Beautiful park named after the famous hometown author. It's one of the must see places in Waukegan,…read morebut it's usually pretty quiet. Ray Bradbury Park is located in a residential area, so it's isolated from tourists. A lot of people don't know where it is either. That helps keep them away and you can enjoy it better without crowds and stuff. As for the park itself, it's actually not that big. It has an entrance off a side street, close to a few houses. There's a marker noting history of the Waukegan River and the ravine that was mentioned in Bradbury's Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer. Cool for book nerds. For sure it's cool for anyone obviously. Bradbury was even at the park dedication and met a few excited authors and fans. The marker has photos and information. Has no parking lot because this is a residential area. It's usually not busy so street parking is pretty much okay. There's not a whole lot of people who know where this is, so it doesn't get lots of tourists.

The great Science Fiction writer Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan in 1920. His writings include…read moreFahrenheit 451, and of course The Martian Chronicles. Several of his novels are semi-autobiographical. In stories such as Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer he reinvented Waukegan as Green Town. He wrote about a park, drawn from childhood memories, in Dandelion Wine. In 1990 the park, located a few blocks from his boyhood home, was rededicated as Ray Bradbury Park. Bradbury himself, was on hand to do the ribbon cutting. The park is not large, but it has a neat stairway that drops down into a deep ravine. It is easy to imagine Bradbury as a child, exploring this magical place. It obviously left a lasting impression on the great writer. Go pick up a copy of Dandelion Wine, wait for a nice sunny day and let Mr. Bradbury take you on an adventure as you explore his park. You never know what you may discover!

Big awesome park lots of fun for family and friends!!Also has shaded areas from the sun!read more

Great park for the kids there's so many things to do there . Highly recommend it…read more Coming back soon

This park has a little bit of everything: new playgrounds, old playgrounds, basketball court, path,…read morefitness stations, sheltered picnic area, bathrooms, and a spray park.

Fun park with plenty of things to do…read more Originally intended to go here for some fun disc golf and enjoyed my experience here. The course has a wide variety of different challenges and terrain available, though the quality of the tees and signage varies throughout the course. I wasn't a huge fan of the earlier holes which go close to the street and around the areas where geese congregate. However, the middle holes go through some beautiful forest and have a much more interesting combination of terrain. The baskets are difficult at times to see, to updated signage would also be better. But overall, a fun set of challenges. Even if you're not into disc golf, the park itself is beautiful with a large pond, many walking paths, and a variety of nature. There's also basketball courts, a baseball diamond, pickleball courts, picnic areas, picnic shelter, washrooms, tennis courts, and other amenities. This looks like a great place to enjoy a sunny afternoon.

Bevier Park is a beautifully kept park. It has one gazebo that you can rent out with a few tables…read morethere. There's a decent sized fenced in playground for the children. It has a nice walkway along a pond which attracts lots of wildlife to see along the way. A large baseball diamond, tennis courts and basketball courts. The bathroom is decent which is a plus when it comes to parks.

This is a nice little beach in Wildwood. You do need a resident parking sticker to park along the…read moreposted area however. We are not Wildwood residents but have found parking not too far off. The swimming area is marked and mostly attracts families with young kids.

Nice park. It has a pavilion and a small beach area. The park is not very big, but it is a hidden…read moregem. Recommend you check it out. Oh, and Joe says, "Don't forget...it turns out the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

Best playground for hours of fun. Huge sand area with running water and toys built in. Bathrooms…read moreand tons of equipment with recent updates to be safer/more inclusive. My kids and I love it there. My only complaint is sometimes there are intimidating groups of people (ie. Teenagers not there to "play" or enjoy the grounds)

Great park to take your kids to. Just don't go when the buggers come since they're a little too…read morewild and start cursing.

Today, my boyfriend and I rented a paddleboat for an hour. The weather forecast indicated rain…read morewouldn't start until 1:00 PM, so we thought we had plenty of time. However, around 12:20 PM, the sky turned black. We immediately turned around and began pedaling back to the dock as fast as we could. While we were heading back, a safety staff member on a speedboat approached us. He told us we had to return to shore but added that he couldn't tow us in--we had to pedal all the way back ourselves. While we were already doing that, the storm was rolling in incredibly fast, and it was a genuinely scary experience. As we finally approached the dock in the storm, we saw two teenage employees who had been assisting people earlier. One of them looked right at us, but instead of helping us secure the boat, both boys ran back into the covered checkout area and completely ignored us. As we struggled to park and tie up the boat in the pouring rain, not a single staff member stepped out to help us dock safely. Meanwhile, at least 10 employees were crowded inside the checkout area. As a person of color, I am unfortunately always hyper-aware of how I might be treated in certain environments. I have visited this forest preserve many times, always thought it was beautiful, and was so excited to show my boyfriend around. To be treated with such a lack of care was incredibly disappointing. When we spoke to the male manager, he explained that they are required to clear the water during storms. My boyfriend clarified that we had no issue with leaving the water; our issue was the complete lack of staff assistance to help us dock safely in a dangerous situation. The manager offered us a "rain check" for a free rental, but missing out on time wasn't the issue--our safety was. No one seemed to care that we were the last ones out on the water. I hope this forest preserve implements a better emergency protocol, because storms on the water can quickly become life-threatening. I guess my question is if the staff are closely checking the weather , why even let people still go out on the water ? Instead of saying "hey there's a storm that is going to be rolling through , we are holding back on rentals at this time for safety reasons " .

