My daughter has special needs - high functioning autism but she is mainstreamed and works each and…read moreevery day on meeting social expectations. She's been playing tennis for years but can't do tennis camp at our club this summer because they're still closed. She joined a tennis camp at Racquet Club of Lake Bluff but got kicked out after one day. I've known the pro there for years and I reached out to give him a heads' up about my daughter. Anyone who knows her knows how amazing she's doing, how much she tries to please people and act typically. I watched her in her tennis camp the other day and was so proud and impressed with her play and behavior - nonstop tennis for 90 minutes and she completely went with the flow. The pro called me the next day telling me she was no longer welcome at the camp. I called the manager who confirmed that she "talks too much" and needs directions repeated (ex. don't touch the ball now because of Covid, push the balls towards the net, not the fence). He was inconvenienced by her being different and, rather than call me to ask for tips on how to address to chattiness, he kicked her out. The club manager supported this decision. I pulled my son out of the camp there even though he was really enjoying it because I can't support a business that discriminates and that teaches kids that it's ok to be intolerant of people who are different and that there is no room for them in our society..

The club has eight climate controlled indoor courts. There are wonderful programs for youth and…read moreadults. The staff are nice and helpful. The coaches are wonderfully talented and are a great help to develop your game. They also have a pro shop selling rackets, shoes, etc. I will only get my gear and restring rackets there. They are wonderful.

My son really enjoyed this class.. we are staying for another class now! (2hours)…read moreHighly recommend this place.. very friendly.. clean.. just positive vibes!!Love it!

We highly recommend Digital Adventures with its wonderful programs, and especially the teacher…read moreMr.Jim. The classroom is engineered to be easily adopted by young kids set in a play-based environment. My 4-year-old boy can easily adapt to the new learning. Mr. Jim and the founder/staff are nice, patient and great. We are impressed by the program as the parents. It was not just us, our kid loves and rates DA the best among all his other STEM enrichments by comparison. We have also helped spread the word to our parent communities. Overall, very good program, and excellent business!

Between me and my kids I think we take tennis at most clubs in the North Shore. We've taken…read moreprivates here with Maria Fernitz who is fabulous when it comes to teaching both kids and adults. It seems to be easier to get a court here than some of the other nearby clubs (ex: North Shore Racquet Club) and it's always pretty quiet. In fact, there's many Friday mornings (during this pandemic) where we've been lucky enough to have the club to ourselves. The billing system is a little confusing. They invoice you and if you do a semi-private lesson with a few kids they can't seem to split the cost. Sometimes they invoice me and sometimes my son's friend so there's lot of consistency. We figure it out between us, but would be great to just pay for half the lesson each week, which doesn't seem to be an issue at any other club. For example, I take a lesson at Northbrook Racquet Club with 2 other friends and they split the cost between us at the front desk. Overall, been pleased w/ their covid protocols from masks to hand sanitizer at the front. It's also an easy drive from our house in Glencoe. I haven't taken any of their classes or from any other instructors, but Maria herself is 5 stars.

Instructors here are great, especially Andrew and Daryl. My 5 year old goes here and so do I. I've…read morenever picked up a racket in my life and I must admit I'm pretty good after just 8 weeks

We had our daughter in park district swimming classes but she wasn't making progress. At Foss she…read morebecame more comfortable and confident, and after a couple years now swims considerably better than I do.

I am truly sad and disappointed in our Foss experience at Elmwood Park. When we started at Foss,…read morethe quality of instruction and kid-friendly environment made it worth the steep price. Our son loved his lessons. However, several major factors have caused us to pull our son out mid session. This year, Foss stopped offering any make up sessions. To us, this was unreasonable as the current session is 13 weeks long and the price is $30 for a half hour. Instead, Foss offers family swim as a substitute for a make-up lesson, which books out months in advance. Other swim schools offer tokens for make up sessions as inevitably, very few families are available for 13 weeks straight. We also experienced a major lack of communication with management. Nobody answers the phone. We missed a session once and when we arrived the following week, the building was closed. There was nothing on the website or any form of communication to inform us of this closure. When I called and asked why the building was closed I was told that there had been a note on the door the previous week (the week we missed.) Most unfortunately, the quality of swim instructors at Foss varies widely. Although our three teachers before this session were great, our most recent teacher wasn't in the pool when class started, had 4 year old kids sitting on the step for long periods of time, and put the kids in time out if they moved to the other end of their lane for their turn. Of course the top priority is safety, but she never showed the children what she expected of them. I'm still not sure how they were expected to get to the other side of the lane for their turn. I had to stick up for my son when the teacher put him in time out for moving down the lane. During the first class with her, my son only swam for 10 minutes total, as the kids sat on the step for the first 10 minutes, played games for 5 minutes and were sent out of the pool early. This is not acceptable when classes cost about $1 per minute. When I spoke with the manager about my concern, another mom was doing the same thing about the same teacher. Instead of listening to me, the manager said she'd call or email me the next day, but I never heard from her until I followed up a few days later. If I were the manager, I would be interested in knowing why families were ending their sessions. Overall, this lack of communication, and poor teacher experience is no longer worth the high cost (and parking nightmare.) We were hoping to keep our son (and eventually enroll our daughter) at Foss as there are few swim environments close to us that are as kid friendly. We know a lot of families at Foss who have had great experiences, but unfortunately, it was not for us.

