Spring Valley has a Nature Center and also features the Heritage Farm. It's really a neat place for…read morea walk as you walk through a wooded area for about 5-7 minutes and then you see the farm houses with animal barns along with a few trails to follow. Spring Valley is a refuge of about 135 acres comprised of fields, forests, marshes, brooks and streams. Some trails are wood beamed while others are rocks and grass. It's a really enjoyable place to spend a few hours by yourself, with friends and family. Parking and entrances to the park are available on both sides 1) off Schaumburg Road 2) off Plum Grove Road.

I have been going here since the 80's and it is even better than ever now. I love taking my…read moredaughter for a hike to the farm after enjoying the nature center building. It is awesome how so many aspects of Spring Valley have remained the same while wonderful upgrades and additions have been made, too! Definitely a place that we will continue to visit throughout the year!

This neighborhood pool had a lot too offer. The positives are that it is not too crowds even on the…read moreweekend, it has a locker room with showers, a concession stand, separate areas for the slide and diving board which is great because the deeper end of the main pool is not cluttered. Because these are separated there are individual lanes I. The main pool so you can swim laps if you like. Tons of life guards everywhere. I felt very safe. My only compliant is that if you do not have a pool pass daily and weekend fees are outrageous.

I learned how to swim in this pool as a child, long before it cracked and they rebuilt it... with…read morefountains and a slide?! What?! OK, I gotta go back. To get a new experience, not to recreate the old ones. What with the embarrassing pre-teen boners because my swimming instructor was really hot.

How can you not love Lake Arlington?! The lake is beautiful,…read morethe treats at the Boat House are great, and the vibe is perfect. 10/10

Lake Arlington is a man made lake in Arlington Heights. There are many things to do there. There is…read morea walking path around the lake. The park also features a playground and exercise equipment. Lake Arlington is a great place to fish, kayak, and boat in the water. In the community center building, you can buy snacks and drinks as well as rent equipment to use on the lake. Lake Arlington is a great place for year-round fun!

I'd give this place a 3.7. This place is nice to go swimming at their pool and I went with my…read morefriend and we had a great time. The pool is big and I could move around. The only thing is that the bathrooms are dirty and pool is also kind of dirty.

I'll start off by saying I do have nostalgia for this place. I have skated on the ice here since…read moreage 3. The building definitely shows it age, but it still has that local rink feel to it. ** This review is really only in regards to the ice rink part, and not the pool, gym or gymnastics facility areas as I haven't used them much at all. ** I think they've done a decent job with upkeep and it seems they still get good business from high school programs and the in house team (Renegades) . I frequent these days mostly for mens league (dad plays) and it has certainly been steady thus far. I do feel the locker rooms are a negative, as players have to carry their gear upstairs, and they do not boast a lot of space. Time to time their tends to be a smell, but hey, it's a hockey rink I suppose. At the end of the day, the place gets the job done and still holds that local charm.

This is a pretty nice community center, and there's so much that it offers Des Plaines. There's…read morewhat you might expect from a park district community center, such as a quite large fitness center. There's at least one gymnasium. I know that somewhere in the building is a pool since this is where they host their swim program. There are studio spaces. In another area of the building, connected but not in the same building, is Prairie Lakes Theatre which hosts various suburban arts organizations and other events.

Ive been going to this community center for 4 years now to play pickleball. They offer it on the…read morebasketball courts Mon., Wen., and Friday from 8:30 till 11:00. When we arrive there used to be 3 courts set up and we had to set up the other 3 as they just left the nets aside the court. They offer no balls or a place to put our rackets like other community centers do. This year we arrive indoors once it gets cold and they haven't put up any nets, 6 are available. The friendly guy at the front desk said the nets are there and you can set them up. What happened to your maintenance man and good customer serve. I asked perhaps I should get a discount for setting thing up for you. I complained to the manager last year and nothing happened. Oh did I mention that when the kids are off from school we get kicked out early. Guess seniors aren't a priority at this center.

What a great dog park! It's free, it's clean, and all of the animals are well behaved. There were…read moreno fights and everyone had a great time. They even have two separate areas. One is specifically for small dogs, but that doesn't mean they can't go into the regular park. There are picnic tables for owners to sit, but I wouldn't recommend trying to have an actual picnic on them. Dogs love to jump on the tabletops. There are also supposed to be doggy pick-up bags, but I didn't see them. I only know about them because some woman, apparently the poop police, approached me and suggested that I "clean up after [my] dog" since I didn't do it immediately as I was having a conversation with someone. Apparently she could watch my dog do its business but couldn't be bothered to notice I came prepared with a bag dispenser. You know, because I just carry around my own bags on my dog's leash as a fashion accessory. They've recently done some construction in the area for the better. There is now a very pretty paved pathway with bricks and some of them are custom ordered by people who donated to the park. It's still a work in progress and I can't wait to see all the other updates.

