I'm in a few park and playground social media groups, and the park at the Des Plaines Park District Administrative Center has come up a time or two as being particularly good. I decided we should finally go check it out. If you're coming here for the playground, don't make the boneheaded mistake I did: Stopping at the Iroquois Community School, which is right off Touhy and when I saw the school's playground I thought we were at our destination. You will be sorely disappointed if you stop at the wrong one. If you make your way here via Birch Street, you'll go all the way to the end of the street, turn left, and find the park on the other side of the building; if you take Maple Street to get here, drive down toward the barricade dividing the street and you won't be able to miss it on your right. With all that out of the way, this is a fantastic park. When we left the school playyard, something just seemed off and I am so glad that I went around the block to find the actual playground we'd intended to visit, at the DPPD. It's all the way back at the end of the road; you'll essentially dead-end into when you head down Birch. This is my current favorite playground. The equipment is fantastic and so much of it is geared toward the littlest kiddos, which is not always the case. Here there are small things for them to climb on and under, there's a little "farmers market" booth with different play elements, crawl spaces, slides, and so on. My little girl had fun just running around the place, and she also did some crawling and climbing and sliding and enjoyed trying to feed the big turtle sculpture, as well as naming the turtle's body parts that she recognized. Toward the tail end of our visit, she spotted the swings, which is her favorite so we spent a while there before heading out. All told, we spent about 45 minutes here. The first time, that is--we've since been back again in the last week or so since our first visit and were there for an hour or more. There are several picnic tables in this playground area as well, so many of the parents were hanging out there whilst the kids ran around. This playground is geared toward younger kids (10 and below). The terrain is turf, grass, and paved walkways throughout, and it's fully fenced which is one of my favorite features of a park right now (though some parents are better than others about making sure the gates are actually closed). There's a private parking lot, very convenient. I hope we see you there! read more

See all

On Sept 15, we went to the Fall Festival to see Live bands play on stage but what we saw was drunken brawls break out during the concert. Prior to the bands playing and during the breaks, announcements were constantly made for Alcohol Sales. Alcohol impairs judgement and I highly suggest that at future park district events that No Alcohol Sales occur, especially events that are promoted as "family friendly". read more

My youngest loves mini golf. We don't really keep score, but its always fun to walk through various obstacles and watching your golf ball go through tunnels, pipes, and ramps. I found this place via my trusty Yelp app, and it didn't disappoint! We went near the Halloween time frame so Mountain View Adventure Center decked out the entire course with a halloween theme! They dyed their pond area blood red and there was Halloween decór everywhere, which was fun for my son. My son and I had a lot of fun and it took us a little under an hour to go through the 18-holes. There wasn't a lot of families or couples there when we went, so we didn't have to wait too long for slower moving people ahead of us. The place also has batting and a video game area, which is a nice option. We didn't partake in them as we had to go. But overall, a great and fun mini golf area. read more

See all

Awesome Des Plaines Park District maintained miniature golf course. I've lived in Des Plaines since 2014 and just visited Mountain View for the first time today. Hubs and I had a great time. Course is very, very clean and the Wild West theme is a nice touch. We paid $7/each because we're Des Plaines residents. I'm not sure what the fee is for non-residents. 4/5 stars because there's no clipboard at the holes to hold your score card. Us competitive types like to keep score. :) Can't beat the convenient location & price. We'll definitely be back. read more

See all

A handsome and deceptively simple-looking course. The theme is a nineteenth-century western mine, with a multipurpose grey weathered-wood building at the front and a waterfall-fed pond in the middle. The course is extremely well maintained; that is, I assume, the main justification for the relatively high rates (the park district charges $7 for residents and $8.50 for nons). The holes themselves are nearly unadorned. At first glance they seem straightforward, but actually most are quite challenging due to elevation changes and obstructions. Thanks to banks, ramps, multiple tiers, small but diabolically placed hillocks, even a couple of water crossings, every hole makes you think hard about your first shot, and often your second. I ended up with a 51, nine shots over par, which is a pretty high score for me. So it is a fun but moderately difficult course. One major demerit: playing wall-to-wall Taylor Swift during our visit. Horrid pop "music" is bad enough in public spaces, but why on earth did it have to be the same continuous shite for 80 minutes?? I had made it all the way to 2014 without ever hearing any of this crap (that I know of) but apparently whoever was running the stand that day has a boner for talentless, teen-angsty garbage. Once my wife told me who it was, the wretched lyrics, terrible melodies, and awful arrangements kept burrowing into my ears as I was trying to putt. I attribute at least three or four strokes of my score to that distraction. read more

