We had our son's 5th birthday party at Fit City Kids, and it was such an amazing experience! From…read morethe moment we arrived, the staff and manager went above and beyond to make everything stress-free. They even helped us unload everything from the car and decorate. They kept the party running smoothly by making announcements over the intercom to let everyone know when it was time to eat and when we were cutting the cake. It made the whole event so organized. My son had the best birthday, and all of our family and friends told us how much fun they had. The facility was very clean, and the staff were incredibly friendly, helpful, and attentive throughout the entire party. I highly recommend Fit City Kids to anyone looking for a fun, organized, and stress-free place to host a birthday party. Thank you for making our son's special day so memorabl

We had my daughter and her friends' birthday party at Fit City Kids, and it was absolutely…read morewonderful! The facility was super clean, with something for kids of all ages to enjoy, and the staff was amazing from start to finish. A special shoutout to Aya, Saraid, and Melanie--they truly went above and beyond! They helped us set up a beautiful balloon arch, served the kids, kept everything organized, and even handled all the cleanup afterward. They made the entire party feel so easy and stress-free for us. We had such a great experience and will definitely be hosting another party at Fit City Kids! Highly recommend!

We sent our 4-year-old to this camp for the entire summer of '18 and we are pleased. There are few…read moreoptions in Chicago for a full day of summer care for kids under 5. The staff were all fantastic! There were over 200 kids at camp everyday and they knew us and our child pretty quickly. The camp is somewhat unstructured, there are not naps. There are several themed rooms the kids can choose to work/play in. If I recall correctly there was a singing/recording room, a game room, a programming room, fashion studio, cooking, and a couple others. They can also play outside. Every Friday had a dress up theme. Frequently there was a bouncy house, water apparatus, or other fun structures for the kids to play in. I think the total cost was about $2700 or $3000. Recommended!

Steve & Kate's camp is AWESOME! The camp allows the children to choose which activities that they…read morewant to engage in which, I find very creative & inspiring for children. The counselor are really cool too. They are vibrant, energetic, patient and kind. My daughter likes this camp so much that she didn't want to go anywhere else soooo, it's our 2nd consecutive year! Thank you Steve & Kate's Lakeview family, you're the BEST !!

Lillstreet Art Center is a magical place, it has a little bit of everything!…read more I've taken everything from pottery classes to jewelry workshops to textile classes here. They really have a wide selection and great time options in the evenings for those who work 9-5. 12 years later I still use the garlic grater I made in a sculpting class. Prices are expected, but reasonable for what you get. Teachers are awesome and work with you to help you learn, even if working with clay isn't your thing (I learned quickly it wasn't my thing). But it's still fun to try something new! In the heart of Ravenswood easily accessible by the el, and they do have parking if you drive. Definitely check out this gem if you haven't yet.

Too many students for one teacher Also teacher was new to…read moreteaching Had to pay more money for private lessons Private instructor was amazing

CircEsteem was once a wonderful organization and has great potential, but that is unfortunately…read morecompletely wasted now due to terrible mismanagement. The teaching staff is amazing, talented, kind and knowledgable. However, those at the top of the administration have demonstrated a complete disregard for the working conditions of the entire staff, and pay themselves a very generous salary but constantly ask their employees to make sacrifices. As a result, the staff is constantly overworked, underpaid and underappreciated for their dedication. The turn-over rate of employees over the past several years has grown incredibly high and is a clear indication of the lack of professionalism and respect shown by upper management. Directors have frequently disregarded safety standards and repeatedly ignored the very reasonable concerns brought forward by staff and students. They also actively discourage whistleblowers from raising awareness on safety issues. This naturally creates a dangerous environment for students. For an organization who's core mission statement is to build self-Esteem, they do an incredible job of destroying the esteem of staff, and blatantly demand silence and compliance, and aggressively bully employees rather than making any effort to find understanding or compromise. This type of upper management class division, discrimination and subjugation has happened before with other nonprofit organizations, which inevitably resulted in strikes and petitions that were widely reported on the news. It is a shame that they would choose to risk this and strongarm employees into submission and lay off those who try to stand up for their rights, rather than have civil discourse. When more than half of the staff is extremely unhappy, and those that attempt to raise awareness of any concerns are fired or pushed out, that is a problem that requires consideration on how to restructure and they have taken zero steps to do so and have shown no accountability. I strongly encourage CircEsteem teachers to strike and unionize as soon as possible, or this trend of exploitation will only continue to worsen. The Executive Director also needs to resign, as it is blatantly evident that he is not qualified for the position and is clearly not upholding CircEsteem's mission of mutual respect, humility, patience, love and self-reflection. Bottomline - do not work for CircEsteem, and consider other options for circus arts.

I gave my daughter several options for her 10th birthday party venues and luckily she chose…read moreCircEsteem. I have to say that they certainly made a bunch of kids, and especially my daughter / hero, very happy. The CircEsteem staff totally rocked, from Scott's quick and continued communication leading up to the event to the engaged, happy, and involved staff during the event, and kind communication afterwards to ensure our happiness. Everyone was upbeat, fun, helpful, and excellent. We knew it would be good when one of the kids walked in, looked around and said, "I can tell this is going to be a great party!" She was right. I also have to give a shout out to the face painter and balloon guy. They were tremendous! I've never seen a balloon artist that talented. And one of the kids said re the face painter: "she's a professional make-up artist! Well it's all downhill for me from now on." I wish I were more fluent in 10-year-old, but clearly she somehow meant that as an "epic" compliment. It was great getting the kids together to actually learn some new fun skills, be active, and have fun, even while wearing masks. Where else can kids get on a trapeze, aerial silks, walk on stilts, and act like a clown, all while getting their faces painted and having incredible whimsical balloons twisted for them? I could go on and on about how excellent this was, but let's just say that it was certainly a party that my daughter and her friends will remember. Thanks CircEsteem!!

