Big park located in the North Park area. Gompers Park is one of the bigger ones around here. It has…read moreathletic facilities and fields as well as natural wetlands. For sure has a lot to do and see in it. There's many youth leagues and programs among other things. A really big park with a lot of area to cover. It's more than 42 acres and it's on both sides of Foster Avenue west of Pulaski. This has long history of how it came to be and what it is today. First it used to be farmland. In 1926 it was transformed into parkland. Additions were soon to be added. These included a natural stream dammed to create lagoons. Also there were basketball courts and football fields. Later WPA funding was used to restore the wetlands. It was named after the founder and first president of the American Federation Of Labor. There's a statue of him at Foster and Pulaski. For certain it's a good way to admire the natural beauty of the area. It's located along the North Branch of the Chicago River. This also has a swimming pool that's popular in summer, but if wanting to see more authentic bodies of water, go for a walk around the wetlands.

Nice trail from nw side Chicago towards lake. Stopped short because of encampments and messes…read more Don't go past Lawrence

This is a peaceful area close to the Morton Grove Metra Station. I've come here during lunch and…read moreI've seen deer here sometimes, but mostly it's just people in their cars. It's beautiful in the fall with the colorful leaves, but I've never ventured out into the woods. Stop here for a little forest bathing, there's plenty of room, and its so green.

Came here for a birthday party for my friends' son last summer. It's a great area, and they had…read morereserved a pavilion so we had a lot of space. The pavilions also seem to be spaced out enough that you're not right on top of another group. My one complaint was parking: there was a verrrrrry large group a few pavilions down, and because there was so many people their parking spilled into the space for our pavilion, so we had to park a ways down. I get that it's all open parking, so not really anyone's fault, but it was pretty hard to find parking. The pavilions are good size, and had plenty of table space and seating (plus room for some games). There was also plenty of 'lawn space' around for people that wanted to be out in the sun. Porta potties were the only bathrooms I saw, and depending on which pavilion you were at it could be bit of a hike to them. Overall, not a bad place to have a larger gathering.

It's been a little while since I was here with the kiddos, but our recent visit here along with…read morecomparative visits to numerous other parks in the area over the past couple of summers allows me to conclude that Flick Park has the best playground in the Glenview and surrounding area. They have a lot of fun things for the kids here and there is nice tree cover and nearby convenient parking to boot. This park also includes a huge and extensive swimming pool facility but that is worthy of its own review on its own separate and existing Yelp site.

Large park with a great playground, a sledding hill, water park and pickleball courts as well as a…read morepond for fishing. My granddaughter loves to come here when she visits.

Centennial Park is part of the larger Park District compound (Centennial Fitness Center, Centennial…read moreActivity Center, and a swimming pool). The park is a nice one with soft rubber flooring. There are swings, which is about as far as we got since my daughter is a fan, but they also had some big playground equipment for older kids. Not sure if there's anything for the smaller children besides the swings. If I had a suggestion to make, it would be that there be a fence around the playground as there is in Chicago parks. Just an added level of safety for the little ones, since the road isn't super far away and of course there's a parking lot and if you have a runner, they can get away from you quickly.

Today it rained and lightning so unless you have a season pass you are asked to leave and once you…read morepass a certain point you can't make re entry if the weather clears up. Nice pool usually always get a seat poolside

Ladd is my fave running spot in Evanston. Beautiful scenery, quiet, clean, visible mile…read moremarkers...everything I ask for in a trail. There is free parking in a lot located at the corner of McCormick & Bridge St. Don't forget to check out the Evanston Ecology Center, located inside Ladd Arboretum. If you have never had the chance to take a peek inside this little hidden gem, you should. From the EEC website... "The Evanston Ecology Center, a facility operated by the City of Evanston, was built on the grounds of the Ladd Arboretum in 1974 and serves as a focal point for environmental education and volunteerism in the community. The Ecology Center's mission is to offer educational programs to the local community that will foster a greater appreciation, awareness and knowledge of the environment. The offerings of the Center range from introductory natural history classes, covering areas such as plant identification and animal study, to popular summer camps that engage kids in environmentally focused activities."

This is a cute little semi-pocket park located in downtown Winnetka, a small town right outside of…read moredowntown Chicago. It spans 1.2 acres and features a nice a very nice playground area that is on a bed of wood chips. Some of the playground equipment includes a bank of traditional/toddler swings, a merry-go-round ring, a small with a slide, a large jungle gym with slides, a suspended pebble bridge, monkey bars and a couple of slides, and a tire swing. The equipment appeared relatively new and was in excellent shape. You will also find ping pong tables, a gazebo, corn hole boards, and a bike rack with a bike maintenance station here as well. There is a lot of seating at the in the park, around the play area and the park's paved walking paths. The park's green space is decent sized and suitable for picnics, playing catch, flying a kite, or other small field activities. It had a decorated Christmas tree in the area during my visit. The park appears well maintained and was in great shape. The park does not have any restrooms, so plan accordingly. There is however, street parking available along its perimeter and a parking lot within a reasonable walking distance from the park. The park seems relatively safe, even though there was a recent incident with kids discharging a soft-projectile weapon at the park. This may not be a destination park, but is a nice park to check out and spend some time at if you are in the area. It has a nice patch of green space, which is prime real estate in any downtown area, lots of seating, a water fountain, ample parking, many public transit options, and well maintained.

Beautiful clean park right in the downtown area. Convenient location for restaurants shopping and…read morecoffee! Drinking fountain in the park for the hot days! There's also plenty of seating and shade! There's also a place to work on your bikes if they break down.

The sculpture park spans two miles along the west side of the north channel of the Chicago River…read more It's not a playground park, though of course you could play here. There are trails for walking and biking, and dogs are welcome as long as you pick up after them of course. In a few areas of the park there are picnic tables as well, and there are parking lots in a few spots along the park. Currently, in 2023, the southern end of the park is under renovation. You can take tours of the park--they happen monthly. Of course you can embark on a self-guided tour as well, viewing some or all of the approximately 60 sculptures in the park. My favorite has always been the whimsical birthday cake. There's a section that has pieces by students at the local high schools as well which is a pretty cool way to incorporate folks from the community into the fabric of the park.

A few of us recently visited the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park, as it was a gorgeous and warm…read moreSaturday afternoon and we wanted to enjoy the great outdoors in a socially distant manner. The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park stretches between Dempster and Touhy in Skokie alongside the north channel of the Chicago River, so it runs for a significant length. Due to time restraints we did not walk the entire length of the park, but you can appreciate several "sections" of the park and still feel good about it. This park is fine for joggers, bicyclists, or walkers looking to enjoy some nature with some public art mixed in. While there are no Picasso or Calder masterpieces amongst the sixty-plus number of sculptures, there is an eclectic variety in the collection. I liked the use of industrial materials such as steel coils, re-bars, and even parts from airplane wings. The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park is free and is open every day. There are several free parking lots along the length of the park for visitors.

Beautiful park and running trail! I wanted to go see Curtis…read moreMayfield's studio and former record label home and who knew it was only a little over a mile from my air b and b.. And I was even more lucky to run most of that mile though this fantastic park and bike trail along a cute little river! Kids playing with families, folks of all ages and athletic ability on the trail biking, running, and walking! Lovely park!

I used to spend just about every day after school lounging around in the grass at this park with…read morefriends. It's absolutely beautiful in the summer and spring, especially on days where the breeze is blowing west, taking the stench of the river away from visitors. The park has a long bike path, a couple nice little bridges over looking the water, a simple playground, and lots of good climbing trees. The place has "relax" written all over it.