See all

Believe it or not, this golf course and the nearby walking/bike path is a great place to bird watch. Yes, yes, I know it's a mini golf course run by the park district. I do come here to mini golf, and I do appreciate that the park district is resurfacing some of the greens with new "grass." Nevertheless, the real reason I mini golf here and not someplace else, besides the close-to-home location, is the birds. I've spotted swallows, swifts, ducks, geese, two species of heron, a cormorant, an egret, cardinals, crows, red-winged blackbirds, song sparrows, hawks, and even some of the feral Quaker parrots usually seen in Hyde Park and Addison. There are the usual colorful finches and chickadees often seen in these parts, plus the occasional harder-to-spot migrant species. There are always baby ducks and geese at the right time of year, and the swallows will skim the water all around you as you place your ball and prepare to calculate your number of strokes over par. I don't recommend the concessions here, because half they time they're gross and not even the right temperature. I recommend coming here to become infuriated by a tiny plastic ball, see some wildlife, take a walk, and hit the batting cages. Bring your sunscreen and sit out on the picnic tables by the water so you can watch the birds and fish while you sip a beverage. It's a great summertime afternoon activity. read more

Des Plaines Park District - Mini Golf Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

See all

This golf course was a ton of fun. I loved playing golf while listening to the waterfalls! The mountain theme was fun. My only complaint was that if you lose the ball in the water... it is gone... and that is very easy to do. The golf course was crowded, but everyone was very polite. I know they also have batting cages here, but I have not tried it out yet! read more

Tiger Woods-approved course. Kidding. It's Robert-approved. Moderately difficult 18-hole mini-golf (they call it "adventure golf") course. Well-maintained and includes a fair amount of challenges--uphill shots, downhill, water & traps, and a couple cheesy hole-through-the-windmill holes. This course is easier than the Diversey mini-golf in Chicago, but it's also busier and costs a few dollars less. The only thing that really bothered me was the loud music. It's annoying. There's a full concession stand which is nice, and there are other things to do nearby--batting cages and a skate park. Needed course rule: If your child takes more than six strokes to get even near the hole, please allow people to play the hole ahead of you. read more

$7 for 18 holes of mini golf if you are a resident ($8.50 if you aren't). They are all fun. $3 for the second round. The atmosphere of the place is very nice with a mini waterfall and pond. They incorporate he waterfalls into the golf course which is pretty neat. They also have batting cages, $5 per person is more than enough for the cages. Parking is free. read more

Des Plaines Park District - Mini Golf Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Outstanding staff and facilities! I rented the Cumberland Terrace facility to host a baby shower. My calls to Peggy and Mary Ann got all my questions answered with courtesy and kindness. Two gentlemen opened the door for us on party day and reviewed the inside. The facility was in condition just as described and my guests had a safe and lovely party. I had catering delivered to be served off the island in the kitchen. I kept the food warm in the oven or cold in the refrigerator. We has six long tables for dinning, 2 tables for gifts and 1 for craft material. The bathrooms were clean and in perfect working order. My home is not wheel chair accessible and this facility allowed us to be inclusive. My first choice was West Park, but it was booked already. If you are planning a party......call early to book your date! read more

Although I can't comment on the miniature golf since I haven't played here in about 15+ years, the batting cages have been a staple in our softball team's practice regimen. Since the cages are actually our only source of practice.....this is likely why we went 1-10 this last season. I can't blame the MVAC. They offer 2 cages for high arc pitching, which already blows any non-existent competition in the area out of the water. I say this because most, if not all, batting cages have closed in years past, but when they were open they didn't even have the high arc option. The rest are dedicated to baseball (so thats 2 softball & 7-8 baseball). Each token is a buck, or 6 for $5, so I stock up at the beginning of the season and keep them in my car. They also have bats & helmets (just throwing that out there if for some reason you might be unfamiliar with how batting cages work......making sure all the 'bases' are covered). All in all, we try to come here whenever schedules allow, and will continue to until we quit or get thrown out of our league. Note: The skate park & mini golf seem popular and look well kept/clean, so they might be worth checking out as well. read more

Came here for the batting cages and was pretty impressed. There are several speeds for baseball (slow, medium, fast, super fast) and there's also a slow pitch softball cage. It's not too expensive...I think it was about a $1 or so per token/session. The hours are pretty decent too...I think they are open until 10 or 11 which is nice for us night owls. Bats are free, and they do have helmets (although I'm not sure if it costs anything to rent them because I brought my own [and by "brought my own" I mean borrowed my husband's sweaty helmet]) and you ARE required to wear them. If I were you, I'd bring some gloves too...my hands were killing me. There is a skate park behind the cages and some mini-golf too if you're into that kind of thing as well. Overall, Mountain View isn't a bad place to take out some aggression (or have what most people call "date night"). read more

