This is a nice accessible playground with clean restrooms nearby. My daughter loves the sand pit,…read morethough it could definitely use more shade.

Recently renovated Berens Park playground, in a word, DELIGHTFUL! Finally, a playground that…read moredoesn't only cater to older kids. My toddler was quite at home here. Plenty of elevated platforms to run around on, a racecar and airplane to sit in, sandbox, swing, chess (yes, a permanent chess/checkerboard!), convenient bathrooms, musical instruments like windchimes and drums, small climbing wall, slides, and oh, a little bit of astroturf. Partially shaded in the afternoon. What more could you ask for out of a playground?!

This is a lovely playground - brand new, artistic design, fun obstacle course, padded flooring!…read moreOnly major downside is hearing the traffic nearby on Route 83.

Our kids love this park! There's equipment designed for certain age groups which is really great…read morefor my little 2 year old.

Not huge, but very well maintained park in Elk Grove Village. I went here to check out their…read morefrisbee golf course which is a beginner's course (with short holes) but features some interesting shots around trees. A couple things make this stand out from other local beginner's courses which are the benches and tables that are scattered throughout the park which give you a place to take a rest if needed. Well maintained areas to tee off from. Astroturf that surrounds each basket, so you don't have to worry about getting your discs dusty. A wide variety of different views to look at (versus the standard forest preserve which is largely grass and trees). Finally, wide open spaces that follow trails, so you are not really throwing back and forth along the same area, despite the park being a bit smaller (some other courses simply zig zag back and forth along a small area, or follow a short path around the perimeter). In addition, there are also other great features such as: Baseball / Softball Fields Bike / Pedestrian Trail Picnic Area Playground Soccer / Football Fields Tennis Courts I didn't see much parking, but it wasn't difficult to park on the street right outside of the park.

I love nature. Being outdoors makes me happy. Being outdoors at home is awesome. That said,…read morealthough I think I have a sweet patio set-up at my apartment (does anyone want to give me a hammock to make it even better?), it's incredibly tiny and faces the parking lot -- so there's not a lot of 'nature' in my 'backyard.' Because of this, I seek out nature centers, forest preserves, and farms quite often. I was excited to find this place not too far from where I live. It also has a couple geocaches (http://www.geocaching.com/) scattered about, so I was eager to bring my husband here a couple times. This little nature center is tucked away in a lovely Itasca neighborhood. There is a small parking lot, a barn-like building with an greenhouse/workshed (the actual center), a little shelter with picnic tables, a bridge leading to a couple paths around the grounds, and some prairie. Trees surround the grounds and a little creek runs through. It's cute. It's small. It isn't really much. The walking path is quick. From looking at maps, it seems the grounds are bigger with three different trails, but we only found one short, paved trail with a couple paths leading towards the aquatic center and neighborhood. Maybe we didn't look hard enough. At one point we thought we found more trails but ended up wandering through a private yard before realizing our mistake. Weird. I can't say much for what's inside the center. Both times I came (weekends, during hours), the building was closed. There were a couple cage areas outside for birds or other creatures, but I never saw any. In fact, I didn't see any animals here -- just the occasional dragonfly or bumblebee. Oh, and there were some lovely ducks on the little creek that runs through the property. Our visits were very short. And we picked up a geocache, which is always good. I like places with quiet areas or long walking paths or animals to look at. This place didn't really have any of those. It's a nice little addition to the neighborhood, and maybe a good place to take your kids for a bike ride, but just isn't for me.

I used to visit this nature center all the time when I lived in Elk Grove Village. It's small, but…read morevery cute. There's a turtle tank inside and birds of prey, like owls and kestrels, outside. There's a nice path where you'll come across deer, turtles, and frogs, not to mention the usual birds and squirrels. It's also a great place to see different insects like dragonflies. Oh and keep a look out for the box elders! One year they were carpeting the ground.

For some reason, it's hard to find parks that are well-maintained (clean!) with semi-updated…read moreequipment. I noticed this park when I took a different way to my sitter's house, and decided to check it out yesterday when it was warm-ish. Needless to say we've been a bit stir-crazy staying indoors so much this winter! I really like several things: first, the equipment has some special needs accessibility. You can walk on to the equipment from the sidewalk, since there is a ramp built in! This area has a smaller slide that my toddler could navigate on his own. There is a variety of equipment for older kids to climb, and also several different slides. There is a separate toddler/smaller kid play area with 3 slides (2 tandem) that my little 19 month old could access with some help. Finally, there are 4 swings available: 2 baby buckets, and 2 for bigger kids. The turf is covered in wood chips and surrounded by black (plastic?) beams bolted into the ground. I didn't see a speck of trash anywhere! It's a pretty large area, and my son had lots of room to just run around and expend his energy. I enjoyed the scenic view of the pond, which is surrounded by a crushed limestone trail. Definitely a fan! Too bad we don't live right down the street. Luckily my sitter does, so we'll be using this park at least when I pick up the kids!

