After COVID the prices were unbelievably inflated and greed took over. As adults, a $20/class fee (pre-covid) is now $35/class with a monthly fee, first time sign up fee and yearly $100 for the same exact class. I could only imagine the prices of children's (clientele they actually care about) classes. Go to City Club Gymnastics or Morgan Park instead. read more

My children 7 and 8 took gymnastics classes at this facility. On Saturday Juneteenth this year the instructor told my children that white people burned black peoples in their homes. My kids came home horrified with a lot of questions, when I emailed the manager to let her know about My children told me, she sent me a very rude email instead of asking questions. I received an ignorant and unprofessional email see below. The name of the instructor FYI was Dillon in case the manager would like to know! We have moved Out of Chicago and they were still charging me hence the refund reference in the email! read more

Lakeshore Academy - Gymnastics Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Be careful with giving your credit card on file to this gym! We were there for 3 years (2 of those years my daughter was on a team) and realized the gym had increased rates without any notification. After looking back and doing the math, our rates had increased 55% over 18 months. Once the team parents realized this, we emailed but got no response. We started calling around to other gyms and found we were paying almost double for the same program at other gyms. This place only cares about money and no care for the gymnasts. Wish we had realized this sooner as we found a place that is transparent about things. read more

Rude staff who treat parents like kids, major attitude problem from staff, unprofessional will not be returning

I love this place I've gone here for camp great coaches and helped me so much so I would definitely recommend coming here for gymnastics

Lakeshore Academy is the BEST. They have programs for all ages and skill levels, from recreational to competitive. My now 8 year old daughter started recreational classes about 2 years ago, and recently joined the Xcel team program. All of the coaches and staff are fantastic. It's worth our 30+ minute drive back and forth from Evanston multiple times per week. Can't recommend Lakeshore enough! read more

Our daughter has gone here for over a year. She's done the Summer camps, classes, and now the team. She's had 4 different coaches, all of them wonderful. They've instilled a love of the sport, given her some real skill sets, and we've seen an increase in her general confidence after learning and accomplishing something new. Definitely recommend it. read more

John at the front desk helped us get my daughter signed up for 2 drop in practices this week while we are visiting from Colorado! The coaches were focused, firm and kind! They really seem to love what they do-which's shows! I highly recommend this gym! read more

Lakeshore Academy - The Gym - Gymnastics Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great bouldering gym. Very "home-like" if that makes sense. All the climbers are nice and assist each other if needed. Lots of talented climbers and variety of difficult and easy routes. I started climbing here and went for a while. They rate pretty high, as mentioned before. You will climb something that is a V0+, but is equivalent to a v2. I think this is a great way of pushing climbers to progress. If you climb often, this place has an awesome deal - $50 for a month. Totally worth it. Love this place and miss it! This is a challenging gym and you will without doubt become a better climbers by coming here. read more

Chicago doesn't offer much in terms of climbing, but this boulder gym seems to be "as good as it gets" in the city. At $7 for a day pass, it's not bad. There are a ton of routes, but they are poorly marked and intensely stacked on top of one another. This is largely because this space is so small. That being said, there are some interesting routes and problems, if a bit stiff. The main reason I'm giving it four stars is because everyone here was so cool and nice. Without the friendly vibe, this gym would drop a notch or two. Bottom Line: It's a good place to stop by and get some climbing in if you are visiting, but it would be even better to be a regular here. read more

