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    Lake Shore Park

    4.3 (26 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 11:00 pm

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    Thomas G.

    I'm highly intrigued by the amount of peace that I encounter at Lake Shore Park, and wish many more parks throughout our city were like it. I view Lake Shore Park as my gateway to the Lakefront path from Chicago's West-side via Chicago Ave. I take it as a pit stop for water, plus to do a quick upper body workout on the dip and pull up bars on-the-go which pumps me up prior to entering the Lakefront path while on my bike. There are always healthy activities going on at Lake Shore Park, such as runners & walkers on the running track; tennis players; residents playing with their dogs; residents playing flag football, softball, or even those that choose to sit on the bench and read a book or chat on their phone. I get the feeling that many use it to escape from reality during their lunch break also because you'll see a select few still wearing work uniforms also. As someone that loves to see the sunrise and sunset, I would imagine that the best times to visit this park would be in the morning, and late evening hours, so that you can get that extra sense of peace w/ the outer beauty that comes with a sunset and sunrise. Thomas Gouard

    If you ask me what you mean to me, the brightness of my eyes have all the answers. My fave person!
    Patricia J.

    Fieldhouse Hours: Sa-Su: 9:00 AM-9:00 PM, Mo-Fr: 8:00 AM-11:00 PM ) (CLOSED ON MAJOR HOLIDAYS) Park Hours: 6:00 AM-11:00 PM Park Supervisor: Michael Mucci Park Phone: (312) 742-7891 Located in the Near North Community Area also known as Streeterville. Lake Shore Park has a total of almost 6 acres of pretty greenery along with amenities that include extensive outdoor recreational fun times. It has tennis courts, a quarter mile soft surface running track, softball diamonds and a playground. My husband and I are looking forward to coming back and checking out the Field House, it has a coffee or tea shop inside based we could see on the outside. There was one metal patio table and 2metal patio chairs outside right to the entrance of the door. We played catch with outer football underneath the beautiful large trees that are on the right side of the field house. There was this great delicious aroma of flowers that I caught a whiff of as the Lake Michigan breeze blew our way. Then I started looking around and saw some pretty white blooming flowers on some bushes that adorned the side of the Field House and it was so pretty! Also we saw a stand of food with two big rainbow umbrellas giving it shade. We did not check it out as we did not carry our cash with us. Hopefully next time we can stop by and see what they sell. According to the info I read online, this park has a center (which is closed today due to Memorial Day, Inside it offers a full-size gymnasium, a fitness center and meeting rooms available for rent. Many of these spaces are available for rental. Park-goers can play seasonal sports at the facility. After school programs are offered throughout the school year, and in the summer youth attend the Park District's popular six-week day camp. In addition to programs, Lake Shore Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the whole family, such as Movies and concerts. ONE REALY COOL THING I FOUND OUT TODAY IS: Can you believe Lake Shore Park sits atop what were originally the sand dunes of Lake Michigan? History Lake Shore Park was planned for years before development beganby the Lincoln Park Commission just before 1900. The Lincoln Park Commission was one of three Chicago park boards created by the Illinois state legislature in 1869. Twenty years later, the legislature gave a section of accumulating duneland north of Chicago Avenue to the park commission. The City of Chicago challenged the commission's ownership, but the matter was resolved in the commission's favor in 1895. Shortly thereafter, plans were drawn for what was initially known as Chicago Avenue Park. In 1897, the commission began stabilizing and expanding the site with landfill, a process that would continue for many years. Landscape improvements began in 1900. In 1907, the Lincoln Park Commission agreed to expand the park by improving city land just west of the park. At the time, the Lincoln Park Commission was a leader in a national movement toward neighborhood parks. The commission's efforts included Seward and Stanton parks, developed during the same period. In 1908, the commission officially named the expanded property Lake Shore Playground, in recognition of its location. A shelter house was erected, and outdoor recreational facilities installed. By 1915, the city had reclaimed its land, transferring it to the State of Illinois for an armory. The commission completely redesigned the remaining parkland in the following years. Demolishing the original shelter house, the commission constructed a new brick fieldhouse. The 1916 fieldhouse sat at the east end of the park, facing Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan. A running track, baseball diamond, and tennis courts stretched to the west. The Chicago Park District took control of Lake Shore Park in 1934, when the 22 city park districts were consolidated into a single unified district. In 1963, the park district dismantled the 1916 structure and built yet another fieldhouse on the park's eastern border. The armory to the west was demolished in the 1990s, and Lake Shore Park is now bordered by the stepped terraces of the new Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by Josef Paul Kleihues.

    Norm J.

    Lake Shore Park is a great place for both humans and dogs to get some exercise in the city. However, I wouldn't really call this place a park...it's more of a tennis court, outdoor track and dog playground rolled into one. There are two tennis courts, which are well kept and well lit at night. The track is great place to run or walk without having to dodge tourist, cars or bicyclist. It also surrounds the tennis court and dog area, which is pretty cool because you get to see some cute (and not so cute) dogs as you make your way around the track.

