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.

Spent the morning at Illinois State Park beach...the biting…read moreflies finally win and chased us away...which led us to this little hidden gem. Jones Island Park is a well kept park full of shade trees, a playground, walking trail with benches, a shelter house, a sand volleyball court...and a beach. It's small, we'll-maintained, the swim area is marked off, the water is warm, the littles can stand, and there are no flies!!! Not quite the view of the Great Lake, but still a beautiful setting. Swim in the lake area. Fish in the canal. Relax beneath a shade tree. A little bit of something here to keep the young and the old content for a very long while!!! Annnnnd, unlike the rest of the local park/beaches....it's free!!!

Fantastic local park, with volleball field, kids park and a small beach. Great fishing too.read more

Kids Castle is one of the best parks and playgrounds around. The playground has so many different…read moreareas to explore that kids can easily spend hours playing without getting bored. Everything is well maintained, and there's plenty of space for families to spread out and enjoy the day. One of my favorite things about this park is its location. It's close to great walking trails, so it's easy to go for a relaxing walk before or after visiting the playground. There are also fishing ponds nearby, which make it an even better place to spend the afternoon outdoors. Whether you're bringing young kids to play, going for a walk, or just enjoying the peaceful surroundings, Kids Castle is a fantastic destination. It's one of those parks that keeps you coming back because there's so much to do, and it's always a fun place to visit.

Entertaining for all ages! Took my step daughter (5/6 year old) and husband here one summer…read moreafternoon. Clean, updated and a blast for all 3!

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.

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.

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

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!

Great place for soccer, volleyball and basketball. The fee is $6/person which is pretty cheap and…read morethe place is super clean. The front door staff was very nice and accommodating. I'll be back!

Some of the staff here are really rude. Some are not (which earns them 2 stars). 99% of the time,…read morethe open gym schedules aren't even correct as they seem to love to change things without notice. And, it's expensive. The only reason I come here is because it's convenient. Just 5 minutes from my house and an easy drive. I don't recommend anyone come here if you aren't in the area; it isn't even worth your thought. I pay $6 for a mediocre basketball court when I could drive 10 more minutes up 45 and go to Libertyville Sports Complex. It's $8 there and they have wooden courts (and not to mention, they have like 20 of them). All in all, I will only go here because it's close (and clean/tidy). Even if they raised the price another $0.25. Not recommended.

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.