Independence Grove is such a nice forest preserve with lots of things to do especially in the…read moresummer time. Beautiful trails to walk/run along but they also have a playground for kids. They have a beer garden and snack shop. They also have water activities that you can rent like paddle boats and kayaks. It's just a nice place to go solo or with friends if you are looking to connect with nature for a bit.

I visited the Viking Park on Tuesday July 21 about 10:30 am. The weather was perfect for the…read moreoutdoor summer concert for the kids. There were many families with little ones. Jeannie B. Put on a remarkable performance with music and dancing for the children. There were many hands on activities. The adults got Chance to join in with their children at the end. It was simply amazing to be out in the park after the many days of dangerous air levels. A nice place with great musical acidity for the family.

been here a dozen of times...a hidden gem that is not easily visible and accessible from the main…read moreroads...located off the historical "old grand ave"...very well maintained recreational area...great for hosting different indoor and outdoor events (i.e. bday parties, weddings, craft shows, private gatherings)...several indoor centers with that old country settings...the rental rates are cheap maybe because it's a gurnee park district and not privately owned...clean indoor bathrooms complete with plumbing...different outdoor courts (basketball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, etc.)...plenty of parking scattered around...beautiful large old trees (especially the acorn) compliments the setting that mimics a bob ross landscape painting...the only negative comment i can say - metra line is next door so expect some train noise when outdoor...or wear ear muffs!

The 2nd most popular state park in Illinois, Illinois Beach State Park was initially established in…read more1948, with the northern portion being added in 1982. It is located on over 6 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, encompassing 4,160 acres. I spent a lot of summers here (both at the beach and the campgrounds) with my dad and brother during my youth, and was also the area where I proposed to my girlfriend over 30 years ago...was nice to stop by with my now wife on this rainy day. It's official name is Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park, renamed for the former state senator and conservation advocate in 2010 (a year after her passing). I went to high school in the area, and she was an important presence during that time, often sponsoring various academic and community awards for local students. Since it was rainy and a weekday, the large parking lots and beachfront were pretty empty. We walked it a bit, collected some sand (recently started to collect and label beach sand to further document my travels). There is a 'resort' hotel on the grounds (which I remembered) and The Pavilion (a combination camp store, souvenir shop, and concession stand), which I didn't remember (makes sense since it opened in 2021). The latter was closed when we stopped by (has limited hours during the non-summer time and is closed during winter).

My first time here. I've avoided this area because it's surrounded by iffy neighborhoods with high…read morecrime rates like murders. They had a fall festival this past weekend with free guided walks so I figured it would be safe for us. Loved the guided walk and how informative it was. This is a high quality state park with lots of native plants still intact. So the whole place is pretty deserted but it did rain in the morning. Cars with completely tinted windows drive around in broad daylight. Pretty scary...The campgrounds have security that do not allow you to pass through unless you are a camper so that would make it safe. I saw a few police cars in the area as well. Personally, this isn't for me but if you are street smart, know your way around the neighborhood, it's great for hiking.

My husband and I met a friend at Century Park Arboretum to get some exercise. I really like this…read morePark. There are several nice waking paths around the park. The park also has a lake you fish at, exercise equipment along the waking path, a playground, and a picnic shelter with picnic tables and bathrooms. I highly recommend Century Park Arboretum!

A nice, clean park for people of all ages to either exercise, take a leisurely stroll, do…read morerecreational activities like fishing, picnic or just chill (or all of the above :-) ). I enjoy going here for walks and jogs. I forget how long of a trail it is for walking/ jogging/ bicycling purposes but either way, it is enjoyable. They have BBQ grills and picnic areas, benches, fields for baseball and soccer, a basketball court and some complimentary exercising (gym) equipment for anyone who would like to use it. The park has easy (multiple) access points and although, certain parking areas can get busy during nice weather days, you have other parking options nearby. There are multiple restroom areas in the park. Pets (dogs to be exact) are allowed for a walk. You get pretty views of sunsets from here over the small lake that's there as the area is scenic. I go here occasionally for either exercising or just to get my mind of things as I find this place relaxing and chill. Check this park out if you haven't been here before. It's worth the visit.