Concrete Beach is the piece of waterfront on the Lakefront Trail that is north of Oak Street Beach…read more The concrete in the name is apt as you will not find any sandy areas here. It is a great spot to snap some photos of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan or stop a minute or two while getting in a run or bike ride on the trail. It is not a place that you would lounge for long, it is more of a rest spot. If you are looking for an actual beach, I would recommend going to Oak Street Beach instead.

Self explanatory concrete beach. Probably one of my favorite approaches to the city. The Hancock…read morebuilding is directly in front of you, always people running lounging around and there's a chess pavilion which is great to just hang out. You'll see some random stuff like a bike shop set up a ramp to launch off of during the summer or a group fished out all the ride share bikes out of the lake making a 12 ft monument of decayed bikes piled up. It's a great for shots of the city and seeing the fireworks. It's really fun to just go fast on a bike.

I truly enjoyed my time here at North Avenue Beach. My first visit here to the beach was back in…read more2017. My first real visit to Chicago city was in 2013. My Indy family decided to take me on a day trip to tour the Chicago city and have lunch. It was a lovely beautiful sunny day that day. We ended our day at the beach and caught the sunset which was glorious. The beach is gorgeous. My attire was not appropriate for the beach, of course. There was no plan to hang out at the beach at all. LOL! I dipped my feet in the water and it was cold. However, with the sun beating on my face and the warm weather, the water felt great. Haha I would return back again just for the beach and this time bring beach chairs and a tent to stay there all day and tan well. LOL!

This is a very active beach with kayak and paddleboarding rentals as well as a volleyball league!…read moreThere are public restrooms and bus 72 picks you up right in front so it's very convenient.

I've been wanting to visit this park since it opened, but it never came to pass. I'm really glad we…read moregot to visit during their 10th anniversary celebration! That party was cool; they had various community orgs, like a citizen science group and the Budlong Woods branch of CPL here to share info and stuff. There were park volunteers doing arts and crafts with the kids. They even had a fishing derby in the little pond, I think, which was really cool. There's at least one or two works of art in the park that are nice as well. This isn't your typical CPD park. It's a nature area that was acquired from neighboring Rosehill Cemetery and developed into a natural area/native preserve. Though the cemetery is over 150 years old, this portion on the northwest corner of Western & Peterson was never used for burials and was simply an undeveloped section of the cemetery. I used to live a couple blocks away from here and remember thinking it was a bit of an eyesore. But the Chicago Park District, and the advisory council for the park, have done wondrous things. There's a walking path throughout the park for a leisurely stroll. The park also hosts various events; I believe they recently had an equinox program, and I hope the bat program comes up again so I can take my little one. They even had Hocus Pocus movie night a few days ago (just before Halloween). But my favorite part by far is the nature play space. It's gorgeous! There are lots of benches and stumps for adults and children to sit on, and they had a couple of outdoor play kitchens. There's a little mound (which to a small child could look hill-sized) for kids to play and sit on. There's a small stage and I'm not sure if they've always had events or if they've started hosting more, but I'm keeping an eye on it because it's truly one of the best nature play spaces I've seen around. It's absolutely worth a visit if you have children, or just want a little quiet contemplation.

We had a great morning at West Ridge Nature Park! We came here on a Sunday morning to celebrate the…read more10th anniversary of the park. They had a lot of kid friendly activities like face painting, coloring, fossils to look at, and our favorite -- music from old town school of folk music! After enjoying some wheels on the bus, we walked around pond. The path was so pretty and well kept. We saw lots of geese, butterflies, squirrels, and even a hawk which my two year old loved. Our favorite though, was all the turtles! We saw about 10 out in the pond swimming. They were so cute, we could have sat out there for a hours watching them bob around. Definitely recommend West Ridge if you're wanting some peace in the city.

I can't remember how I found out about the murals. I think I was just randomly hanging out at the…read morebeach because I had two other apartments nearby. I thought it was really pretty but one-and-done. Once I found out that this is a thing that happens every year (Artists of the Wall), it turned out to be a fun way to celebrate around Father's Day and Juneteenth. The new paintings are up, and these are my favorites this year. (I have a photo collection of my favorites every year for at least a decade. Just saw these today. Nice job, artists!) Also, this is a fun park to bring your dog too. I was nervous about the off-leash dogs at first, but once my dog became less aggressive (but NOSY AS EVER!) around other dogs, it was much more comfortable to bring her here. Sometimes she's the off-leash dog, too, long enough to chase a toy or two and come back.

