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.

This delightful little secret is not so much a "park" as it is a trail, but it's very cool and was…read morea fun discovery! The riverbank project is a labor of love for the community living in its immediate vicinity. What was once an eroded area of land along the Chicago River, filled with debris, is now a well-tended trail along the riverside that runs several blocks. There's even an area near the southern end that provides river access, if you've got a kayak or something to get into the water (however, there's not really parking for non-neighborhood members, except possibly farther down Rockwell). The restoration work that has been done by neighbors and the community is truly wonderful to behold. Enjoy this very quiet trail and you may occasionally stumble upon others on the trail, as well as overhear folks along the waterway in their boats. There are several areas along this trail where the trees are marked; there are American Elm, Black Walnut, Hawthorn, and more. You'll find little decorations along the trail, and there are also two Little Free Library boxes near the Pensacola entrance. Some sections of the trail are more accessible than others, though calling it accessible at all may be a stretch given how narrow the trial is and the rocky and sometimes steep steps throughout.

This is an excellent park to play or just lay in the grass!…read moreThere are two big kid swings and two toddler/ baby swings. There's a play structure with slides and a bridge. This park also has a big grassy field for soccer and or sun bathing. We go there almost every day. I only gave it 4 stars because there's not enough shade by the swings and the street traffic can be a bit loud.

What I enjoy about this playground is that it's off the street a bit, it's connected to a…read morebiking/walking path, and it has several benches in the periphery of the action so I can move around based on where my kids play. It also has lots of tall, old trees that provide shade and ambiance. The area is nestled between the North Shore Channel and a quiet residential street. For some reason, it's difficult to get to by car, and the parking "lot" is minimal, but street parking is plentiful. My kids love this park because it has a spinner toy, slides, and a double swing. The swing set includes one baby swing, one accessible swing, two standard swings, and a pretty cool double swing. Other amenities include one porta-potty on site and a covered picnic area that has four picnic tables and two grills.

This isn't your fancy schmancy Riverwalk downtown. No, no, my friends this is the…read more North Branch Riverwalk! Currently this isn't a very long section of paths, just including the Richard Clark Park, some boat rentals that happen at the Park and a complimentary boathouse, then The Garden dirt bike path. Right now it's just .6 of a mile if you go the whole path but I usually go back & forth so I can at least get over a mile. This is a nice little path though depending when you go, it could be a bit weird. This is clearly a spot highschool kids to smoke up. Some hide in the woods and you just get the scent hitting you. Others sit along the path eating pizzas, leaving their garbage, intimidating people walking by while blasting music. It kind of ruins the nature feeling of this place and is disappointing. Mostly because trash is left everywheeeeerrrre. I don't get why people can't clean up after themselves? And breaking bottles all over the ground is dangerous for all the pups on the paths. But also, no efforts are made on an even weekly basis to keep things looking nice. Ah well. There are apparently big plans to expand the North Branch Riverwalk announced last year but I didn't see much progress this year. Actually I see no progress and it was supposed to be done this year. https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160309/roscoe-village/cool-bike-path-that-will-soar-over-river-has-name-start-date I'll keep on watching and hoping this area improves even more!

This is a hidden gem for the city dwellers. Even though "Emily Oaks Nature Center" is surrounded…read moreby the residential area and one can hear the CTA trains passing back and forth, cloud and clear, it can still be considered as a mini "escape." In other words, it is a place to experience what mother nature has to offer, for both adults and kids. I would say the trail paths are kid-friendly and not too long for the little ones to explore. However, I think it is better to visit when daylight is available. Bike routes are separate from the walking path, so one doesn't have to watch out for bikers passing through. The Lakeview (or pond view) is serene. There are a few benches to sit down and enjoy the scenery. I see they have camp fires and other activities from time to time. I bet these are fun, as weather permits. In the beginning of the trail, a small scaled playground definitely can pull your kiddos away to release their energy. Parking is plenty and convenient. I think "Emily Oaks Nature Center" is going to be a re-visit for our family this summer.

If you can ignore the sounds of the Skokie Swift and passing traffic just outside the northern and…read morewestern boundaries of the nature preserve, Emily Oaks is a darling little slice of woods and lagoon tucked into a residential neighborhood of Skokie. They host camps here during the summer months, so you'll find chalk drawings on some of the paths and signs on some of the trees around that time, but it doesn't really detract from the atmosphere. (This is where my sibling and I learned to canoe and build campfires back in the day.) Chipmunks and geese abound; be sure to also check out the fish in the lagoon. They have shelters with picnic tables scattered throughout the preserve, so this is a peaceful place for a picnic lunch when camp's not in session. Just remember to leave the area as clean as you found it... and don't try starting any campfires without permission.

A pretty small ass park but fun. Florence Stout Park is utilized by Hyde Park locals. It mostly is…read morea place for walking their dogs it seems. Has a playground. There's not all that much else but it's still okay though. Features include a few athletic fields such as baseball. In the open green space you can play other sports. There's also a lot of room for other things. People like to come walk their dogs. There's seriously a lot of them. Lots of dogs means lots of something else. Take a look before you step in poop. Also there's a pretty big hill. It's really good for sledding. The park is pretty small but it still has plenty of trees.

Stout Park features:…read more Limited play ground equipment (may disappoint the kiddies). Plenty of green space for soccer, frisbee, etc... A very functional baseball diamond. Two working water fountains. A steep hill that is all the rage among the first graders during winter snows. Plenty of benches and trees. Dogs tend to socialize here in the mornings and after work (with their owners of course). Clean, but the lawn can get a bit patchy.

We went on a sunny day last year and to my delight, there was plenty of shade. The park has several…read morebenches, a grassy area for picnic blankets, and two swing sets--one with two baby swings and one with two regular swings. There are no accessible swings here. A perk of this park is all of the wheeled sit-on toys, which we've been told live at the park. Kids can sit on the toys and roll down the itty bitty "hill". Near the swings is a small "sand" pit. The sand here is not beach sand; it's sand mixed with dirt, wood chips, and random sticks. There's one fixed four-seat table that'd fit adults and one table with seats for kids. Though the chairs look like they'd swivel, they do not. Free street parking isn't hard to find.