Short loop with a riverbank trail and tree shade. Good for a quick walk. Can get muddy during rainy…read moredays. Easy to park.

Take this entire review with a gigantic grain of salt, because I only came here once, it was cold…read moreand we didn't walk very far, and we missed out on the water element entirely. As seems to be the case these days, we* had hours to kill before our return flights to LAX and SFO (by way of LAS), respectively, so we drove around Chicago almost aimlessly. (You should know me by now; even when it seems like I'm meandering randomly, there's a pattern to my patternlessness.) I knew my mom would want to see Lake Shore Drive, so we took it from its humble southern beginnings, which I had never done before. We got to the end way quicker than I thought we would, and none of us were hungry yet, so I headed west and then north and then west and then northwest or west, and soon, we were in Lincolnwood, Illinois. I did not want to remain in Lincolnwood, Illinois, so I looked for something big and green on my map, and after a couple of missed turns, we drove right into LaBagh Woods. There was an immediate fork in the road, and seeing people walking and jogging to my right and nothing special to my left, I turned right. That would, ultimately, be a bad move. To the left was a small pond. Beyond that lay the Chicago River's North Branch. But all of it was obscured by trees, so I went right, and there were trees, winter-dead grass, plenty of parking spots, and a path. The cold (about forty-two, according to the rental car's external thermometer) was too much for my dad, who wasn't really dressed for the cold and who doesn't enjoy being outside in the cold anyway, so after we got to the end of the path, we doubled back and drove away. If I had known about what turning left could do, I would have at least driven back that way for the water element. I'm sure it's beautiful and four-star-worthy in the summertime. What bothered me, though, was the absolute lack of benches in any and all directions. Yes, there are covered picnic areas with tables and benches, but all parks--especially parks this large--should have benches interspersed throughout so that people can sit down and take a load off. I might come back, but how often am I this far northwest in Chicago? OK, OK, I've been near here two out my last two visits, but really, I don't normally venture up this far. *My dad, mom, and I.

Good park located in Edgewater. It has a location that's shared with a high school. Senn Park has a…read morelong history, and on this very site, some things happened before this. Maybe the history is better than the park itself. The current features include baseball fields, basketball courts, and other facilities for playing. Before this was a park, it was site of the Nicholas Kranz homestead and inn called the Seven Mile House. It's been said that Abraham Lincoln attended a caucus of local farmers during his 1860 campaign for President. The sculptor Charles Keck created a statue. As for the other parts of the park, there's plenty to do for athletes. There's also the ADA approved playground. It has a water spray feature. This and the high school are named after Nicholas V. Senn. He was a physician and the founder of the Association Of Military Surgeons Of The United States, and was a President of the American Medical Association. The experimental research performed by him included acute pancreatitis, head and neck oncology, the intestinal tract, leukemia treatment through x-rays, and plastic surgery. Has a pretty busy location. It's on Ridge close to Clark and Thorndale. This is often busy with students, but it's also okay for younger children, and the facilities are open to the public or whoever.

Beautiful little park with the original mansion & a couple of coach houses - one is used as a…read morerestaurant... Great playground for the kids...all of this right on the Lake.

I absolutely love it here. A tiny neighborhood park on Lake Michigan where the neighborhood comes…read moreto walk Rover, take the kiddos for a romp, or just feel a breezy gust here and there. It's in Edgewater, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Chicago: There is community here, different cultures live here,it's on the lake, college students (it's next to Loyola) , and really like it because it away from the congestion of downtown. When in Chicago for a minute, I come here for morning exercises and late afternoon too if the weather is comfortable (48 and above lol) and can easily find a nook secluded from everyone else. Though compact, you can also experience a play, a full service restaurant, a playground, and rocks to sit on, look out into the water...and contemplate a life full of miracles.

Fun free local playground. Swings, slides, ropes to climb space to run. Great for toddler to young…read morechild.

I love this park! It's huge, beautiful & there are always tons of dogs around. If I was a little…read morekid I would so be running around in the giant sprinkler thing, and the garden is gorgeous and totally well maintained. I come here and picnic sometimes by myself, I just love it here.

I've been wanting to visit this park since it opened, but it never came to pass. I'm really glad we…read moregot to visit during their 10th anniversary celebration! That party was cool; they had various community orgs, like a citizen science group and the Budlong Woods branch of CPL here to share info and stuff. There were park volunteers doing arts and crafts with the kids. They even had a fishing derby in the little pond, I think, which was really cool. There's at least one or two works of art in the park that are nice as well. This isn't your typical CPD park. It's a nature area that was acquired from neighboring Rosehill Cemetery and developed into a natural area/native preserve. Though the cemetery is over 150 years old, this portion on the northwest corner of Western & Peterson was never used for burials and was simply an undeveloped section of the cemetery. I used to live a couple blocks away from here and remember thinking it was a bit of an eyesore. But the Chicago Park District, and the advisory council for the park, have done wondrous things. There's a walking path throughout the park for a leisurely stroll. The park also hosts various events; I believe they recently had an equinox program, and I hope the bat program comes up again so I can take my little one. They even had Hocus Pocus movie night a few days ago (just before Halloween). But my favorite part by far is the nature play space. It's gorgeous! There are lots of benches and stumps for adults and children to sit on, and they had a couple of outdoor play kitchens. There's a little mound (which to a small child could look hill-sized) for kids to play and sit on. There's a small stage and I'm not sure if they've always had events or if they've started hosting more, but I'm keeping an eye on it because it's truly one of the best nature play spaces I've seen around. It's absolutely worth a visit if you have children, or just want a little quiet contemplation.

