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.

A sensational park, trail, nature reserve that has been a gem for decades. As a kid, we would often…read morevisit the forest preserve to fish, go on the playgrounds, bike the extensive well-connected trails, walk..so much memories here. Great spot to host a cookout or party with their rental shelters too. Happy to see it still functioning for many folks after all these years. Wish Charleston, SC had preserves like this!

There was a wedding reception (dinner and dancing) held in Shelter A and B of this forest preserve…read more As a former Illinois resident I thought the wedding party would be uncomfortable, given this time of year. But I was wrong! Both the weather and surroundings were beautiful; I heard they sprayed for insects beforehand as well. Many picture opportunities. Open enough to enjoy the rest of reserve and share the good vibes with passersby. Some bees came out but only when we were already packing up. Maybe more available parking spaces would've been nice. Other than that, it was a good time.

I LOVE these trails and could literally get lost in these woods for hours. I highly recommend going…read morein the beginning of fall to enjoy all of the beautiful changing leaves. The trails are nice and wide and make it easy to get around other walkers. These trails are also long enough, that once you move away from the main trail that circles the pond (pink trail maybe??), unless you move over to Half Day Forest preserve (connected trails), you'll very rarely run into anyone else. The parking fills quickly at the Everett and St. Mary's entrance, but you can also park over at Half Day Forest Preserve off of Milwaukee and easily find your way to these trails with a short added mile of walking.

We paid a visit here as an enjoyable venue for getting in some fitness steps.  The daughter and her…read morefamily frequent various forest preserves, and she mentioned this one as a recent favorite.  I personally don't have a lot of forest preserve comparison data, but found the surroundings to be tranquil and uncrowded on a Sunday afternoon, the trails all graveled and well marked, existence of a couple of bridges, a good mix of sun and shade along the trails, and folks and their pets all well behaved and courteous.  Some folks were picnic'ing and there was also a wedding party photo shoot going on.  I'm not sure where this one ranks in acreage for a forest preserve, but there were plenty of trails (4 miles worth) to get in whatever mileage you might like.  So, I guess I'll go with an "it's a good as it gets" til proven otherwise!

My kiddos loves this park. Very clean and has areas for every age group. Wonderful during the…read moresummer days. Take some food and have a picnic!

Such a special spot. I feel so grateful that this place exists a short drive away. We love going to…read morebuy quality meats and produce at the market, play with the goats and attend various events. Now that they have their little cafe, it's just the perfect destination. The cafe is tiny and there is always a long wait. I almost walked away when they told me it would be a 40 minute wait but another lady in line leaned towards me and whispered "trust me, it's worth it." I was honestly surprised at how delicious and unique all the dishes were. I've never seen "brothy beans and pancetta with country bread" on any menu before. I don't really eat beans and wouldn't dare order something like that at any other restaurant. But I sure am glad I ordered it here. It was perfect like everything else we tried.

Beautiful hidden gem in the North Shore. We've been here a few times so I'm shocked I have yet to…read morereview. There's tons of parking and it's an easy walk from the parking lot. Whether you're looking to visit the farm animals, the cafe or the market there's something to see for everyone. We visited the cafe for lunch on a Friday afternoon and it was rather hard to get a table. We were fortunate enough that someone had gotten up shortly after we got there because you need to sit to scan the QR code to order. It was all a bit chaotic because someone ordered at our table and moved to a different table and so their food kept coming to us but then there was a delay on our food because of that? Not sure what happened but eventually we're got our food. We got the burger and a grilled cheese for our little. I also ordered a side hashbrowns which were so good! The burger gave us an option of pink or no pink. It had onion jam and cheese on it I did wish we had the option to add lettuce, pickles and tomatoes because that would've certainly added the crunch it needed. The fries felt like they were the bottom of a batch because they were a so tiny and mushy but overall okay I also got the aqua Fresca which tasted rather watered down but was iced and great for a hot day. They had a station for water and all the condiments but we weren't sure if it was a serve yourself or someone brought it to us because there was no clear direction so we just didn't get it because there was always a line of someone running coffee drinks there. Afterwards we went to the animals, our son had a blast seeing the ducks, chickens and goats roam around. The market was super fun to visit and it was so great to see them selling and offering products from other local farms on the area as well. Overall a beautiful place, with something for everyone and we had a great time!

While doing my US 45/Butterfield Rd/Aspen Drive/Deerpath Drive rectangular drive around the area, I…read moredrive through Deerpath subdivision and always pass by this park. I've taken my youngest here one day on a walk too. This is a neat park situated across from Deerpath subdivision and/or part of it. The park itself has two play areas, one for big kids, one for small kids, and a sandpit in the middle. Both of my kids loved playing in this park on a steamy August late afternoon. The park equipment is well maintained and fun to play with. It's on our list of parks that we can walk to and enjoy around Vernon Hills. If you're in the area, this is a solid, clean, bright park to visit with great equipment for the kids and plenty of shade near walking paths.

This park is an awesome addition to Deerpath Park. At the south end of deerpath park you can walk…read moreon to this straight path, you will see kids playground area to the right if you are walking south. It's a straight path, that takes you to route 45. This park makes the walk at deerpath park longer, allowing you to enjoy a much more rigorous exercise. To the left are multiple people's houses' backyard. However, they are all fenced in and multiple shrubs are in place to protect your and the homeowner's privacy.

I always forget there are so many parks around finally checked out this one. Has a big parking lot…read moreand the playground was big enough for the small kiddos to run around in. If there are a lot of people it won't be as fun as it is all just bunched together. Also has a nice walking trail. They have a lodge that you can rent for parties and events that has bathrooms and kitchen.

Nice looking park. We actually rented a building here for a family event. It came equipped with…read moretables and chairs and a small kitchen area. You set up and put away everything and clean up after yourself, it was very nice and convenient. Those who booked it said they'd do it again, and we were all very satisfied with the experience!

There was a family event here so we decided to come check the place out. Even though my kiddo is…read moreonly two, she liked seeing some of the stuff they had on exhibit and they also had coloring pages and whatnot. We got here near the tail end of the event, so we didn't spend much time inside and went walking along the little trail where they had signs up with information about turkeys spread out through a little loop around the woods. It's a lovely preserve, and I'll bet it's particularly beautiful in the spring and summer. The building is small but sufficient to have some programs and there are bathrooms here. There are a few outbuildings as well; I'm not sure if there are programs there too or not. There's a good deal of parking here. Keep an eye on their calendar to have an excuse to come out, or just spend some time wandering the trails in peace and quiet.

This place is stunning. My neighbor told me about it and I promptly took a drive up here that…read moreafternoon just a few days after "peak" fall colors. It's amazing. I wasn't adequately prepared because it was a spur of the moment decision, so I didn't have a jacket or warm enough clothes, so I didn't stay or walk around too long. (And sadly their giftshop didn't have any sweatshirts -- I would've bought one if they had because it would've solved my problem. So, note to Ryerson: sell sweatshirts in the fall!). I've since come back here for an art exhibit (see my review on the Brushwood Center page for that info). I cannot wait to return again in the spring and definitely multiple times next fall. I want to explore it all.