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!

Built in 1975, this memorial honors the men and women of Des Plaines who have served our country in…read morethe armed forces from the Civil War to the present day. This was a collaborative effort by the city, local VFW and local American Legion Post. The pavilion hosts numerous events including the annual Memorial Day services, the Live at the Lake summer entertainment series, Concert Band performances, the summer Movies in the Park and the annual Fall Fest. They were selling Christmas tress while I was there. The restroom facilities are also co-located here. The Pavilion is well maintained and consist of a bandshell and a walk way that has a plaque detailing every war from the Civil War to the Afghanistan War. Inside the bandshell you will find plaques with the name of the Des Plaines veteran that lost their life and which war it occurred. The center of the bandshell has the seal of all 5 of the US armed forces. There is a flag pole and a brick walkway leading from the bandshell and ends in a small circle. Because the pavilion provides somewhat protection from the elements, homeless people seek refuge here. This is a small, but fitting tribute to the honorable veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

I've passed by Busse Woods a million times along Higgins Road but never pulled in to have a look…read morefor whatever reason.  Probably because I could always do it tomorrow or another day lol!  Well, today I did pull in because we had an extended family celebration event at one of their picnic groves, specifically Grove 5 which is located quite conveniently close to the intersection of Higgins and Arlington Heights Roads (as opposed to deeper into the Woods). I must say this place Busse Woods is large, sprawling, neat, clean, and impressive (it's 3558 acres in fact). I think I knew that it was sprawling driving along Higgins Rd, but pulling in, you can see how well laid out and maintained the premises are.  It would be quite nice to revisit during winter and the change of fall colors also. Grove 5 in particular is an extra nice picnic grove in that it has a shelter and is near (540' to be exact per the website!) a nice and accessible restroom building.  The shelter is pretty large with a capacity of 100 people.  It's located in a section called Busse Forest-South and which comprises Groves 5 - 16.  Of those 12 groves, 4 have shelters, but only Grove 5 is close to an accessible restroom.  So, our family member apparently picked out the best grove, good job!  Busse Woods has 11 sections like Busse Forest-South, so it's massive with a lot of picnic location and other leisure activity options.  Anyway, go to their website for more info, but I was pretty impressed.  Busse Woods includes a Busse Lake as well as a 7 mile trail.  Big thumbs up for this Cook County Forest Preserve!

Great place to get out and enjoy nature. Bummed we didn't see any elk roaming this time, but I have…read moreon other visits. Sometimes the bathrooms are open, other times sorry it's porta potties for you. Plenty of garbage cans around so don't litter in nature! The 7+ mile trail is paved. Bikers can be a little intense if you are walking or running. Lots of parking so be specific if meeting a group.

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

The word CONFIDENCE has 2 meanings. The first, most common, is the feeling of being self-assured in…read moreeverything you do. The second refers to confidence, as in confiding in someone to keep a secret. When you know you are different from everyone else, confidence can be elusive. About 20 years ago, Camp Confidence was created to give children with type 1 diabetes the opportunity to participate in a summer day camp program, just like all the other normal kids out there. Located in the historical Methodist Campgrounds near the Des Plaines River on Algonquin Rd., this is a week-long camp from 9 AM-3 PM for children ages 4-9. For one week, they get to meet other kids dealing with the same daily problems they face: measuring their blood sugar, watching what they eat, and taking insulin by shot or by pump. The camp gives children the confidence to accept who they are and to get the most out of life, being confident that diabetes can't stop them. They gain confidence by seeing others just like themselves. And they have a special place that only they know about, which makes it a secret to everyone else. My 4-year old simply called it "Insulin Camp". In that one short week, the children participate in group activities, swim in the pool, play sports and learn about diabetes from the counselors, many of whom are type 1 diabetics themselves. It's a happy and active place, not a place for self-pity. From a casual viewpoint, it is no different than any other camp. However, each group is staffed with a couple of nurses who help manage the children throughout the day, checking blood sugars, treating lows and giving insulin after meals or for highs. Many volunteers offer their services, some for a single day, some for the whole week. Some counselors were once campers. Other counselors may have a younger sibling who's diabetic and they volunteer to help out. In the course of the week, the kids saw an animal show, a puppet show, created tie-dye shirts, made and then broke a pinata, got a visit from a firefighter, and a surprise guest... none other than Bears coach Lovie Smith, whose family has been impacted with diabetes too. Excellent care all around, so parents can leave their kids and their worries as they drop them off for camp. For the parents, there's a daily speaker who spends about an hour every morning talking about specific care-related topics, if they choose to attend the presentation. On the final day, various camp sponsors like Novo Nordisk, Bayer, and Animas and others give out promotions and product information. On the last day, the children put on a show for the parents, singing, "I got that Camp Confidence feeling Up in my head, Up in my head. I got that Camp Confidence feeling Today and every day." For the children, it's a chance to build confidence about themselves and make new friends, possibly friends for life. For the grownups, "I got that Camp Confidence music Stuck in my head, Stuck in my head, Today and every day."

