Here is another local park, that's good for chilling or playing baseball. It certainly isn't the…read morefirst one of these to go to in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, but it's often a quieter and less crowded option. Jonquil Park is known for the athletic fields and playground. Even though it's not big, it's big enough. The entrance even has a cool sculpture. A neighborhood park is the best way to describe it. It's not nearly as popular as the neighborhood's namesake park. This is more for those who live in the area than for other locals and tourists. Best known for the baseball. There's also a few tennis courts. A playground is pretty modern and it's ADA approved. There's a spray area to keep cool in summer. At the entrance is a sculpture by Richard Hunt. The Eagle Columns was inspired by a Vachel Lindsay poem about former Governor Peter Altgeld, who was an early proponent of playgrounds. He actually has a studio across the street from here. The park does have a few homeless but they don't really bother others. Good area. It's close to the Fullerton CTA station. This is located at the intersection of Lincoln, Sheffield, and Wrightwood.

I am now a student of tennis on the lake at jonquil park. But before starting lessons I read every…read moreYelp review looking for details on how to reserve a court and didn't find any! So here's are the details: Nice enough public park. Safe in my experience - there might be a few eccentric folks around but it's always felt safe during the day time. I've never visited the restroom but I've heard tell it's often out of order. The courts at jonquil are hard courts and they do have lights at night. Tennis On the Lake reserves 1 court (of 2) evenings throughout the week and morning/afternoon on the weekend for lessons during the nice weather. Each of the 2 courts has an "even/odd" rack. Hang your racket to reserve the upcoming even or odd hour. So if you arrive at 3:30, hang your racket on even to reserve for 4, and odd to reserve for 5. Tennis on the lake always plays on the west court. Not sure if there are any other coaches that reserve space - I've never seen that nor any other signs. Some people will go in the morning and hang their rack with a note reading "6 PM" this is against the rules and also again court etiquette. Not much we can do about it but if you wonder if you should do that - just don't. It's rude. Also I DO recommend tennis on the lake if you're looking for lessons.

Cool place to bring dogs. It also happens to be located in a pretty good park. Walsh Park has a dog…read morearea that's clean and all that. A lot of good things about it. There's also a water fountain and wading pools in summer. Best thing about it is the location. It's located in a good sized park. The dog area is located in the southeastern section. Fenced in. Seems pretty secure. Has separate big and small dog areas. The area also has a water fountain so you can fill up the bowls and keep the dogs hydrated. Has many good things about it even though it's just a small area. It's fenced in and has plenty of room to run around and play. The park also puts out wading pools for hot weather.

For background, I have a 6-pound maltese, and we've taken him to both the small and big dogs side…read more All the dogs have been friendly and well-trained most of the time, and the owners in the area are always good at keeping an eye on their pet. Unfortunately, the spaces are pretty small for both sizes. Neither side gets quite enough room to really get their zoomies in. It's not too well-kept, especially on the small dog side (trash and old poop bags littering the edge of the gate). I'm definitely a little biased though, because my dog is 100x happier on grass and this dog area doesn't have any grass for him to run on. Streets can get noisy, but it's not too bad. There's a huge playground nearby and the kids love peeking in at the dogs. Parking has been easy every time- turn to the "back entrance" of the park for easier access (away from the busy main road). Generally an okay place to stop for some socializing before we hop on the 606 trail!

Nice park for all ages. Took my 5 year old and she had fun on the variety of playground equipment…read more Playground is ideal for toddlers to elementary aged. Many sports fields, leagues happening inside/outside throughout the year. Free street parking was easy to find in the middle of a weekday.

Lovely park to have as a neighbor. Lots of trees around the perimeter and wide open space in the…read morecenter. Softball throughout the summer, a nice playground for the next generation, and a field house with a basketball court (limited open gym hours).

What's going on with Puptown lately? When I started coming here a couple of years ago, it was full…read moreof dogs and really attentive owners. Recently, it's maintained the amount of dogs, but the attentiveness of the owners has seriously decreased. I have left multiple times because I felt that dogs were being aggressive and their owners were either not paying attention, or were not picking up on the signs of their dogs' aggression. I have a fairly large dog (56 lbs), so I'm not just freaking out whenever any dog approaches my tiny pup. My dog is pretty submissive, and not at all aggressive, so it's really unfortunate that we're forced to leave because irresponsible owners let their dogs bully her. This is, obviously, not all owners. Let's get Puptown back on track people! If you're dog STARTS behaving aggressively, pull them away to settle down. It can't be good for you, your dog, the dog that gets hurt, or the hurt dog's owner if something goes down. You can't go to a dog park, sit down, and expect other people to regulate the situation. I'm not getting in the middle of a dog fight between two dogs who, although half my size, could tear me to shreds if they wanted to. That's why EVERYONE needs to pay attention to their dog.