Edited 5/6/15: This place is still awesome. Great community and the best Boulder problems in the Chicago area 2011 review: I will say first that my opinion is slightly biased because I work at The Peak. However, I wouldn't work at a gym which I didn't think was great, and The Peak is a great bouldering gym! For old climbers, new climbers and families, the Peak is a great place. The climbers are very helpful and Dave Hudson (Manager) runs one of the best climbing teams in the US; Team members consistently place at national and international level competitions. Don't expect to see some kind of fancy LA Fitness type gym. It is a bouldering gym in the basement of gymnastics facility and it could use a little cleaning up. It is a small-to-medium-sized space with a padded/carpeted floor and lots of problems for all levels. There are vertical, over-hung, slab & top out problems. Although many of the taped problems are not labeled with a grade, the people working and climbing will help you find what you're looking for. There are a lot of strong, long-time climbers here and they put up a lot of quality climbs. The number of people climbing during the day varies from a few to a lot, but there is always great energy. New holds and climbs are put up before every comp and there are resets often enough to not get bored. To me, the best part of climbing at the Peak (and climbing in general) is the energy level and how helpful everyone is. If you're new to climbing, new to the gym, or by yourself, the community will help you feel at home. read more

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Ok, so, some of the other reviews are accurate: the ventilation in this place is lacking. However, the amount of fun you'll have climbing all over the place like a child (and sometimes WITH a child) outweighs the funk. I've been here a handful of times at this point. There are a lot of familiar faces when I go and the occasional new face as well. Everyone seems to be having a good time albeit lost in thought, focusing on a problem. Even if you know next to nothing about climbing, try it out. It's totally worth it. read more

I'm leaving out a star for the obvious reason... This place needs to be cleaned up. It was nice and clean in here two weeks after it was rebuilt in 2010. Now, the carpets and surfaces are all coated with chalk. It seriously needs a ventilation / filtration built into this place. Other than that, this is hands down, the BEST place to boulder hard and strong in the city. The community in here is super tight. All other reviews that say the climbers here are a little snotty, really have no clue what's going on. Perhaps, they don't get sarcasm....? Maybe ...? Come in twice a week, regularly and you'll see what I'm talking about. One reviewer pointed out the fact that the routes are not graded. Well, if you do happen to show up days after a reset or a few weeks after, OBVIOUSLY you'll not see rated problems. Most routes are graded based on opinions from other climbers. It doesn't get graded til a fair share of people climb it. The regulars here are experienced and are ALWAYS willing to help out on climbs if you need a spot. The routes are hard, but hey, people here train hard. It's not a gym where you come in, jump on a v2 and declare yourself, The King of the World. If there's a climbing team, you KNOW for a fact climbing is taken seriously here... read more

After having climbed here for over a year, I still give it 4 stars and here's why: 1) It's a great place to meet people who are also interested in climbing. I now have a really great climbing community, thanks to the people I've met at Hidden Peak. Now, I never worry about having a climbing partner or feeling unsure about my beta. I've met so many people through this gym that I now call my friends and climb with on a regular basis. 2) The boulder problems they set are great. THere's a good variety of juggy and overhanging problems, easy and intermediate circuits, difficult problems, as well as fun traverse-y problems. 3) The grades at this gym are really consistent with with I find outside. If I'm sending V3 problems and struggling on V4 problems inside Hidden Pean, I'm definitely finding the same outside. Other gyms struggle with grading, I find. 4) People here spot you on your boulder problem way more than others. Since everything is closer together, and people working problems are more likely to fall on you, people are much better here about spotting you, which I like. 5) For a bouldering gym, it's affordable. Prices are now at $10/day or $80 for a 10 pass. It's small, it might smell a bit (it's an old place), and they have to work on their mats, but this is a good facility to visit and check out the problems here. This is a bouldering gym only, so if you're looking for roped climbing in the city, go to First Ascent in Logan Square or Brooklyn Boulders in the West Loop. read more

I finally made it back to Hidden Peak after their fairly major overhaul to the climbing area. Unfortunately, I was left with a similar impression as before, only for different reasons this time. They did manage to deal with the stench and the excessive amounts of chalk by replacing the carpets and adding several high-powered fans. I'm not convinced that the stench will stay away, though, since the fans are arranged so that they simply circulate the air rather than actually bringing in fresh air. The main problem now is that despite the fact that there are hundreds of marked routes, almost none of them are rated for their difficulty, and most seem to be geared towards very advanced climbers. This means that, as somebody who's still fairly new to climbing, (for reference, I've been climbing for about 6 months and can easily tackle 5.9s and V1s at other gyms) I had to spend a significant amount of time during my visit just trying to find routes that were an appropriate difficulty for me, and I still only ended up finding about 6. The end result is a gym that is likely perfect for experienced, advanced climbers, but for beginners and more casual climbers, there's not enough there to draw you back for more than one visit. I'll probably give it another shot in 6 months when my climbing skills have progressed, but for now I'll definitely be taking my climbing dollars elsewhere. read more

