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.

I visited the pickle ball courts at Eugene Field Park for the first time this morning and had a…read moregreat experience! Though there were only two courts to play on, people were very friendly and rotated out after their games were over. The area was clean, bright, and a fun atmosphere for all! The nearby park and splash pad area looked like a fun spot for the kiddos, and there were tennis lessons happening in the courts next to us! Lots of fun on this Sunday morning!

The park district has allowed the homeless encampment to spread right next to the children's…read moreplayground at foster and avers. And now a new one appeared right next to the baseball field. The one next to the playground has been there for months. Since then, I've seen an uptick of drinking and drug use, people from the encampment walking down the alleys looking into back yards, guys with crazy behavior next to field house. If they weren't causing problems in the community, it would be a different story. But is a public safety and health issue. Please remove these so we can enjoy our park again. Parents please be careful with your kids around here.

For the life of me, I don't understand why the Chicago Board of Elections is not holding early…read morevoting here. Before I started participating in mail-in voting, I always popped into this location. I remembered it because the participatory budgeting was held here too. But somebody is going nuts with stealing from our nearest mailbox, so the Board of Elections getting this ward's mail-in ballots may be a lost cause. Although this park nor the board of elections can control a mail thief, they can control early voting locations. As a former election judge, key judge and cell phone judge, I know how much location matters to get people to vote. And I can't for the life of me understand why this isn't still one of the voting locations. It was easy to get to; roomy; has a dog park and an Amazon locker pickup; is in a spacious and family-friendly area; and even has been a place for day campers. I saw a field full of school desks and tables, so I'm guessing they were having summer school or some kind of very studious summer game. White (Willye B.) Park does not compare to this location. My ballot got lost in the mail (or the mail thief is at it again), so I have to return there for early voting. But I really wish THIS location was open again. It's even close to major grocery stores (Jewel) and convenience stores (Walgreens). I cannot think of a more convenient location to vote! Bring early voting back here again. I miss it.

Pottawattomie Park had been home to Puss on the Horizon for the last five years. While most would…read morescoff at the idea of giving up valuable after work time to play gay kickball, we took on the challenge. Sure, we came in dead last for the first three years but look at us now! We're solid and in the middle of the pack, losing the first round of championships. I've never been more happy.

Only wish the pool hours were extended in the summer. This public pool is free and offers a less…read morecrowded option for families and individuals alike. The park itself is gorgeous and has a softball field for sports leagues and offers plenty of space for sunbathing and other games. Highly recommend the area as it's safe and beautiful.

I have lived in the area for a few years and I always wanted to love this pool but every experience…read morefell short. This morning was very different! The lifeguards are a lot better this year. They opened the pool on time for adult lap swim and they were very friendly. I hope this continues the rest of the summer. The lifeguards last summer were terrible.

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!

Beautiful little park with the original mansion & a couple of coach houses - one is used as a…read morerestaurant... Great playground for the kids...all of this right on the Lake.

I absolutely love it here. A tiny neighborhood park on Lake Michigan where the neighborhood comes…read moreto walk Rover, take the kiddos for a romp, or just feel a breezy gust here and there. It's in Edgewater, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Chicago: There is community here, different cultures live here,it's on the lake, college students (it's next to Loyola) , and really like it because it away from the congestion of downtown. When in Chicago for a minute, I come here for morning exercises and late afternoon too if the weather is comfortable (48 and above lol) and can easily find a nook secluded from everyone else. Though compact, you can also experience a play, a full service restaurant, a playground, and rocks to sit on, look out into the water...and contemplate a life full of miracles.

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.

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).