If you're looking for more indoor fun this winter this review is specifically for the treehouse. I…read morewas a bit worried about the crowd factor on a chilly Saturday morning but my twosome had the company of only q few other kids. At first look my daughter said "this is amazing!" And I thought "nice! $3 (per child) well spent." Main attractions for my children included a little playhouse (where they probably spent most of their time) and of course a huge ball pit. They technically don't allow kids under 3 in the ball pit but since there weren't many kids around didn't seem to mind my 2 yr old was there. Then again I understand the age requirement because having to recuse him from the balls over and over again proved to be annoying. Be sure to check their website* for their hours but they are typically open: Mon/Wed/Fri: 9:15-11am Tues/Thurs: 3-5pm Sat: 10am-12pm It's also a very popular and affordable spot for BDAY parties. * http://www.deerfieldparks.org/parks-facilities/jewett-park-community-center/tree-house/

We travel for play parks. For reals, people! Parks can get boring after a while. The same park over…read moreand over and over again. So when a friend put together a play date here, I cried out "Sign me up!" And boy we were not disappointed. The park actually has several sections to it -- two toddler/infant playgrounds that were gated. (We didn't spend any time here so I can't comment.) It has a baseball field and then the big playground, which is where we spent time. As a mom, I appreciated the picnic benches in the shade as well as clean (yes CLEAN) bathrooms. The playground was impressive. There were a huge merry-go-round with ropes you could climb up as well. It was pretty freaking cool! And you don't see those things that often anymore. Which makes me sad and makes me old all at the same time. But the killer was the slide/fort monstrosity that any kid would go ape over. You just gotta check out the photo for yourself. There are two incredibly long curly cue slides. My kids could have run up and slid down all day. But then the structure is made like a fort with a full deck at the top. And it's covered so no one gets sunburned. Kids banded together and before I knew it, there were about ten boys playing pirates. I felt like I was watching a rendition of Lord of the Flies but thankfully everyone survived. This park is worth a little drive to wear out the kids!

This is one of my dog, Reilly's favorite places to Go ,…read morebeside The Beach.. great area , well kept and many friendly dogs and owners.. however, if it rains hard, there are many muddy spots for her to Get muddy..We also Like Independence in Libertyville & Waconda ( the best) Reilly gives them a 4 bark approval

Great place to take your dog as long as it gets along with other dogs! Permit is required. No…read moremonitors, so if your dog gets "bothered" by other dogs, you need to manage their interaction. Park cops show up occasionally to check permits, etc.

Great place to walk the dog or do work on my laptop…read more It is usually uncrowded and has vast amounts of parking. There is a shelter with picnic tables that are available during the summer months. There are open field area for your dog to run.there are a large number of trails and pathways for you to walk. And the area is quite cool during the summer because of the large number of trees that you can walk beneath. Much of the scrub brush and groundcover has been cleared by conservationists who volunteer regularly to clean up the park.

Prairies are not for everyone. They offer a glimpse into a different world - one where a variety…read moreof native plants bloom in continuous waves from May through September, grasses grow as high as your head, and hundreds of birds, insects, herps, and other critters thrive. The Somme Prairie was just named one of the 2014 Chicago Wilderness Conservation Award winners: http://www.chicagowilderness.org/what-we-do/restoring-nature-to-health/awardrecipients/ Maybe that's what some people think of as overgrown. Others think of it as nature.

Perfect afternoon for a stroll--lots of doggos--the rocket ship playground full of activity. The…read moreTot Lot was deserted--it seemed a little drab--not sure why there isn't bright colors for the little ones.

very good experience for people who like nature for the lovers for young kids just go outside and…read morebe a kid in your heart the site is fine but dangerous in the good way

I stopped by in the afternoon and was surprised to see a lot of the brush had been cleared away for…read morea much better view of the lake. There were more people here (it must be spring) and I saw that the restrooms had been rebuilt (burnt down in fall) and didn't have that horrible smell. There are now permit parking regulations in place around Fort Sheridan residences so beware parking there if the lot is full.