I climbed here yesterday for the first time. To give you some context I am traveling for work and went over to do some evening climbing. I am usually a v4-5 climber in the gym and v3ish outdoors in NH. There are some great problems in this gym. The biggest issue is that they are impossible to find. There is at least 4 different color pieces of tape attached to every hold, and there are NO ratings anywhere. I found about 5 of hundreds of problems actually labeled, and these problems were EXCELLENT (v2's and 3's) Very stiff, but also creative and fun. Make sure you bring your own equipment if you are traveling because the rentals here are terrible. Overall verdict: Above average problems (when you find them) and features with a sub-par atmosphere/accommodations. Climb here only if you have bouldered before or you will be completely lost. read more

A few months back I had the pleasure of attending a Bday party here. On weekends they have party rentals. The place is large, plenty of parking, very friendly staff and tons for the kids to do. My daughter had so much we decided to recently have my daughters 2nd Bday party at their Mount Prospect location. Only downfall was my daughter apparently learned how to use her muscles in more ways and climbed out of her crib for the first time that night. :) Great place for a Bday party and looking forward to signing my daughters up for some Gymnastics lessons soon. read more

My daughter is now 5 years old, and they seem to have straightened out the revolving door problem with weekend teachers. So I'm much happier with them now and would recommend for anyone whose kid needs a bit more than Little Gym. read more

Hidden Peak is awesome if you love bouldering. If you're looking for well-set boulder problems on a variety of angles and a friendly community, this is the place to go. With that said though there are some minor cons: on busy days it can get uncomfortably crowded. Be aware of your surroundings, and especially the climbers around you. Also, if you've never climbed before this place might seem a tad overwhelming (tons of climbing holds and tape everywhere that can be a bit hard to follow). read more

Sometimes crowded, a bit dingy, and hard to find. That being said, this is the only serious climbing gym in the city. The people who climb here tend to be friendly and uber-strong (compared to other gyms I've gone to in chicago). This is 95% bouldering; there are some ropes but nobody ever touches them. There are plenty of well-set problems, a nice campus and hangboard area, rings, etc. The gym opens at five on weekdays, but get there closer to six. The youth team trains in the afternoons and their sessions run past five most days. This place kind of sucks when it's overrun by 10 year olds who can boulder V10 (they are excellent climbers). I only wish it were open more hours. read more

My daughter has been wanting to do gymnastics, so we enrolled her this year. They had a class for PreK kids that overlapped so I decided to enroll my son as well. They both enjoy the activity and my daughter enjoys her coach, but hear he is one of the nicer ones...., the PreK coach is demeaning and have witnessed first hand with my son being belittled by this coach, asking him in class if he can speak or talk...and I had to have words with him about his approach and attitude when he asked me if my son was deaf or if he could hear. Which he has perfect hearing, but does have a speech delay, however, that should not impact the way this coach handles and treats my son. Before my encounter, I was talking to a group of moms about this coach and how he yelled at a girl to not come back for going to her mom for something. The other girls in the class got scared and they all had to convince their girls to go back to class last week. In fact the more of us that have begun talking about this particular coach, the more I have learned their many of their coaching staff is tough on kids, especially those who have special needs. One girl being pushed off the balance beam, she is dyspraxic, which is delayed motor skills. I've also heard many leaving this academy and heading over to IK gymnastics where many are pleased with their coaching and style. If you want a tough, strict style of teaching and don't mind if they treat your kids with such aggressive behaviors, then go for it. But don't be surprised at the way some treat your child. read more