In celebration of Earth Month, wanting to say this is definitely mine and my dog's favorite park…read more He knows the way by heart and is excited to drop by every time. I'm not sure who runs the park, but I do notice a few people who take care of it and keep it running for us. Overall, its a great place for my dog to socialize. The regulars are a nice group who you can chat with.

Best part of Horner Park is this place for the dogs. Horner Dog Friendly Area is located in the…read moresouthern part of this large park on the north side. It has many amenities that are beneficial to dogs and their owners as well. For sure it makes good use of its land area. There's a fountain for filling bowls and pools. About an acre in area, so it's not a big area. Its surface is covered in wood chips. This is a benefit to pets because it provides extra cushion, plus it protects their paws from hot temperatures. A few things about it are common. It has separate areas for small and big dogs. Best thing here is the water play area. This sprinkles water and owners can fill up pools for dogs to paddle and go swimming. Has a lot to like about it. It's close to the entrance on Irving Park Road. There's benches so owners can relax while their dogs run around and bark at things.

Probably the best gated dog park in town - there's a big and small dog park. This park usually has…read moredogs there! It's one of the few dog parks in the area that isn't all asphalt - the mulch/dirt combo keeps the dog pee smell away. During the winter though, it is quite icy and mush. Next to the park there is also a great field for off leash trained dogs as well as a walking path. Street parking is easy to find but there is also a free parking lot!

Park 593 isn't much, but sometimes you take green space where you can get it in a large city…read more The park is a small triangle in the middle of Avondale, which you might miss if you drive to quickly by (which you shouldn't, there's way too many cars parked here for you to do that). It's relatively new, having been acquired by the park in 2018. There are no services at the park, but there's various terrain for park users to do their thing. It's got a paved area, which may be where the picnic tables are (I can't recall). There's a nice little nature play area; I like how they're incorporating these into more parks, and it's good for kiddos who are into imaginative play.

Bad thing about this dog park in River West is that it's small, as in this is it? It exists mainly…read morefor residents of the Mondial. Mondial Dog Park is located inside a gate so it seems to be only for residents. However sometimes the gate is left open. This is when to take action and use it unauthorized. A kind of hard to find dog park that's located on the outside of an apartment complex. It's located on Huron east of Sangamon. This is actually behind a gate because it's only for the residents though. Has artificial turf for grass. There's a couple of benches and not really a whole lot of anything else inside. Few people are lucky enough to use it to be honest. If you live in this apartment complex, you can use it any time. The others have to wait until the gate opens, or they can hop it or whatever.

Small but super nice. It's equip with benches, soft gravel, and even doggie doo doo bags if you…read moreforget yours on your way out the door. This park isn't open to the public, but if you live in the area and make dog friends with someone who lives at the Mondial it's the perfect place to let your dog play while enjoying a glass wine.

I stumbled across Gross Park by accident and after looking it up I definitely want to go back to…read moreappreciate it a bit more. After the Asian Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, or ALB) killed over 20 trees in the area in 1998, Gross Park neighbors worked with the City of Chicago to rebuild something new. If you didn't know, the ALB burrows itself into trees and kills the tree from the inside out. Because they stay safe from the elements inside the tree, no pesticides can effectively reach the them near the center. The only solution to an infected tree is cutting them down as to not let the issue spread. Since then, the Gross Park Neighbors Foundation have become an organization that is set on the maintenance and enhancement of Gross Park and neighborhood and it shows! The neighborhood is absolutely gorgeous and the trees almost look like they reach the sky. The area is so green, on the hot summer day that I went it felt significantly cooler. TIP: Don't confuse this with 'Gross (Theodore) Park' near Lincoln Square on Lawrence & Washtenaw. This is located in Roscoe Village on Henderson & Paulina. When I tried searching it up, the other park kept showing up instead. ** August is Tree Check Month and it's recommended you spend 10 minutes looking at trees in your area to make sure they're healthy of invasive species. Even though the GPNF help cleared the neighborhood, ALB is still an issue in North America. Signs of ALB are dime sizes holes in trees & dead branches on thick & otherwise healthy trees - if you see something report it **