What a pretty and quiet park. Theres a big playground which is suitable for all ages. It's…read moresurrounded by residential properties but it still feels quiet. Im not sure why this park isn't busier. It's always dead whenever we visit! It's clean and well maintained. The pond is super fun and we enjoy walking around the gravel path. Every time we come here we spot some kind of active wildlife. The pond also has HUGE carp. I'm not sure if fishing is allowed but if it is, This would be an awesome place to fish. The carp are always active and will jump up out of the water and scare you ;) ducks, turtles, snakes, are just of the few creatures we have run into here. Visit when the weather is nice and you'll see a lot of the local wildlife. There are a few picnic tables and benches scattered all around the property if you're looking for somewhere to play and eat outdoors! We like it here!

Eldridge Park is well kept little park along Salt Creek. There are paved paths that are great for…read morewalking, jogging or biking. There are plenty of benches throughout the park. When I've walked along the paths, I've seen people fishing in the pond during the warmer months. The playground looks like a nice one. They have a basketball court next to it. I've heard there are tennis courts, but I think they must be on the East side of the park. I'll need to explore that side a bit more. There's a cute little bridge that allows you to easily cross over Salt Creek. I didn't see any photos of the canoe launch, so I'll share a couple here. Unfortunately, we had a lot of rain the day before, so the ramp to the boat launch was pretty flooded. There are also doggy bag stations on the path near the parking lot.

Great park in the middle of Elmhurst. They have hiking/biking trails, 2 children's playgrounds,…read morenice pond full of ducks and geese. Benches to sit on scattered around the park. Nice and peaceful to just walk around and enjoy the pretty scenery . The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because there is a lack of adequate bathrooms. I walked the whole park both side and only saw 1 porta potty on the commonwealth side where the p,at ground is. They could use a few more. Also they could put out a few more picnic table near the pond, and both playgrounds.

Marshall Park is an amazing place for families with kids! The park is spacious, clean, and…read morethoughtfully designed. There are clean restrooms, plenty of seating, and a fantastic splash pad that's perfect for hot summer days. One of my favorite features is the music-themed play area, where kids can play with outdoor musical instruments while having fun. The playground offers lots of activities for different ages, so children never get bored. Overall, it's a wonderful park to spend a few hours outdoors. If you're looking for a fun, family-friendly place, Marshall Park is definitely worth visiting!

What a great dog park! It's free, it's clean, and all of the animals are well behaved. There were…read moreno fights and everyone had a great time. They even have two separate areas. One is specifically for small dogs, but that doesn't mean they can't go into the regular park. There are picnic tables for owners to sit, but I wouldn't recommend trying to have an actual picnic on them. Dogs love to jump on the tabletops. There are also supposed to be doggy pick-up bags, but I didn't see them. I only know about them because some woman, apparently the poop police, approached me and suggested that I "clean up after [my] dog" since I didn't do it immediately as I was having a conversation with someone. Apparently she could watch my dog do its business but couldn't be bothered to notice I came prepared with a bag dispenser. You know, because I just carry around my own bags on my dog's leash as a fashion accessory. They've recently done some construction in the area for the better. There is now a very pretty paved pathway with bricks and some of them are custom ordered by people who donated to the park. It's still a work in progress and I can't wait to see all the other updates.

COMPLIMENTS goes out to the City of Wood Dale, Illinois for the White Oaks recreation dog park. The…read morepark is located at 111 South Wood Dale Road, in the wooded area. It is three acres and is divided into two different sections, a big dog yard and a small dog yard. The big dog yard is located on the South side and the small dog yard is located on the North side. Both yards are completely fenced in and enclosed. Each yard has water bowls, toys, trash cans, doggy waste bags, doggy tubes and picnic benches. The surface of each yard is cover with wood mulch and wood chips. The small dog yard even has a fake fire hydrant for the doggies to air themselves out on. Just a dogs dream. The park is maintained by the Wood Dale Park District but they ask that you be responsible and supervisor yourself. I have met many friendly and interesting people there with all different types of K9s. The park is great for Families and friends. There is no registration or fee to use the park and visitors are welcome. Many visitors and Wood Dale residents use the park. Just North of the park in an old historic cabin and a kids park. It is an ideal set-up for the Family. The park has always been clean and safe. Employees of the Park District and the Wood Dale Police make periodic visits to ensure a safe environment. Wood Dale did a great job with the White Oaks Dog Park. I gave the White Oaks Dog Park, FIVE STARS. Bring you FIVE STAR DOGS TO WHITE OAKS DOG PARK,,,, SAYS BIG DOG!!!!