The ground and beach is beautiful!…read more Good luck getting to find sea glass, which is what we were excited about. The beach closes at dark and they have an unprofessional park ranger who comes around and scream at you. They allow the people who live there though to continue to be at the beach, so just keep that in mind. Non friendly attitudes around the grounds. It's odd when you were raised in the south. All and all it's pretty. If you are looking for a sunset photo, go else where or they'll threaten to arrest you.

It's and alright place to visit not at the entrance it's does state you need a licenseread more

Not a great place to spend time with your dog. There is no shade in the entire park, it's very hot…read morefor the dogs in summer. Small dog area has no access to water and is like sitting in someone's small unshaded backyard. Rules are never enforced and passes are never checked. Very few owners engage with their dogs, or even supervise them. There have been several incidents of people AND dogs being hurt by unsupervised, untrained dogs, including two incidents where paramedics had to be called. Not recommended, especially for smaller dogs.

Moraine Park is one of the recreational parks in Highland Park, recently half-heartedly made into a…read moresculpture park. At the top, you have a wide open grassy area, which would ideally be perfect for letting your dog off-leash... if they were to fence it. Descending the stairs to the beach, you reach a fenced-in area for dogs to enjoy the lake. It's pretty chilly on blustery days, but the dogs love it, and it's a great place to meet other pet owners. You do need a permit to be there, however, and the details about that are posted on the website.

Bow wow. This is a pretty cool dog park and dog beach. I…read moresuppose they like having a place of their own to be with their own kind. of course none of them speak English so well never know for sure. But the fidos have liberty and space to romp around and play all over the joint. If your dog is aggressive or violent you shouldn't take him or her or if you do leave it leashed. Duh. My dog isn't aggressive really but acts like a spaz. He'a also the size of a hamster so I always leave him leashed because I'm not a stupid head. Make sure you clean up after your furry friends. And have fun. One of the best parts is seeing all the different kinds o breeds ad mutts. A lot look like Muppets. One of George's friends, who is also a dog like him, rides a skateboard. There's a couple who like swimming. G is always the social butterfly-Mr. Popularity. And no party like a. Puppy Party. Bow wow!

There was a family event here so we decided to come check the place out. Even though my kiddo is…read moreonly two, she liked seeing some of the stuff they had on exhibit and they also had coloring pages and whatnot. We got here near the tail end of the event, so we didn't spend much time inside and went walking along the little trail where they had signs up with information about turkeys spread out through a little loop around the woods. It's a lovely preserve, and I'll bet it's particularly beautiful in the spring and summer. The building is small but sufficient to have some programs and there are bathrooms here. There are a few outbuildings as well; I'm not sure if there are programs there too or not. There's a good deal of parking here. Keep an eye on their calendar to have an excuse to come out, or just spend some time wandering the trails in peace and quiet.

This place is stunning. My neighbor told me about it and I promptly took a drive up here that…read moreafternoon just a few days after "peak" fall colors. It's amazing. I wasn't adequately prepared because it was a spur of the moment decision, so I didn't have a jacket or warm enough clothes, so I didn't stay or walk around too long. (And sadly their giftshop didn't have any sweatshirts -- I would've bought one if they had because it would've solved my problem. So, note to Ryerson: sell sweatshirts in the fall!). I've since come back here for an art exhibit (see my review on the Brushwood Center page for that info). I cannot wait to return again in the spring and definitely multiple times next fall. I want to explore it all.

My review is for the pool. Footballs being thrown all over, flying by our heads. Preteen boys…read morethrowing balls and running around in the zero depth pool. No discipline by any lifeguards. It was ridiculous! The "manager" walking around while all this is going on and nothing! Camp kids throwing each other in the pool and no counselors or lifeguards telling them to stop. I've been going here for years and it's just getting worse...so disappointed!

Brought our 2 yr old to enjoy walking around the park. It's old, dirty, and seems to attract odd…read morepeople. The whole time we were there a grown woman was swinging on a very loud squeaky swing. Seemed to be a bit off. A cute family was trying to have a little lunch on a nearby picnic table. The strange squeaker probably ruined their Sunday afternoon too. Tried a couple times, just seems like a lonely old park. Hot, no shade either.