    Lake Shore Park
    Daniel K.

    Very nice little park just off the lake. Running track is well maintained and good green space for kids to run around in. Also, has a fenced in playlot that is targeted towards kids under 6. The playlot is well maintained and sits on top of wood chips. Great location across the street from Prentice. If you need to spend a few days at Prentice, the running track is a perfect place to slip out to work up a sweat.

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    Beautiful park district filled with an amazing organized staff. Best value and quality experience for all campers!

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    Review Highlights - Lake Shore Park

    On Tuesdays you can hear the outdoor music at the Museum of Modern Art while running around the track.

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    Millennium Park - The famous Bean

    Millennium Park

    (1.5k reviews)

    The Loop

    The wife and I visited "The Bean" and the surrounding area for a bit…read more The mirrored bean is cool and drew a hefty crowd on this Saturday afternoon. It is pretty massive and iconic for this city. I captured some fun "funhouse" type reflection images of us in it. This area with the river makes for a nice walk and visual architecture splendor on full display. There were some huge mural water fountain art displays nearby. During the summertime water runs vertically down them.

    My friend and I were recently traveling to Chicago, and we stayed along Michigan Avenue. We didn't…read morerealize until arriving that it was so close to Millennium Park, which we spent part of one afternoon exploring. Like every other tourist, we took photo after photo at Cloud Gate, also known as "The Bean." We wandered through the rest of the Millennium Park Campus and found the entire area to be quite delightful. It was hard to believe that only yards away were busy streets and hotels and buildings. I was impressed with the level of security in place at each of the two park entrances. There are metal detectors in place and bag searches for a variety of prohibited items from weapons, explosives, fireworks, and open flames to noise makers, narcotics, drugs, and animals (other than service animals). The lines moved quite quickly. The officers were friendly but clearly focused on keeping everyone entering the park safe. Millennium Park is a world leader of art and architecture in a public, outdoor, urban setting. The Millennium Park Campus includes the Lurie Garden, the Chicago Cultural Center, Maggie Daley Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Harris Theater. The Lurie Garden is the Millennium Park's 'secret garden'. This naturalistic garden is a place of rest and renewal for humans and wildlife alike. There are also many events from summer workouts, summer music series, and summer film series to a variety of different festivals. The Millennium Park is open daily from 6 AM to 11 PM, and there is no cost for admission. The Welcome Center is open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily. The Lurie Garden will be closed through early July though. There is nearby parking in the Grant Park Garages (North & South) and the Millennium Park and Millennium Lakeside Garage. You can pay in person at each garage or pre-pay online. You can also take the CTA to Millennium Park where $5 will cover your entire trip. You can learn more about the Millennium Park at https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park.html. If you're in Chicago, you need to visit the Millennium Park!

    Palmisano Park - Palmisano Park@Night (6pm) BridgePort Cool Place for Relax/Meditation/Walk/Jogging/Exercise/fishing! Middle of the City! Nice!

    Palmisano Park

    (47 reviews)

    Bridgeport

    Underrated and beautiful. It's got a fantastic view of the city skyline and there's a whole…read moreindustrial vibe going on but I don't mind it. It's serene and if it wasn't so warm I'd go to it more often. It's good for a long walk but there's no trees along that walk so I'll be frequenting more in the fall va the summer.

    Check out this incredible transformation of a quarry into a park in Bridgeport. In between it was a…read morelandfill. Palmisano Park has went through a lot of changes to be sure. A lot of nature of course. There's trails and an interpretive wetlands among the many things to come across while going through. Best to know about the transformation before going. It used to be the Stearns Quarry. The city purchased it in 2008, cleaned it up, and opened it the next year. Has lots of nature to see and more to do. There's more than a mile of paths, including recycled timber boardwalks, and walkways. At first this was the site of a coral reef if you can believe it. Limestone was formed, and there's been fossils discovered here that are now in the Field Museum. In the 1830s it became a quarry, and operated until 1970 when it became a landfill. There's a fishing pond that still has the old quarry walls. After opening this park there was cause for celebration. The community before this had a lack of green space. Have to go here if you like parks that have been restored from abandoned areas. It's quite impressive. There's all kinds of plants and wildlife.

    Maggie Daley Park - Chicago Park District - I got stuck up there, fire dot not needed

    Maggie Daley Park - Chicago Park District

    (235 reviews)

    The Loop

    We met friends with their kids at the Maggie Daley Park area of Chicago's Millennium Park before a…read moreday of shopping (Feb 2026). It's a bit of a walk in, and the path from the southwest corner of the park at Columbus & Monroe is longer but less-steep than the winding path uphill from the southeast corner at Lakeshore & Monroe. You get some lovely views of downtown Chicago. We continued past the (seasonal, of course) ice-skating ribbon, because we were not prepared to skate. There are several play areas of swings, slides, and climbing structures, some intended for (and with signs to indicate) specific age ranges. The giant slides and towers, and the ship-shaped climber, were very popular. Busy, but not over-crowded. It was quite entertaining, and we played there over 1.5 hours!