The adult gymnastics class is very fun, and that is the sole thing I am commenting on. Being a total beginnner, as opposed to an ex-gymnast, I was interested in learning some flips, handsprings etc. but wanted to do so with some supervision. Being in my 20's I thought I may have been over the proverbial "hill" in the gymnastics realm, but it's not like I am looking to compete. I just want to learn some stuff, get a better sense of my body, balance etc. and push myself and this is a fun, low-key environment with very friendly adults of various skill levels. People are always happy to help out. Prices are reasonable, but realistically, I have nothing to compare to. My colleagues at work think I am crazy learning this stuff, but unique interests, are what make you... well... interesting. read more

We've just taken our daughter out of class at their Mt. Prospect facility after two incidents made us question their commitment to safety. #1 - they held a team tryout that was supposed to last from 5-6. They kept little girls (ages 7-8) until almost 8PM - doing split jumps on the beam and other advanced moves on an empty stomach. #2 - in the tumbling class, the coach let girls practice back handsprings with no supervision while he helped other girls do something else. My daughter had not tried a back handspring until that day (the coach knew this) but had her working with an octogon support thing. She jumped too hard, the support flew out from under her and she took the full impact on her HEAD - on a sprung floor, NOT A MAT! Five days later, she still has headaches and we're monitoring her for a concussion. read more

This is an excellent facility if you have a child with real gymnastics potential and want her to be trained in a competitive manner at the earliest possible age. Otherwise, I think that there are better avenues for recreational gymnastics. My daughter was actually recommended to try out for the competitive class--much to my surprise because she couldn't even do a cartwheel. Still, I was excited for her to experience the discipline of working with a coach as well as being part of a team. As I watched her audition through the closed circuit tv, my olympic hopes were dashed. So, I wasn't surprised when I got the rejection email. Unfortunately, about a week later her teacher informed her that she was actually selected. I was super happy, yet again, imagining that she would learn skills I never had as a klutzy kid. My glory was short-lived, however, when two days later the head coach called and left a curt message that my daughter actually had not made the team, that her teacher had been misinformed. No apology, no encouragement to keep trying. No thought to the effect this could have on a little girls psyche...not to mention her mom's! So, we won't be returning. I have to emphasize though, that the coaching program for serious gymnasts seemed excellent, and it was very entertaining, and a lot awe inspiring, to watch the kids practice. Yet, if your child does not fit into that future Olympian category there is no reason to go to this somewhat dirty and smelly facility. read more

I had my son enrolled for a year here. Not impressed. They have no program for boys to advance through. Basically, they just said my son's only option was to be in the beginners class. And repeat it. Again. And again. And again. Each session I was told the coach would work with him at a more advanced level, but that didn't happen. My son was stuck doing sommersaults with total beginners after a year. When I finally pushed on this issue, I was THEN told that if he was in the program between ages 4-6, and pulled and slated for a more advanced class, he was basically stuck where he was. I'm not sure why they don't tell you this when you sign up that there are no opportunities to move ahead here, but I guess they just wanted our money. The "coach" there also spent 30 minutes playing dodgeball with the kids. When I asked why they weren't doing gymnastics, he claimed they were working on conditioning. Whatever...he was just lazy and didn't interact with the kids. I did take my complaint about my son's lack of opportunity at Lakeshore to the owner. Who promised to follow up with me, but of course did not. If the owner doesn't care about his customers, that speaks volumes about the business. I recently looked at IK, and we are enrolling there. The facility is far nicer and cleaner than Lakeshore, and you can really see your kids doing their thing through lots of windows that run along the side of the floor. Honestly, I would avoid Lakeshore and try somewhere else. read more

The rudest most awful people I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I accidentally called the Mt Prospect location. I will not be calling the Chicago location, I have zero desire in anything these people have to offer. read more

