Can you believe it's December and it's so beautiful? A lovely day to walk the paths at Openlands…read moreand/or walk down by the lake. People, dogs, families walking, jogging, strolling and taking in the view.

Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves since August 2023, this 72-acre area (formerly part of Fort…read moreSheridan) has a unique blend of ravines, bluffs, and a lakefront in Highland Park, 25 miles north of Chicago. This is close to Fort Sheridan and the cemetery. I love the paved trails, which are Ada accessible with minimal disturbance to nature. The art installations offer additional meditation subjects with a mix of science, poetry, and wonder. The qr code links did not work. My first introduction was a ravine with concrete sidewalks, mighty oak trees, and a complex root system slowing the erosion of the sides. Art installations do pique the imagination of visitors. Wood sidewalks and bridges lead to additional ravines, bluffs, and lakefront. I spotted a great horned owl silently sweeping across the canopy of trees. Four white tailed deer were nibbling on their grassy lunches. Red winged black birds were singing sporadically. I passed a tree with the bark rubbed off as evidence a deer came by to rub its antlers. I also saw several round holes on the lower trunks of the tree. It was evidence of a possible woodpecker looking for grubs. I spotted wood ear mushrooms growing on the side of a tree. Thousands of migrating birds visit the preserve each year. Listen to the audio guides for the nature and art installations. https://openlands.org/projects/openlands-lakeshore-preserve/ Main Parking 24256 N Patten Road, Highwood, IL 60040 South Parking 2789 Oak Street, Highland Park, IL 60035

Getting beach ready! Not only myself (preparing for a summer beach vacation), but Rosewood Beach…read morerecently got a clean up and seemed ready for visitors. It's been awhile since I've updated my experience at Rosewood. This review is based on a recent walk I took to get some fresh air and much needed exercise. After parking the car in Downtown Ravinia and walking to Rosewood beach and back to the car (round trip about 1.3 miles), I noticed a bunch of beach updates that are worth mentioning. First of all, gear up, because the beach is open this year and you'll be able to swim! It's a private beach and not free, so you'll have to follow this link (https://www.pdhp.org/beaches/parking-2/) for resident and non-resident fees. This year you can purchase a swim pass and a parking decal. I entered via the dirt path that leads down to the beach so I could make my way back up the stairs for a good stair climb. The path was nicely cleaned up and breathtaking all on its own. Surrounded by lots of foliage and overlooking the ravine, I walked until I met up with the beach boardwalk. The boardwalk is all cleaned up and nicely refreshed. Looks like it did when it first opened! The beach sand is all freshened up and ready for summer. The play structures for kids are covered (but not sanitized). The best part? The steep, really-great-for-your-legs staircase now has handrails! This is such a huge plus for when you can't quite make it up and need to lean over a rail to hold yourself up (don't judge). It was a nice quiet walk, since the beach isn't actually open yet, but it will get crowded for certain. Parking lots have meters.

Amazing that I can walk here from my house. I am very lucky to live here. This beach is amazing,…read moreyou get great views of Chicago, Waukegan, and water. The recent remodel and rebuild are beautiful. It is nice and quiet her in the winter, all you hear are the waves, the wind, and your breath. Wait until spring!

This place is a hidden gem that's underutilized. For less then $300 bucks, a beachfront clubhouse…read morewith a huge deck including grills, tables, kitchen, showers, equipment, storage, and free to use club equipment such as kayaks, paddle boards, windsurfers... I'm here almost everyday. I can't understand why this place isn't completely packed with members all summer.

Oh la la! Let me polish my monocle and get my double breasted blue blazer and captain's hat out!…read more No way, this isn't that sort of club. It is low key and highlighly welcoming. The North Shore Yacht Club is Highghland Park's gem on the lake. What a great place to sail, paddle, sun, have fun and relax. With the cheap membership (I don't know of any better deal on the North Shore) you may use club boats and the clubhouse/deck for all your beach, boating and social desires. Want to race? Great! Want to sit back and enjoy the lake? Great! Want to hang out with some of the finest folks around? Great! Take advantage of the best feature of NE Illinois- Lake Michigan. NSYC does everything from regattas to outdoor movie nights. Head on down there and check it out. Just grab someone who looks happy and ask for a tour or the details, they will be happy to chat. Don't let the summer go by without heading to the lake!