My son Jack has been attending 5 or 6 years now, starting in 2nd grade. Simply put, the camp and…read moreits director Brad are incredible! Its hard to drop him off, I want to get out and participate in the activities.Where to begin...well first off its super well run by a well-trained friendly staff. They help with everything including applying sun screen at beginning of the day. Kids are assigned to a coach with same age kids, and let me tell you these coaches are hand-picked- super nice, love kids and know their sports. You can tell many of them play elite sports themselves. The camp is well programmed with different themes each week- basketball one week, Olympic week the next. Competitive but in good way. Lunch is really good- food kids like to eat like Popeye's chicken, pizza, and Fridays they grill hot dogs and hamburgers for the kids. Pickup and dropoff is fast and easy and location right off the highway- or there is bus pickup from many Northside locations. We moved to Park Ridge but Jack insisted he attend camp regardless (he met his best friend there) so Mom and Dad take turns driving him an hour each way sometimes (so worth it). They have a great photog who sends out super cool videos each week. Field trips to Cubs games and water parks. Its so great we usually sign him up for most of the the summer, and take advantage of the early bird pricing before January 1st each year. We cannot wait for the camp to start this summer, its hard to imagine a summer sports camp as good at this one. Its hard to summarize it all here but if anyone has questions, please call or text me at 773-805-9305 for honest straightforward info.

We've been part of the Hi-Five family for five years now, and this summer marks our second with…read moretheir incredible sports camp--and we couldn't be happier! From the moment you arrive, you feel the energy, the care, and the genuine love for kids that radiates from everyone, especially Danny. He's not just running a camp--he's building a community. Kind, accommodating, and endlessly thoughtful, Danny treats every camper like they're his own. It's rare to find someone so personally invested in making sure every child feels seen, supported, and celebrated. The camp itself is a dream for any sports-loving kid. Whether your child is trying something new or honing their skills, the coaches and staff create a fun, safe, and inclusive environment where confidence and friendships flourish. And for us parents who suffer from a little FOMO during the day--don't worry! The team does an amazing job capturing the magic and posting photos that truly reflect the joy and excitement of camp life. (Okay, maybe we wish there were even more pictures--but that's just because every moment looks so fun!) Hi-Five isn't just a camp--it's a place where kids grow, laugh, and make memories that last. We're so grateful to be part of it and can't wait for many more summers to come!

AMA Dance Studio has exceeded our expectations in so many ways! They really focus on building…read morecharacter and confidence in the kiddos. The dedication, love, and thoughtfulness of the instructors, especially Mr. Dillon, create a warm and inviting atmosphere. All the staff are fantastic. The owner, Ms Anne Marie, is amazing --passionate, caring, and a true steward of the community. I appreciate the convenient two-way mirrors so parents can watch practice without being a distraction. The recitals are memorable and showcase the incredible progress of the students. AMA offers a variety of programs and dance and music classes for all ages, including adults. We are immensely grateful for the confidence and camaraderie the studio has instilled in our girls. AMA Dance Studio is a fantastic place for children to learn, grow, and shine!

We just recently started at AMA and our experience here is far more than I expected. The owner was…read morevery accomodating and very professional. She answered all of My questions promptly. She tried her best to pace my girls who are ages 5 and 7 in the same class to keep each other company since they are both shy in the beginning. She emails me feedback and photos after each class. And my kids just loves being there too! This place is top notch! I highly recommend it!!!

While pickle seems to be all the rage, it's difficult to find places that offer pickle classes to…read morekids. My daughter and her wanted to try pickle and after attending a fun (adult) pickle party here I noticed they offered kids lessons. My daughter and her friend took 2 sessions of lessons here during the winter. They were in the 13+ group and said there were about 8 kids in the class. They seemed to enjoy it. Once it got warm enough they opted for lessons outside at our tennis/paddle club (can't beat being outside), but said they would definitely want to take more classes here next winter. I also noticed they have younger classes geared towards my 8 and 11 year old boys so may consider for them as well. I hung out in the waiting room one day while they played and there were many groups of adults coming in to play pickle as well. I'm just jumping on the pickle bandwagon, but would also consider for myself next winter.

I took leauges and lessons at Glenbrook paddle. The pros are extremely knowledgeable and the…read moreclasses are fun. I would highly recommend Glenbrook paddle for all levels. The owner is upgrading the club which will be EPIC!!

5/5 -- Big Blue Swim School Has Been Incredible for Our Family…read more We've had an absolutely outstanding experience at Big Blue Swim School, and we want to give a huge shoutout to the amazing team that made all the difference for our children. Our 2-year-old can sometimes struggle with new instructors, and there was a moment where he didn't want to get in the water at all. Brex, Josh, and Xzenia went above and beyond to turn the entire situation around. Their patience, energy, and compassion completely changed the day -- within minutes, he was not only comfortable but laughing, splashing, and having fun. It was such a heartwarming transformation to watch. We also want to give a special side shoutout to Ross, who consistently goes out of his way to accommodate our scheduling needs. He always helps us find class times and instructors that work best for our family, and that level of thoughtfulness truly means a lot. Big Blue has become such a positive part of our weekly routine thanks to the incredible staff. We're so grateful for everything they do and highly recommend them to any family looking for a caring, encouraging, and professional swim school.

My 5 year old has been taking lessons here for almost 3 years (on and off) and my 2 year old for…read moreabout a year and Big Blue has become a consistent part of our lives! The kids love the lessons (or we would have quit long ago), and I love how easily you can start/stop weekly lessons and pick right up where you left off. I also love that the app shows you exactly what skills they're working on and when they've mastered something. My only complaint is that I wish they made it clearer what age/height requirements there are to move to the next level. Sometimes it can feel like your kid is stagnating, but really they just have to age into the next level. Highly recommend trying it out!