I love this place! I don't have any kids so I can't comment on the children's classes (which is I'm sure the primary focus of interest for most people) but I take the adult classes. I have had no prior gymnastics experience beyond chucking cartwheels in my backyard, so I'm really starting from square one here. The class is formatted with about half the time as a structured cardio warm-up, stretch and tumbling pass drills. You begin with very simple things (cartwheels, roundoffs, hurdle-cartwheel/roundoff, handstands, handstands with forward rolls) and build toward more difficult passes (roundoff + back handspring + back tuck). The instructor will spot you for things you haven't trained yet and if you aren't comfortable doing something (or want to do something harder) you are free to try other passes. The second half of the class is an open gym where you can work on any apparatus (floor, trampoline, the tumbltrak, rings, bars, beam, etc). The level/intensity of instruction you receive is entirely dependent on your personality - if you want to do it alone, then you are more than welcome to, but the teacher/coach is also happy to step in and help (and offers some really great pointers). Classes are twice a week in the summer and three times a week in the fall. Prices are adjusted accordingly and quite reasonable (you get instruction, someone to spot you, and equipment that would otherwise not be easily accessible - seems like a good deal to me). The gym is also easily accessible by the 66. read more

bouldering here is pretty fun. it's attached to a gymnastics gym, so you can watch the little kids do crazy roundoff back handsprings and balance beam routines. they are so cute! the climbing gym is in the basement and is like a weird, hole-in-the-wall staircase for grown up-ish type people. it gets really busy during the week, which is has it advantages. people who have been climbing for a long time give good advice to novices. it's really fun to watch the people who are insanely experienced and can do wild moves. the disadvantage is that it's a very small spot, so it's hard to finish a route sometimes. generally, it's like a dance party of climbing. i find myself tapping my toes by myself, and i notice other people doing little hip sways, while they wait for other people to finish their routes. i usually wear a "the simpsons" t-shirt or a white tee with really bad pit and coffee stains and several holes in it. fortunately, here you do not need to dress to impress. in fact, i'd give myself a big scumbag award for dawning some pretty grody things here. anyway, the routes are good for any ages and skill level. it's cool to see kids and experts enjoy the same bouldering spot. go here, if you want to spend 10 dollars for 4 hours of unlimited fun and get strong, while you're having a blast. read more

Great place if you child is interested in competing. They do a good job of teaching them the skills necessary. They have a large boys team here - amazing to watch. Their girls are equally good. They also have a lot of children participating in their recreational competitive team - GIJO. I only wish they would: move to a larger space, this place is crowded; and offer some xtra gym time to members. read more

I had been a part of Lakeshore academy for many years. It was started as a small business and is still run as such. I believe it to be the best place for gymnastics and rock climbing and I would recommended it to anyone. read more

This place has lots of equipment, and some good teachers. My daughter was bruised in anger by one of the teachers, and she is still working there, so I don't agree with how the facility is run. So many cars were getting broken into that they FINALLY installed cameras so you can watch your car while you wait for your child. The price would be fair if they didn't have those problems. I am looking for another gym for my daughter. read more

I have climbed in NYC, Phoenix, DC suburbs, and all around Chicago and surrounding suburbs. This place is by far my favorite! I started as a beginner climbing here and got hooked. My favorite is the 12-2pm open climb $7 special. The price cannot be beat anywhere. As for difficulty, i will admit, going back to climbing after taking almost 2 years off to live in a dental school cave, is difficult. But beginner climbers can work on traversing and go off course to improve. It is a bouldering gym so you don't hook up to the harnesses or anything and it is not as tall which I like. (unless you use one of 2 short easy climbs targeted at you kids). I love it because it leaves you with independance to do what you like. Plus it is close to Blommers Chocolate factory for a post workout refuel! read more

The problems are under-rated (e.g. something labeled as a V0+ is actually more like a V2) and it's super tiny, but it is pretty awesome none the less. Everyone is friendly and they change problems often enough to keep it interesting. Over all, Hidden Peak is a fun and challenging bouldering gym and it beats driving out to the suburbs or going down state! Well . . . almost. I have a pretty big heart-on for Upper Limits in Bloomington! read more