I had my son's 5th birthday party and we all had an excellent time!! The planning process was…read moreincredibly easy and Laura was great to work with! She incorporated all of my son's request and he had the party that he wanted! Chef Laura was great with the kids! We had a large variety of ages and they all were attentive to her through the party. She demonstrated multiple techniques and clearly answered all the kids' questions. Finally, the food was delicious. She made a little extra for the adults and the fresh quesadillas and freshly squeezed juice were a big hit. If your child wants a cooking class party, this is the place to have it!

This was terrific! Had our 6 year old's birthday party here. First they went over some rules and…read morestarted the pizza dough. Then they decorated their aprons, mixed cupcake batter, prepped the pizza dough and put on toppings. Finally they made the cupcake icing and decorated them and ate everything! Well run and the kids had a great time.

Also the most expensive camp among dozens of other great options in Chicago. Communication was…read moresloppy and programming disorganized. Did not appear the staff had much training. We obviously will not be back and I cannot recommend Freda to friends.

We've sent out two older kids to Fred's for two summers now, and next year we're excited that the…read morelittle one will be old enough to join them. Every day, the kids were so excited to get to camp, they repeatedly validated our decision to choose Fred's. We couldn't be happier. They simply do everything right.

Steve & Kate's Camp in Lincoln Park is absolutely fantastic! From the moment we arrived, the staff…read moremade our family feel welcomed and supported. The team is energetic, attentive, and truly passionate about creating a positive environment for every child. The activities are creative, engaging, and designed to encourage independence, imagination, and confidence. Our child came home happy every day, excited to share new experiences and friendships -- a true sign of a program that knows how to make learning and play meaningful and fun. What we appreciate most is the balance of structure and freedom. Kids get the flexibility to choose activities they love, while still being guided by caring staff who keep everything safe and organized. Communication with parents is excellent, and the facility is clean, secure, and thoughtfully set up to support a variety of interests -- from sports and games to arts and hands-on projects. We highly recommend Steve & Kate's Camp to families looking for a joyful, enriching, and well-run camp experience in Lincoln Park.

My kids had an ok day at the Audubon Location. When I came to pick them up, it took in excess of 20…read moreminutes and 5 people to locate their epipens. this camp says it's allergy friendly but - I shudder to think what would've happened in a life or death situation. I spoke to the manager and she told me there were 300+ kids and that the hadn't anticipated so many meds. I don't feel remotely safe about leaving kids with allergies at this camp. they lacked a single point of contact for emergencies and said "everyone is trained". most camps we've attended have a single person responsible for safety one even had a paramedic. I do not recommend this location if you're managing health conditions.

Booked my daughter's birthday bash there and I paid for a private party, there was no open play or…read moreanything during those 2 hours. And we got robbed. Somebody came in and stole from the pockets where we were told to hang our coats. There was no footage on the camera (still don't get why!!), apparently no one in the lobby and the door was not locked. Nobody called to apologize after that, to help in any way or to take any responsibility for anything that was stolen from a private event that should have had the doors closed. An expensive wallet, cash, debit and credit cards, ids,... Bad taste in my mouth, that's all. Will not step foot in that place again.

Our first time here was to attend a birthday party. The activities were creative, colorful, and…read morefun. The staff was kind and silly but also in control. We had a great time. Months later, I got a marketing email about Spring Break "camp." We needed help when my preschool daughter did not have school so we sent her to camp for two days. She really enjoyed the projects that they did, brought activities home, and was very excited to go back. I am glad to know that Kids Science Labs are a great option for childcare as well. I highly recommend Kids Science Labs!

Emily from Kidcreate Studio came out to our party room for my daughter's birthday and it was…read moreamazing! We picked out a painting that my daughter would like beforehand and Emily brought all the materials. She was so patient with the kids (ages 7-8 with some 4-5) and all the kids enjoyed the activity. It lasted an hour and it was a well spent hour. We will definitely recommend them to all our friends!

My daughters (3 and 6) had so much fun taking the Glow Art class at Kidcreate. Lindsey and Allison…read morehad them engaged the whole class, creating their art and then working on other projects, like shaving cream painting and making books with oil pastels. The space is so bright and cheery. They loved seeing the clay art projects that had been completed, so we will definitely be back! Can't wait to try out some of the camp offerings.

I have been going to the Lakeview Y off and on for almost 40 years. It has been dramatically…read moreupdated during those decades, and is now well positioned to compete with much more expensive chain "health clubs" (and extra bonus--some of the money actually does good, supporting the free/reduced price housing the Y provides). Really nice workout rooms--two rooms with treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, two killing lateral machines (ouch), and a whole lot more, along with a good variety of weight machines. Almost never a wait. Also a free weight room, and several class spaces. Totally well kept up (the ellipticals were all replaced within the last few months), clean (wipes everywhere), well lit, and kept at a good temperature summer and winter. Locker rooms could use some updating--too many short half-lockers, which are really too small if you have a winter coat with you. Showers are good, clean, and never full. Nice sauna. Child care on premises. My only complaint is that the pool is way too small. It is short (20 yards, not the typical 25), and only four lanes, so most times it is crowded! Not sure they can do anything about this given the physical limitations of the space. But if they could make it into a six lane 25 yard pool, I would gladly give them SIX stars.

Brand new treadmills upstairs at the YMCA! I like the layout of the Lakeview Y - lots of space and…read morenot too crowded. They have some great group fitness instructors. This YMCA also accepts nationwide, which is what I have! Only issue is parking, but there are usually some spots nearby. Nice sauna and usually empty!