Prinz beach park is one of the little hidden beaches in Rogers Park (hidden because they're at the…read moreend of cul-de-sacs along the lake). The park is relatively large, but don't go swimming--at least, in summer 2022--because the water quality is not sufficient for swimming. The water is nice and clear, so don't be fooled; check the Chicago Park District site! The park is named for Tobey Prinz, a longtime Rogers Park resident who was a leader and activist in the housing movement, had a strong impact on Chicago housing conditions, and was an advocate for Chicago parks and open space. Perhaps her most notable accomplishment was getting the old site of the Bryn Mawr Country Club, slated to become a shopping center, instead turned into Warren Park, one of the largest parks on the north side. She was also instrumental in preserving lakeside property in cul-de-sac spaces just like these. The bench that runs for hundreds of yards along park is painted white each year and the community is invited to repaint a section. It's fun to wander along and see what people have contributed for the year. There's also tennis courts in the grassy part of the park. There's also a nice view of the city from the pier as you walk toward the lighthouse, which unfortunately was clouded the day I was here by the foggy weather. Parking is essentially non-existent here, so public transportation is really your best bet.

I freakin' love this beach. Fun area, great sight of the…read moreskyline, never too crowded. Oh! & make sure to walk north on the beach over to that massive pier.

Went here after dinner at Clarke's Rogers Park Restaurant…read more Hartigan Park & Beach are located just a few blocks away from the restaurant *(Clarke's Rogers Park). My friend and I gathered washed up stones on the beach- which was fun, sank our feet into the sand, and watched the stars come out while my friend played an acoustic guitar and sang. It was a very peaceful experience. Hope to return in the near future again!

Scoville Park was the first thing I saw when I stepped out of the Oak Park station. I'm accustomed…read moreto all the trash-infested parks with homeless people in San Francisco, so I was appreciative of the cleanliness and beauty of this park. Now it's on the list of top parks I've ever visited! There are plenty of benches, strung together by a paved walkway, making this a great place for running. I'm not a runner, so I just sat on a bench for an hour to rest my mind from a long day of exploring Chicago. There are also tennis courts and a playground here. Great location, in addition to the fact that it's conveniently next to public transportation. The public library is within view, and there are lots of restaurants in the area. While there are open grassy areas for frisbee or soccer games, you can stay cool under the shade of all the trees as well. Scoville Park is perfect for family outings with kids or picnics with friends, so come out and enjoy this recently renovated public space!

I came out to Scoville Park in Oak Park for movie night. It's a great park area to come and enjoy…read morenature. Relaxing and calm atmosphere. Great place to come walk with your family or just by yourself. The energy from people was also nice. Nice seating area for you to sit and read a book. There is meter street parking in the area. The Oak Park library is right next to the park and also a lot of restaurants in the area. Nice area and place to come and chill.

Amazing fishing day with the family. We had a great time. This was a small fish but we got some big…read moreones too.

Cool green space in the city. It's a getaway in a big park full of entertainment. Lincoln Park has…read morea lot going on inside, but this is a nice chill option. Boaters like to come here and dock, and it's also fun if you just like laying around. There's pretty nice views of the water. A pretty relaxing experience if there's anything to say about it. It's not like there's any crazy stuff going on. This place is pretty quiet. Fewer people around. They're all at the Zoo or Conservatory. About the only noise is boats. Seems most of those are kayaks. Occasionally there's a few motor boats. There's a few animals such as ducks and geese. Go here for a quiet change. It's one of the more park like areas of Lincoln Park. There's a few drink and food stands.

Hidden gem. The field house is always clean and staff friendly and inviting. Even walking on the…read moretrails around the park, I never feel uncomfortable nor unsafe. Thanks Ms Rei Rei and her staff. My son (Howard U student) and I walk to the fitness center, he plays pickup basketball with whomever is on the outdoor courts. Love it!!!

Great park I visited for a live jazz band. This park is awesome for live music as the trees are…read morevast and provide lots of shade. My only complaint was there was a lack of trash bins and no bathrooms to speak of.