Although the staff was friendly and approachable the gym itself I thought was terrible. It's a very cramped space - the routes are incredibly messy and difficult to make out as well and, in my opinion, it just isn't really a good 'climbing gym'. Possibly a nice place to boulder if you're already familiar with it, but not so much to a newcomer. read more

I never write reviews- but here it is, they have absolutely no customer service! My four year enrolled in gymnastics at Lakeshore on Monday nights and had a male instructor. (She had been at another club for 2 years prior). She did not like the gym or the instructor as he was loud and obnoxious and they took her down a path (out of site of parents) until they reached another room. I asked them if there had been other complaints about the instructor -- they laughed and said it was just him. I asked to switch to another instructor they said if I could find someone to switch with. I found someone willing to switch, she still would not go into the gym. I asked the manager for a refund at least for the session -- she said they could not give me a refund for that reason only a credit. I said do you understand that my daughter will not even come into the gym, she rolled her eyes. I then asked can I have my $150 back for the membership (at least that)...I would pay for the session. She left me on hold for 10 minutes came back and said the owner said absolutely not. My daughter goes to a private school here in Chicago -- I don't think I will be making any recommendations for Lakeshore and I will share the story. read more

Okay, i can't add much to what Dustin already mentioned in his review...except that, though it is primarily a bouldering gym, you are able to rope up if you want... read more

I am a very very beginning climber, but I love bouldering and I have benefited from getting started with bouldering at Hidden Peak. I struggled a lot when I climbed there, as this place is the main place I started my climbing adventure at. However, absence makes the heart grow fonder. It has been over a month since my last visit because I am taking a bouldering class elsewhere. There are many strong climbers there, so it was intimidating for me whenever I went there to climb. Nevertheless, you have to start somewhere! If you only worry about doing your best, having fun and making sure you mind everyone else's space, your experience can be positive and you can improve a lot, regardless of your level. I miss HP tremendously and I look forward to coming back very soon! read more

Just went to this place for the first time! We used the rock climbing wall and it was so rad. It's "bouldering" which I've never heard of, but it's really fun. The place is pretty low key, everyone is super friendly and helpful. The prices are really good as well. The only reason I'm rating this place a four is because it was kind of crowded from team practice (I want to be on a climbing team!!), but it was worth it. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun activity! read more

If you are a complete adult beginner to gymnastics (as in never having had the privilege to take classes as a kid) I don't recommend the adult class. I liked that there were some warm up drills in the beginning and the instructor was very nice but I just felt like there was little to no instruction on how to even begin doing moves that I'd never done before in my life. The instructor basically just demonstrated a move once and then everyone who was capable of doing it (which was the majority of the class since they all seemed to have had some prior experience with gymnastics) would just...do it. It seemed to just be an open playground for people who wanted to practice skills that they had already developed as children and didn't need much instruction. I and the other two people who didn't know what they were doing basically just practiced handstands and cartwheels with very little help from the instructor on how to improve. I guess I just wish there were more drills or actual teaching strategies to help people improve on the basic moves and be able get to more complicated moves. It would be nice if there was a class dedicated to true beginners so there could be some strategies set up to actually teach people how to do those things as adults. Instead of feeling like I'd learned some new skills I left feeling kind of sad and defeated. read more

Out of concern for others' children, be careful with this studio. There are many wonderful coaches, but sprinkled in are negligent coaches. It only takes a bad seed to make a bad crop. There is not enough oversight or management of processes and theory to maintain a professional business. The results are injuries to the students and money that is spent without results. The management needs training in customer relations as well as training in caring for their students. I made the mistake of keeping my child here too long and resulted in another unnecessary broken bone from negligence. I feel for the great coaches there, please know this is directed at the management and ownership, not all the coaches. read more