Spent the last day of summer at Glencoe Beach and it was beautiful. It was off season so no life…read moreguard and the house with bathrooms wasn't open but they did have port o potties. Their regular season from Memorial day to labor day the beach costs and it's mainly from members on the weekend. But since it was the season it was free. It was decently crowded with everyone soaking up the last nice day. They have a playground for kids, plenty of shelters to rent for a party, volleyball net, a pier to walk along and place to rent boats, and paddle boats. The front of the beach is rocky and going into the water have to walk over rocks to get the sandy part of the water. But loved the water as it was clear and felt good to swim in. Very nice beach to relax on.

ALWAYS a good time at Glencoe Beach! The location is absolutely beautiful with clean, sandy shores…read moreand stunning views of Lake Michigan. It's perfect for swimming on a warm day. I loved how well-maintained the beach is, and everyone was so friendly! They also have grills and plenty of seating, making it great for picnics and gatherings. Plus, the surrounding neighborhood is gorgeous, adding to the overall charm of the area. Highly recommend for a fun, relaxing beach day!

I stopped by in the afternoon and was surprised to see a lot of the brush had been cleared away for…read morea much better view of the lake. There were more people here (it must be spring) and I saw that the restrooms had been rebuilt (burnt down in fall) and didn't have that horrible smell. There are now permit parking regulations in place around Fort Sheridan residences so beware parking there if the lot is full.

The ground and beach is beautiful!…read more Good luck getting to find sea glass, which is what we were excited about. The beach closes at dark and they have an unprofessional park ranger who comes around and scream at you. They allow the people who live there though to continue to be at the beach, so just keep that in mind. Non friendly attitudes around the grounds. It's odd when you were raised in the south. All and all it's pretty. If you are looking for a sunset photo, go else where or they'll threaten to arrest you.

Moraine Park is one of the recreational parks in Highland Park, recently half-heartedly made into a…read moresculpture park. At the top, you have a wide open grassy area, which would ideally be perfect for letting your dog off-leash... if they were to fence it. Descending the stairs to the beach, you reach a fenced-in area for dogs to enjoy the lake. It's pretty chilly on blustery days, but the dogs love it, and it's a great place to meet other pet owners. You do need a permit to be there, however, and the details about that are posted on the website.

Bow wow. This is a pretty cool dog park and dog beach. I…read moresuppose they like having a place of their own to be with their own kind. of course none of them speak English so well never know for sure. But the fidos have liberty and space to romp around and play all over the joint. If your dog is aggressive or violent you shouldn't take him or her or if you do leave it leashed. Duh. My dog isn't aggressive really but acts like a spaz. He'a also the size of a hamster so I always leave him leashed because I'm not a stupid head. Make sure you clean up after your furry friends. And have fun. One of the best parts is seeing all the different kinds o breeds ad mutts. A lot look like Muppets. One of George's friends, who is also a dog like him, rides a skateboard. There's a couple who like swimming. G is always the social butterfly-Mr. Popularity. And no party like a. Puppy Party. Bow wow!

Lake Forest Beach is a public area with fees incurred for public access. I am a person with a…read moredisability and unable to walk far distances and can not use stairs (age 59) female. I was harassed/shamed when I requested a reasonably accommodation to be dropped off/picked up. I did not ask for entry/parking. All I wanted was a small accommodation to be dropped off and picked up. I was harassed and wasn't allowed to be picked up due to my disability. This is a violation of the ADA (American Disability Act) and was discriminated against due to my disability. LFB is considered a public park and was in violation of my rights as a person with a disability. I understand there are rules and I just wanted a reasonable accommodation to be allowed to be dropped off and picked up not harassed and shamed and left standing in the heat while my husband explained the situation. He showed the gate guard a copy of my "Illinois ID marked as a person with a disability." Beach management need to educate their staff as to making simple reasonable accommodations for people with a disability. They (staff) have no rights to judge and disregard persons with a disability. Such can be reported and subject to significant fines and lawsuits. I suggest ADA compliance and policies for persons with a disability are seriously reviewed and followed according to the American Disability Act. This should NOT have transpired and was humiliating, to be honest.