This might be my favorite putt putt golf in the area. No it is not as fancy and themed as some others, but the prices are reasonable and the greens are well maintained. They aren't super challenging so it keeps it fun for everyone. The staff was friendly and helpful. In addition to golfing we used the batting cages. They are self service but an attendant was available. The machines jammed a few times which was a little annoying but they quickly reset them for us each time. It wasn't busy so it was a nice relaxing family outing. We'll be back! read more

I love this place! I just did the mini- golf and I work for a park district with mini-golf and I like this much better! The scenery is beautiful. The theme is very smart and fun! The place was not too crowded for a Saturday afternoon. The holes was tricky but possible. I just love this place. It was a lot of fun. You can enjoy a nice day out without too much crowd or noise or anything. Plus, they have a kiosk to eat after you're done playing and have a nice lunch with a great view. They also have a batting cage, skate park, and bmx bike park which I think is rare and super cool! I will definitely come back here and bring my nieces and nephews here. read more

Me likey. Came for mini-golf. The holes are more challenging than they let on to be. All holes are par 2/3 but we definitely struggled with a few of them (we even racked up a couple 5's). The course is nicely designed and fairly well-kept. Water traps, jumps, good obstacles. I liked: the music, the fact that it wasn't super-crowded, the fact that it's in the middle of a park (so you can take a walk on the trail, use the batting cages, try out the skate park, or play out in the fields), and the concessions available. I didn't like: the loud static on the radio sound system, the price ($8 for non-residents could be a little more reasonable), and the fact that some holes had two different cups you could putt to. Holes with multiple cups weren't marked or connected to each other, which caused for a bit of confusion after our first hit. I'm coming back! read more

Your typical town mini golf. Nothing spectacular but always a fun time. The holes are not too difficult at all and with 4 people we finished in about an hour. Perfect for a date night or a fun time with family. Nothing really more to say... read more

Very disappointed in my visit. We came from Hoffman to use the cages and arrived at 11:00am Sunday ( hours say 11:00am). When we arrived they said 12:00. We left and came back. We came back at 11:45am and the cages were packed ! What?! Curious when you opened ? 11:45 and already in use. Then all the cages were not throwing right and you had to stand on the plate to hit the ball. The kid there was not helpful as he sat in the Box on his phone. Is he not able to correct these (New) machines?? Brand new machines and they suck... Then you had the reservations on the only two slow pitch machines from 2:30-3:30. I'm glad I didn't show up at 2:30 and been out of luck. Please correct the machines to throw correctly as it's a safety issue for young hitters. Maybe the owner should be more present to fix issues with staff and machines until it's resolved. Last year this place was great. At least you had a kid there to correct the issues of your crappy machines that threw way off center but with the (New) pitching machines installation this is ridiculous guys. Let's fix it!!!!! read more

I went here on a Friday about 5:30 with my friend. The man at the counter was nice and gave us the Residents price of $7.50 I believe. They had 5 colors of balls to choose from which I felt was low. I choose pink and my friend choose orange. The course went quickly. As we were almost the only people there we did not have to wait at all. The holes were basic. No thrilling decor or obstacles. Theming was there but not really all that exciting. We got to the end and my friend lost her ball in the water. The one thing I don't like is that you have to pay a dollar if you lose a ball. I get it, they are trying to make it so people don't steal balls but I can see people with kids or people that are just bad at golf losing a lot of balls. My friend paid her dollar and we left. Overall I probably wouldn't go to Des Plaines just for this and I would be afraid of taking my kids since they would probably end up with a ball in the water at several holes. Staff was nice, course was clean, but I wanted something a little more exciting. read more

I'll start with the Park District as a whole... I love the programs they offer for toddlers and pre-schoolers, so does my little guy. I put my son in some short programs right after he turned 3 and he loved his teachers and the activities he participated in. When he started preschool that fall, he fell in love with is teachers immediately! Having searched for good programs for my older child, I passed up the park district stuff... but on a tighter budget with my son, we went that rought after talking to a few others who gave it rave reviews... to which, I concur! Parks, I won't do individual ones... I'd rather create new listings for them, but the parks we have been to in DP are clean and well kept. As a matter of fact, there was a park, near my home, that had been a bit neglected because it's a small neighborhood park, nestled in between a couple of houses, and when I contacted the park district they were on top of it and cleaned it up quite quickly! read more