    It was a random 60-degree day in late March here in Chicago. I personally have been wanting to…read morecheck out "Maggie Daley Park" in downtown. With that thought, let the exploration begin! Of course we took our kids along because they would be the ones who could take full advantage of the facilities. The park itself was quite large, but we went for the kids playground. Signs were clearly marked for direction so we got to our destination with no difficulties. Our boys definitely enjoyed the suspension bridge, though my younger one was hesitant to go on first. I did see some older kids who were climbing "outside of the bridge infrastructure. There was a note to remind anyone not to do so. Oh well, it is what it is. Even if some accidentally fell when doing risky tricks, the soft padded ground would reduce the impact. On the other hand, there was one section of playground exclusively for children older than 5 years old. The slide seemed to be more advanced for young toddlers for sure. Therefore, we performed our sightseeing duty and walked away since our munchkins were 2.5 and 4.5 years old. Our older one enjoyed the straight slides. I liked that fact there were multiple slides with various speeds so that kids would not get bored on staying on the same one. Normally I wouldn't recommend anyone to drive to downtown but we did this time. My partner was able to secure a spot via SpotHero at the Harris Theater for a reasonable price. I got there much later than our scheduled arrival time yet he was able to extend for another 30 minutes in the app. Overall, we highly recommend parents to visit "Maggie Daley Park" and let the kids release some energy. We probably will be back again to poke around other areas when spring and summer in Chicago are in full bloom.

    Garfield Park Conservatory

    Garfield Park Conservatory

    (829 reviews)

    East Garfield Park

    Yes, yes, yes! A must visit!! This place has been on my list for years to come visit and I finally…read morewas like let's gooooo!! Came on a nice spring day around 2 pm. The most annoying part was the line to get in. They have qr code to pre-pay in line. But not all guests choose to do this which slows down the line. They only had one staff scanning people in. Beautiful flowers and plants. We saw the turtles as well. Plan to spend about an hour here. There are some people that stop and take too many pictures to block walkways for other guests. Parking was free. Also located right on the green line for convenient public transportation option.

    Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous conservatory! Once you step inside, it does not even feel like you're…read morein the city. The plants are lush and vibrant (except when they are not physiologically mean to be so) and some rooms even have turtles and fish. The signs next to each variety of plant do a good job of explaining what it is, where it is typically found, and how it was brought to the conservatory. One can spend hours just wandering and walking from one room to the other. My favourite is the desert room, which has multiple varieties of cacti. This is definitely a great place to bring kids, but it is important to make sure they don't touch the plants unless specifically permitted to do so. The gift shop is fantastic, with seeds, cuttings, and fun souvenirs. The staff at the conservatory are very friendly. Despite visiting during spring break, the conservatory was not particularly crowded, and I plan to return in the winter. Finally, the conservatory is relatively accessible by public transport, but there is parking available nearby (I don't think they have a specific lot, but I could be wrong). Overall, highly recommend a visit.

    Earl J Field Memorial Playground

    Earl J Field Memorial Playground

    (9 reviews)

    We stopped here whilst waiting for our pizza order to be done. It was just alright; I was rather…read moredisappointed. There are two sections to the park, with the big rocket being the centerpiece. It's huge, multiple levels. There are at least three slides coming out from it. Lots of places for kids to climb and scurry and jump. But that part was too big for my kiddo so we went to the smaller section a few steps away. There was a structure to climb, several slides, some bars, and then even a little further away a bunch of swings. I tried to keep her from seeing the swings, to be honest, since I didn't want to have to deal with an upset kiddo when we had to leave without enough swing time. She played around a bit but didn't seem as interested in the playground. We went down a slide or two, but some of them had standing water since it has been a bit rainy recently. The playground isn't technically fenced in, but it is effectively so because it's behind the practice courts which are all fenced in. It'd be hard for your kid to get away from you. There's a parking lot for the Norridge Park District building but the neighborhood parking could be tricky, especially in the summer because there is restricted parking from Memorial Day to Labor Day (ostensibly because of the large pool structure that would keep the residents from having any parking for three months otherwise). The terrain of the park is wood chips and soil, decidedly not my favorite (maybe especially after a rain) and she got dirty pretty quick. I may bring her back when she's old enough to play on the rocket ship, but this won't be a park that we return to much if ever.

    Very very nice huge playground in the woods. The air is clean, the people are nice... I wish we…read morelived closer :))) it has actually 3 playgrounds near to each orher

    Lake Shore Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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