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.

The summer camp is so boring all u do is go for the pool for like 2 hour and the rest of the day u…read moredo basically nothing and u have to swim test even if your taller than the deepest part and they take your phone if you are texting your parents to pick you up. Over all everything is bad

I dipped out of this place prior to COVID and have been back only once…read more Suitable for some but other area gyms and indoor pools and courts just seem cleaner and more better. I remember the good times here but will stay outdoors or work out at home or go elsewhere.

Huge sports center run by the Northbrook Park District. This facility has 2 NHL sized ice rinks,a…read morepro shop,swimming pool,meeting rooms and a snack shop. We came on a Saturday afternoon to see our grandson play on the Glenbrook North hockey team. Plenty of parking is available.

This is a well kept facility even though it is older. We watched GBN vs GBS compete for JV Hockey…read more The JV games between GBS and GBN are considered major, high-stakes matchups, often viewed as second only to the state championship in importance for players.

I've been taking a class offered by the Park District here at Maine Park Leisure Center. It's a…read morenice facility with several classrooms. We've been in the Itty Bitty room for the class. They have a preschool that operates out of Maine Park which seems to be pretty popular as well and I'll be looking into that next year. The leisure center almost looks like a school itself, with the lockers and classrooms--I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it once was. Our room is a good size with toys and stuff for the kids to play with. There's some parking along the east side of the building, but when I've been here for class it's been full, so you may be looking for street parking. There is a nice sized playground in the back. There may be three, though one is fenced off for use with the preschool I think; there's one with plain old grass and then another with the rubbery ground cover for smaller children. There's even a zip line here which I'm sure my little one will have lots of fun on when she's old enough. This is my first experience with the Park District and at this field house but since it's only a few blocks away I think we'll definitely be making use of this resource.

I found out about this large, out-of-the-way park only after moving to Park Ridge. Located off of…read moreSibley between Dee and Talcott, this park seems to have everything for nature lovers. There is a big soccer field for games, the usual playground and a school-sized field house with classrooms. It is also home of the PR Park District preschool program. The parking is rather small and often full during games or other events, but there's plenty of street parking... Or just take a bike and avoid the hassle altogether. On the other side of the park, there is a huge prairie and walking trail that spans about 2/3-mile around. You see ducks, geese, frogs, turtles along the way. Come on a spring or summer day and it's like an exotic getaway inside of a residential neighborhood. There is a patio-like overlook to see the prairie. Come in late June and you see a yellow sea of daisies in bloom. Truly spectacular, maintained by park volunteers. You also see kids fishing in the swamp sometimes, which is catch & release. Then there is the Wildwood Nature Center which has live animals native to the midwest, as well as lizards, snakes, and other small critters kids love to see. Admission is free, though operating hours are pretty short. It might be the best kept secret in Park Ridge.

Took my 11 year old granddaughter and her friend to Rainbow Falls for a day last week. I relaxed…read moreand read but they HAD. A BLAST!. I wish Rainbow Falls had some shaded areas to sit and watch and enjoy the surroundings.

Great for kids 11 and younger. Food is high, but you can bring in food and drinks. Parking is…read moremostly about a block away towards the High School.