We have our fair share of splash pads in Chicago, but this wins! I took my 9 and 6 year old boys…read morehere to meet a friend this past weekend and they absolutely loved it! The friend we were meeting is a local so she was able to get a reservation for the 11am-1pm time slot, which is apparently reserved for locals. It wasn't too crowded and was the perfect activity for a very hot summer day. My 6 year old was a bit fearful of the giant bucket of water that pours on your head at first, although by the end of the 2 hours he was standing under it welcoming it. My 9 year old and his friend jumped right in and couldn't get enough of all the slides and water fun. They were probably some of the older kids there, but still young enough to enjoy the fun. There's also a more babyish area to the side for younger kids who aren't into the slides and giant bucket. They also get 5 stars for cleanliness, including the bathrooms and changing rooms. I had to show out my coffee when we arrived since no food or drink is allowed inside the gate, but that's probably how they manage to keep it so clean. My sons are asking when we can go to Michigan just to go to this again so I can imagine if we were locals we would be there quite a bit.

Awesome splash pad! Lily Pad Springs lives up to the hype and need for reservations. Thankfully, it…read morehas been open long enough now that you just have to reserve a couple of days ahead with the forecast being more accurate. This splash pad is great for all ages. There are sections that lends to smaller kiddos, but truly, the whole pad is appropriate and entertaing enough for toddlers to tweens. Even the adults were enjoying themselves. The addition of water slides makes this splash pad the best in the area for older kids. There are changing areas, restrooms, several tables and benches in the shade for parents. Today, it is 93 degrees in the sun and I am really comfortable under the shade of a table. The time limit per session is 2 hours, which is really perfect. You can't bring in your own snacks/lunch, so any longer would be tough for my kiddo. We will be back for sure!

Simply incredible, honestly one of the most peaceful trails in the area, if you're thinking about…read morevisiting, just do it

A nice trail you can ride in full in one trip. I did in in two, but on the first day I also pedaled…read morethe adjacent Clinton River Trail to its Pontiac terminus and on the second I also did a mile or two of the Michigan Air Line Trail til I got to one of its trailheads that just couldn't be on the end of the trail. So, yeah, a lot of these trails just kind of bleed into each other which is awesome for a big interconnected trail system where people can just cycle across the whole state but it can be tricky if you're sitting down to write a Yelp review and figure out where the arbitrary boundaries are. The WBT is crushed limestone which isn't buttery smooth like it's paved neighbor the Michigan Air Line Trail but it only offers moderately more resistance to a good mountain bike and Joni Mitchell won't be singing any songs about them ruining nature with it. You get two parks intersecting this trail. The West Bloomfield Nature Preserve is the larger and where I parked on both my trips here. It looks like there's some pretty good hiking, non-pedal-friendly trails there and I did walk a bit of one but the rigors of my bike ride that day kept me from getting too far. Like the Michigan Air Line Trail, it's another Yelp review for another day after I've racked up more experience. But it is an added bonus. The other park is some rinky dink city park with kids playground equipment but it does have a little shelter with a picnic table or two, perfect for a little snack, water, what have you break. There's also a couple tunnels, a couple lakes, or maybe ponds, it's pretty borderline there and a long photogenic boardwalk looking bridge near the west end of the trail. One downside of this trail is it criss-crosses Orchard Lake road again and again and traffic can be pretty heavy. There's a couple buttons on crossings giving us cyclists the awesome power of unleashing traffic signals to bring those multi-ton polluters to a grinding halt, but there's also a couple times they leave us to twist in the wind, fending for our fragile two-wheeled existence against the uncaring commuters. One is near not one but two curves in the winding road so it's a dicey proposition that can leave you waiting in frustration for moments that turn to minutes and more minutes. I could almost go four stars here but can't quite commit to it. I'll call WBT a 3.5 even if that's not a thing on Yelp.

We have lived in Castle Gardens for almost 10 years and have belonged to the Castle Gardens Pool…read moreAssociation (CGPA) for 3 years. We absolutely love the pool! While growing up, my family belonged to several swim clubs over the years (and I have visited many others for parties and other things) and none come close to CGPA. Here's what makes CGPA great: Amazing Staff - This pool is well-maintained and well-run. Diving Board and Slide - Need I say more? Outside Food and Beverage (including alcohol) allowed in the pool area. Great Events and Kids Activities - Labor Day Party and Fireworks, Campout, Candy Bar Bingo, Dads Cannon Ball Contest, Swim Lessons, Water Aerobics Snack Bar prices are basically at-cost. The only thing about CGPA that could be improved is the pool stairs. They're not built-in and can be a bit difficult for swimmers with mobility issues. I'd love to see permanent stairs be added to the pool and perhaps one of those lifts that are becoming more and more common at pools.

I'm just gonna make this short and sweet for you :)…read more 5 bucks for a guest?! takes 38283838 years to find a parking spot a kid takes a shit in the pool every 10 mins the snack bar is always out of what you want and it's always crowded omggggg AND If it's raining he life guards won't let you swim cause they can't see you at the bottom of the pool AND they always yell at anyone over the age of 10 in the kiddy pool area but it's a pretty cute pool. the staff is pretty nice and the seating is nice. - A

I really like this Freedom location. Easy on and off the boat via the dock. No steep steps up to…read morethe boat. I like the restaurant options in the area. Of course, the Freedom people are always super helpful.

We have been members for two years and absolutely love FBC. It's definitely worth the money when…read morecompared to boat ownership and we often use reciprocal clubs in the winter/spring. The employees are always friendly and helpful. You show up and get on a boat. Leave the rest to them.