I know people who've been to it, but I never got the chance to check it out! It's a small, quaint park perfect for walking with a circular path along the park. There's 2 jungle gym parks for kids across the field, as well! My sister and I did countless loops since this park is a bit on the smaller side. The parking situation is great, too - there's plenty of parking available by the conservatory and the park. The little conservatory was closed when we came, but I definitely wanna come back and check it out! The park's trail goes right by it. There's also a church right next to it, so I saw cute old couples and families with kids still in their church clothes walking around and playing at the park. I'd definitely come back here for a picnic at the park, a nice stroll, or to check out the conservatory!

Dunne Park is a hidden gem in Rosemont, IL. Tucked away between the highway and Higgins Rd, behind…read moreMcDonalds and the Westin on River Road, is the small but mighty Dunne Park. Small, because it is not as big as some of the other outdoor public spaces in the area, but mighty for everything it has to offer. Dunne provides a much needed respite from the very busy O'Hare area. It has a walking path, a playlot for kids, a gazebo, fountain, a man made but lovely waterfall, ducks, swans, dragonflies and all the good stuff that makes an urban park. It is clean and meticulously landscaped. It can take a minute to tune out the highway and airplane noise, but once you do, you will hear the sounds of tall grass blowing in the breeze, birds chattering and the waterfall. Great place to take a walk, read a book or sit and have lunch outdoors. Limited 2 hour parking, but I have always found a spot even at peak times.

I so adore this park!! I remember dreaming of bringing my own children here one day, while nannying…read moremy way through college, and that day finally arrived TODAY. I appreciate the beautiful greenery, and although the park is faded and more worn than it was 11 years ago, my daughter and her bestie (4) had an absolute blast here! We spent a solid 3 hours here, bouncing between the spray park, playground, hedge maze and sandpit. The grass is spacious enough for a picnic lunch, and there are also two picnic tables on site. There are bathrooms onsite, including a family restroom which is great for changing. Not the cleanest, but decent for a park. I do wish they'd bring back the bench swings!

I've been hearing about this park for a while and we were able to take a visit over there today…read more I'm glad I knew what I was looking for because Google Maps was going to take me to a small playground on the other side of the school, rather than Little Bear Park which is on the very corner of Patriot and Chestnut (and is almost entirely fenced in, which makes it attractive with little kids). The Little Bear Park is actually a section within the larger Gallery Park, so you may need to put that in if your GPS is confused about LBP. This park was established as part of the redevelopment of the military airfield in Glenview. Overall, I was disappointed in the park, but there were some things I really loved about it along with those that left a bit to be desired. First, it looked like a gorgeous, romantic garden like you might envision from an Austen novel. Truly a beautiful setting, with a small hedge maze and a several picnic tables. Quite an idyllic little spot within the larger park, and ostensibly where it gets the "garden park" part of its name. There's also a really awesome water feature here. It's really large, and unlike some "splash pads" that are little more than a tall pipe sticking out of the ground, this one had several arms coming out of the ground of different heights. It also had some water coming from spots in the ground, for a lot of different ways to play. My kiddo got soaked and loved it. Sadly, the playground section looked kind of old and worn. It has a cute castle/medieval theme, but all the play equipment was quite faded. Of more concern was that the playground terrain, which was that composite rubbery stuff, was broken off in quite a few places; more than once my babe brought me small or large pieces. Seems potentially fraught in a few different ways, but it was weird since in all the parks I've been to with that kind of ground cover I haven't seen chunks of it missing throughout the playground. There's lots of parking at/around this park, because it shares space with a middle school and park district headquarters. The playground itself isn't the attraction for me--though if we are already in Glenview, I might stop--but I would absolutely return for a beautiful picnic in the garden, and that's what really makes it shine.

This review is way past due. The park is so nice and has a walking path, tennis courts,…read moreplayground, pavillion and pond. The path is approximately 0.7 miles. The views are beautiful , as well as the landscaping.

Nice park！！！Beautiful view, clean water ,good for picnic and play to do anyting！！！Kids, also adult…read morewill be fun！

Nice little spot to sit and relax around the lake with your smoky or jus by yourself, also good…read moreplace for kids to play in the open area. Have multiple places around the lake to get some fresh air. Well maintained, does have a portable potty. It's more of a picnic place, I see a lot of people come here mostly for fishing. I ended up here looking for trails to run by in he neighborhood. Even though it comes up in suggestions when you are looking for nearest trails for nice long run, this isn't the place for that. It does have little unpaved path around the lake which almost comes around close to a mile but not a recommended one for runs/walks. Parking available too.

This is an adorable hidden gem. Great picnic location and looks amazing in photos! Would totally…read morerecommend to all ages. The walking trail isn't paved so be weary about your shoe choice. Saw tons of people fishing and relaxing with their dogs. Overall, had a great time!

My husband and I went to Capanari Ice Cream and came across this little park next door. Located…read moreright next door, you exit the ice cream parlor right into Moehling Park. This is a great accessory to the ice cream parlor. There are benches and tables to sit and enjoy your ice cream along with the trees and butterfly garden that are in the park. This is a great place for children and families to play. This park is owned and maintained by the Mount Prospect Park District. Check it out the next time you're at Capanari Ice Cream.

Cute little park located right next to the Capannari Ice Cream Store. This is complete with a small…read morebutterfly garden, a few benches, lots of trees, and nice curved walk-ways. It's not that big and it's not super impressive -- but it's great to have a nice little park in the middle of a busy suburban downtown area.

I wasn't familiar with Wildwood Nature Center until the last few months but it is a cool spot. I'm…read moredoing an afternoon class at the park district with my daughter, as a way to introduce her to nature and some different animals. During class the kids play indoors at the various stations they have set up for about half an hour, then have a story, and then we wander through the forest preserve to see what we see. This first time we saw geese which she was interested in, and then we wandered through some of the rest of the park. When we went to the building with the animals and my baby got to see a whole bunch wildlife. There were turtles, a bunny, a couple ferrets, some gerbils, a prairie dog... and she even got to touch a snake, which I hope she enjoyed because she's never getting one.

So many animals for the kids to look at and a craft table. The staff is friendly and am def coming…read moreback again to celebrate the kids bdays