We had a great morning at West Ridge Nature Park! We came here on a Sunday morning to celebrate the…read more10th anniversary of the park. They had a lot of kid friendly activities like face painting, coloring, fossils to look at, and our favorite -- music from old town school of folk music! After enjoying some wheels on the bus, we walked around pond. The path was so pretty and well kept. We saw lots of geese, butterflies, squirrels, and even a hawk which my two year old loved. Our favorite though, was all the turtles! We saw about 10 out in the pond swimming. They were so cute, we could have sat out there for a hours watching them bob around. Definitely recommend West Ridge if you're wanting some peace in the city.

Better alternative to the crowded trail along the lake. It has plenty of beauty of its own to see…read more North Shore Channel Trail goes from the Ravenswood neighborhood to Evanston, a long ways. Has lots of nature to come across. There's a few parks along it and other fun things. A lot less crowded on this trail and it's still got pretty good views along it. It's about 7 miles from the beginning to end, so that's a good way to work out. This begins at the intersection of Francisco and Lawrence in Ravenswood. First it goes north through River Park. There's trails on both sides of the channel most of the time. It goes all the way to Green Bay Road and McCormick Boulevard in Evanston. The trail is made of variously of asphalt, gravel, and crushed limestone. Has to be one of the less appreciated trails around here. It's not as popular as the one by the lake to be sure. There's plenty of parks along the way so these make for good places to stop for bicyclists, runners, or whoever.

How did I not know a paved, uncongested bike trail ran along the river from Lawrence to Golf where…read moreit turns to fine gravel and continues on... I don't know apparently to Wisconsin? OK, that might not be true but it at least hits Wilmette. Regardless, it's an absolutely wonderful surprise. You can pick it up on the north side of Lawrence between Sacramento and California. It takes you along the east side of the channel, through parks and under cross streets until almost Devon. There you jog northwest on Lincoln to re pick it up on the west side. You follow McCormick through Lincolnwood and Skokie with trees and sculpture and happily few people to keep you company. It's a great little ride. Maybe 10-12 miles round trip with all the twists and turns. I also love that I've seen none of the super serious jackwads with their full body spandex and forward triathlon bars going 35 miles an hour and looking at you like you're in the way if you ride casually. There are a few other cyclists and walkers. At the lots along McCormick folks clearly park and walk to the many benches to eat lunch on nice days. But even on a beautiful weekday in the low 80's with little wind I was alone with my thoughts and camera most of the time. There are port-a-potties at one of the lots near the midway point but once across Lincoln there aren't water fountains like there are in the city parks. If you really need hydration you can always jump off the path, back into real life just a few hundred yards away, and grab something to drink. Make sure you to remember to press the pedestrian button at intersections once out of the city or you'll never get across. Also even though it's a lot of fun don't accelerate through the downhill blind turns as you hit the under passes. There are lots of strollers and moms with kids in tow. Save those collisions for the d-bags on lakefront path.

Only wish the pool hours were extended in the summer. This public pool is free and offers a less…read morecrowded option for families and individuals alike. The park itself is gorgeous and has a softball field for sports leagues and offers plenty of space for sunbathing and other games. Highly recommend the area as it's safe and beautiful.

I just recently had my wedding shower at Pulaski Field House. It was a very large shower & they had…read morea large & perfect ACed room for my party on a 95 degree day. All my guests were blown away by the cute place bc they had no idea it existed. I knew it existed bc I discovered it after I discovered the dog park across the street to it. I've done Archery here in the basement. I used to come here & just walk around the place bc it's so unique and rustic. I wanted to get married here but I was told as of 2016 they no longer allow events that serve liquor. So we had to scratch that idea and make it our bridal shower spot instead. I'm a chaotic person the day of events so I was all over the place. Jackie helped me bring up a couple extra tables I wanted to use. The park manager Jim was so kind communicating with me weeks prior to the party. The workers there had a lot of patience with me being unorganized! Bobby & Rueben helped me & my fiancé out with cleaning up the party when it was over. It was just so perfect. The bathrooms are obviously not perfect but At least they worked and it's not like they are one of those smelly outdoor parks bathrooms or portapotty. In fact I kind of thought the old structure of the bathrooms gave it character. Super inexpensive. They allowed me to bring my own food. There was a pool table in our room. So so so happy with this place! Thank you so much, Jim, Jackie, Bobby & Rueben! :)

The biggest hill in Chicago!…read more Took our 2yo to Cricket Hill for the first time to climb to the top. Fond memories of climbing to the top on windless days back in my youth when the boat was in Montrose Harbor.

I came here for the annual kite festival on the most perfect day. It was sunny and the temperature…read morewas comfortable with a nice cool breeze. I arrived around 11a and parking on Montrose was challenging. I think as you drive further along, there were more parking to be found. However, be prepared for travel to crawl all the way around. This is a great family affair with all kinds of kites flying in the air. There were tents set up for free kite making and kite decorating. There was also an area of food vendors and tents that were giving away free stuff. Thanks Whole Foods for the banana and coupons! Near the tents are a row of port-o-potty and the lines were never too long. Unfortunately, the water to wash your hands ran out early in the afternoon. It was fun to sit on the grassy knoll and watch all the kites fly. There was a huge seahorse kite in the middle section that's roped off. The kids really had a great time hanging out here.