There are alot of walking trails, ponds and forest preserves. They just need to keep the forest preserves a little cleaner. Some of the parks are built along the Des Plaines River. There is alot of open ground and some parts are very scenic. Some of their parks have ponds. I have enjoyed a couple of picnics in their park district. read more

Des Plaines Park District - Mini Golf Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

It's a nice place if you want to spend some quality time with family. They charge you a dollar for each ball, if lost in the water. My son took out of the water seven balls, but they won't give your money back for your effort to get the ball out of the water. The three stars are because of the one dollar charge for extra ball. read more

We had great fun playing mini golf and hitting baseballs.

My son and I had a great time playing these 18 holes. This is my kind of mini golf with sculpted greens and some decent obstacles. We had a blast and it was worth the drive from Oak Park. read more

It's so hard to find batting cages nowadays so when I found Mountain View, I was ecstatic. With both softball and baseball cages, as well as slow, medium, and fast pitch, Mountain View has a cage for all skill levels. Their mini-golf course is more fun that it looks. Some of the holes are very challenging and OB's abound with their low edges and hilly terrains. One thing they really need to do is clean the water so the smell isn't such a devastating distraction to the putter. It smells like rotten eggs and it can really throw you off your game. read more

Not a bad course, pretty challenging. Not a ton of flair.

Be careful of the hours ... call 1st .They aren't necessarily what the web site says. I Drove 45 minutes to get there bought 20 bucks worth of tokens from the guy,for the batting cages,only to be told hurry up we close in 10 minutes .It was 7:50 at that point and their web site said they close at 10:00. the guy argued with me when I told him what the site said then acknowledged it and blamed it on Google??? and maybe the guy selling me nonrefundable tokens could have mentioned it when i was buying that many tokens. Not the greatest place but the only outdoor cages I know of anymore. Oh yeah maybe they could fix the slow pitch cage that always jams up ,I was told by regulars that its been doing that for years read more

I go there about twice a week to play basketball, hang out in the hot tub and enjoy the dry sauna. Great staff, reasonable rates and never crowded, its a great community center. read more

While looking to kill some time in the Des Plaines area, we found this mini golf course and decided to give it a try. The most recent mini golf experience I had in this area was at Par-King, so it was obvious that this wasn't going to be nearly as fun. Plus I think it was more expensive than Par-King. The holes were nothing fancy, but the scenery was pretty. Without the waterfalls, I'd probably go as far to lower this to one star but it was expensive, not really fun or thrilling, and not very challenging. read more

I finally played recently. Its great. A little smaller than congo river or holes and knoles. But still a great place.

I want to give a shout out to Samantha Diryawish at Mountview location. Samantha is a sweetheart. She is on point, personable and highly engaging with her customers. Exceptional qualities in a young woman. I appreciate her thoughtfulness and dedication to her work. read more

A really great 18-hole mini golf course! The service is great, and there are some really fun holes! I downed it one star, only because of the fact that if you hit it in the water, it's not coming back! (Compared to Holes 'n Knolls in Glen Ellyn, IL) read more

This review is for the "getting ready for preschool" program. Ms. Yvonne and Ms. Evelyn are amazing. My son started here when he was 2 1/2. After attending for almost a year, my son has grown so much and has learned more than I ever imagined. He loves school he loves his teachers and he loves his friends. Such a wonderful hidden gem of a program. Don't hesitate to send your children here. It's a PERFECT start to preschool or kindergarten. read more

What an awesome mini golf course! We had so much fun. It's a difficult course but worth the try. Can't beat the views either :)

they've got slow pitch high arc batting cages here... $1 for 18 pitches, great for me to shake the rust off before softball season starts! and my teammates can tell ya, I need the practice! read more

It's a pretty mini golf course. Price is 8.5 for non-residents. The course is relatively challenging for novices and it's a fun date night activity. read more

Very accommodating and friendly staff. I took a middle-sized group (primarily middle schoolers) here and each of the participants had a good time. read more

Batting cages were exactly what we were looking for. $5 we got 96 pitches. Cages had baseball and softball: slow, medium, very fast and high arc. Unfortunately the recent rain had made the ceiling net droop so one of the cages was temporarily shut down because the pitch didn't reach us. The employee was super nice and refunded our token. We would definitely return. read more

Nicely groomed but nothing fancy. No moving targets, wind mills, two-part greens. The running water is lovely. A little expensive for non-residents over 12 years of age ($8.50)........ read more