I fully admit that having teenage boys at home during the pandemic has been a lot. At some point…read moreeach day, my hubby and I get in the car and talk through all our troubles (translation: complain about having children) while driving up north along the lake. We often end up parked in our car staring at Lake Michigan at Forest Park Beach. We're convinced that all the other couples we see there are also doing the same thing ;-) Last week, our laziness and overwhelm forced us to get out of the car and take in a fresh air walk along the lakefront. We walked south past the concessions and over near the boating facility. We typically don't leave our car unattended, just in case we might get a ticket. We took the risk, and it was so worth it. TBH I don't think they are monitoring the parking lots or ticketing right now, but I'm not 100% sure. What an absolutely gorgeous discovery! We honestly felt like we were on vacation (without kids). The air was fresh, the water was fairly calm, and we felt grateful to be living near such a beautiful oasis. Along the walkway we discovered a play area for kids, boats ready to launch, a covered area with picnic tables, tall lampposts and pristine landscaping. At the very end of our walk was a goose waiting for her goose companion to come back from sea (lol). We learned from a local that the goose had been there for a few days. Anyway, the sidewalk came to an abrupt end, something like out of a Shel Silverstein poem. We turned around, took a deep breath, and received a call from one of our sons that he and his brother were about to bring a bunch of friends over to our house. And just like that, our peace and calm came to a stop. Until next time...

Was way too crowded. Not nearly as nice as it used to be. The beach was not well maintained (weedy,…read moredebris). It was also very noisy. Disappointed.

It is a Lake Bluff residents beach. Not sure if some people sneak in or what…read more... We were enjoying the beach with lots of space. All of a sudden a family came and sat in front of us for no reason. Speechless!!

I have fond memories of Tower Road Park and Beach. I use to live across the street from the…read moreentrance. I spent a lot of time swimming and playing down on the beach. The Park District has been nice enough to allow the Boy Scout Troop I was involved with to have their first meeting of the year here. Also, you get to see Winnetka's water plant and electrical plant. I find this interesting which I know some of you may not. You can either park down on the pier or you can park above and walk down the drive or use the stairs.

I love this beach so much! It's beautiful and clean, but just recently, they fenced up a few parts…read moreof the beach and now require payment for residents and non-residents AND when you leave one part of the paid beach to move to another part, you have to pay again! Which is absurd. I was also thinking about renting out a shelter for a party, but the park doesn't allow you to bring your own grill, doesn't allow alcohol, only provides you with two tables, and you have to still pay for parking and access to the beach. It all just seems like a money grab, which sucks because the beach was free to the public for so long! I know a lot of people are upset about the new rules. Aside from that, there is a park, tennis courts, and Fat Shallot, where they serve food and drinks. There is also a patio area to eat and drink, and outdoor showers. PARK ON MICHIGAN AVE and just walk down to avoid some fees!

A park and a beach is along the lake. Gillson Park is the best thing about Wilmette, and beats any…read moreof those overcrowded ones farther south. If you want to actually be able to walk on a beach and not feel crowded, then head up a ways. Be careful about where you park because you can find places for free. There's also plenty of green space for athletic fields. Gillson is a big park, and that makes it feel not as crowded. It has several different parts. There's the actual park with the grass and trees. It's often very quiet here. Where's all the people? At the beach. This beach is still less crowded than any of the Chicago beaches full of both locals and tourists. It has a nice little play area. The sand is pretty clear of debris for the most part. Also at this park is a big ass marina. There's lots of boats, and there's also a club you can join if you can pay up. However you spend time here, just be careful about parking or it may be costly. It has pay lots close to the beach but you can find free parking on the residential streets. They have certain places where you can't park though, so pay attention to signs and whatever.