COMPLIMENTS goes out to the City of Wood Dale, Illinois for the White Oaks recreation dog park. The…read morepark is located at 111 South Wood Dale Road, in the wooded area. It is three acres and is divided into two different sections, a big dog yard and a small dog yard. The big dog yard is located on the South side and the small dog yard is located on the North side. Both yards are completely fenced in and enclosed. Each yard has water bowls, toys, trash cans, doggy waste bags, doggy tubes and picnic benches. The surface of each yard is cover with wood mulch and wood chips. The small dog yard even has a fake fire hydrant for the doggies to air themselves out on. Just a dogs dream. The park is maintained by the Wood Dale Park District but they ask that you be responsible and supervisor yourself. I have met many friendly and interesting people there with all different types of K9s. The park is great for Families and friends. There is no registration or fee to use the park and visitors are welcome. Many visitors and Wood Dale residents use the park. Just North of the park in an old historic cabin and a kids park. It is an ideal set-up for the Family. The park has always been clean and safe. Employees of the Park District and the Wood Dale Police make periodic visits to ensure a safe environment. Wood Dale did a great job with the White Oaks Dog Park. I gave the White Oaks Dog Park, FIVE STARS. Bring you FIVE STAR DOGS TO WHITE OAKS DOG PARK,,,, SAYS BIG DOG!!!!

Was in between Midtown and Life Time and ended up choosing lifetime…read more The facility itself is fantastic. Plenty of equipment, plenty of weights. The classes seem excellent. pickleball game here looks legit. The staff are friendly and helpful. Locker rooms are secure, fully stocked with toiletries and about as clean as you could expect. And, yes bros, older guys with no modesty walking around are here as well. The prices aren't that bad, but I did come from CA where a gym membership to a higher end club usually costs a small mortgage, a 10% ownership stake in your soul and your firstborn child. Here's the two downers for me that keep the club from being 5 star. 1) They have a dedicated work area for members. Super useful because a lot of us are coming during work hours or commute a long way to get here. However, the work area/club lounge legit sounds like a club. The lounge is also right along the hallway so there's a lot of gym bros congratulating each other on hitting the PB or ladies walking by who are totes excited about hearing Fate of Ophelia during HIT class. I get it. I'm a Swifty as well and I'm the first to admit that Taylor slays. But I ain't yelling it down the hall. Midtown has a work area/lounge and they commit to it. If you're going to add a space like this, commit. Do it right. 2) Y'all need to up the cafe game or I'll call John Taffer and Gordon Ramsay. Soggy tortilla on a wrap is sacrilege. Where's the two Italian dudes yelling "not approved" when I need them. I know I'm nitpicking. Maybe I'm unfair. After all, it is a gym. But if you're positioning yourself as not just a fitness club but an experience, commit to it. don't half a$% something. Whole a$% it.

Lifetime Fitness is creme de la creme of gyms. It doesnt even really seem like you are at a gym but…read moremore like a resort. They really stand by their mission statement in providing the most entertaining, educational, friendly and inviting experiences of uncompromising quality that empower everyone to live a healthy and happy life.You can really see that every employee is highly motivated to be there. Love your life as they say

First time visiting the first Forest Preserve in DuPage County. Nice picnic area and two parking…read morelots. Trails are paved and most flat for easygoing walk or bike ride in the woods.

York Woods is a nice little escape from all the busy streets that surround it…read more It's in a little hidden area just west of York Road. In fact, right across the road you'll find an entrance to the I88 toll road. Once you enter the parking lot, there is a large grassy area with several picnic tables. To the right, you'll see the underpass for the bike path. If you're looking for a short walk, you can just walk around the open grassy area. The path circles around it. It's a nice little picnic area if you want to stop for a quick lunch break or just sit and relax. On the left side of the circle path, there is a large covered pavilion with picnic tables. On my recent trip, I saw about a dozen deer! The restrooms are next to the pavilion. They are fancy port-a-potties that do not flush and kept quite clean. Near the entrance to the wooded part of Salt Creek trail, there is a stand that has information about when York Woods was first acquired. Here's a quick blurb from it incase you can't read the sign in my photo. "York Woods, DuPage County's first forest preserve. The 1917 purchase marked the start of efforts to protect land for the "pleasure and recreation" of county residents. And the county bought it to build a road." This is a really nice park. Although, I prefer some of the other parks along the Salt Creek Trail simply because they are actually on the creek.