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...

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.

Lagendorf park is a nice, clean facility that is heavily frequented by residents. The building is…read moreextremely relevant to the community, as the Barrington Area Job Fair is held there. To me, the best part about the facility is the historic significance of the location--where the Battle of Barrington took place. The Battle of Barrington was an intense and deadly gunfight between federal agents and notorious Great Depression Era gangster, Baby Face Nelson, that took place on November 27, 1934 in the town of Barrington, outside Chicago, Illinois. Very cool if you are a history buff like myself.

I lived in Barrington years ago, when my son was in grade school & middle school…read more At that time, and still to this day, Langendorf Park was *the* park in Barrington Village. It's huge, and has everything you ever wanted in life, including an aquatic center and even a golf course. I feel a story coming on....... So I had an art gallery just a few blocks from the park, at Hough St. & NW Hwy.. My son would often come to the gallery after school to do homework, or just to check in with me. One day he rode his bike to the gallery, with his friend Gerry. The gallery was set back off the street, separated from the road by a parking lot. The sidewalk in front of the gallery did not get a lot of foot traffic. My gallery had two huge windows, right on the sidewalk in front. I sold a ton of artwork just by displaying it in those big windows facing the busiest intersection in town. When the stop light was red, I had a captive audience, haha..... My son and his friend parked their bikes in front of one of the big windows. This town was so safe it was like Mayberry, and there was no reason at all to wheel the bikes inside, so we thought. We could even see them clearly from inside. So I clearly saw when two big "kids", probably pushing 20 years old, jumped on those bikes and took off. By the time we all ran to the front door, the thieves were already a block away. My son had waited a long time for his new bike, a gift from his dad. That bike was his transportation around town, and would you believe I still have it, and sometimes I ride it. As I saw those 2 men ride off on the kids' bikes, my heart sank. I figured it was a done deal, a lost cause. The boys ran in the direction the bikes had been headed, but I still had little hope. The surrounding business people began to come outside, aware of what had happened, but helpless to do anything. Until.......like a character from an action movie, a blonde woman appeared out of nowhere. She ran after the thieves, so fast that I didn't recognize her as my boyfriend's sister, Denise, who worked in the drugstore a couple doors down from the gallery. Denise, the track star. Denise, the marathon runner. Denise.....the savior of the day. She ran like a bat outta hell, like she'd been shot from a cannon, across busy parking lots, down the highway toward Langendorf Park. She caught a glimpse of the thieves entering the park. I had called the police by now, and they were on the way. And my son and Gerry, and me and my employees, and half the shopkeepers in the plaza, were in hot foot pursuit of Denise and the bicycle thieves. If only I had a video of all those people running down Northwest Highway in this sleepy, boring community where nothing ever happened......haha.... You can already guess that Denise caught up with the thieves, in fact just in the nick of time..... just as they were struggling to hoist the bikes over a back fence in Langendorf Park. They ended up abandoning the bicycles and taking off on foot, through the park, with the mob chasing them. The cops caught them. There were charges filed, and eventually a court date. My son had to take off school to go to court and testify. The thieves, who turned out to be like 19 years old, claimed it was all a prank, all in fun (although they were strangers to us)......and the judge let them off. Boooooooooo.......... But at least the bikes were safe. I'm glad for that tall fence at the back of the park. I'm also glad for all the hot summer afternoons when the pool was a godsend. Somebody in Barrington please post pics of this great park, wouldja?!

For toddler aged children, this splash pad was a dream! Everything was low to the ground and able…read moreto be reached, there were lots of buckets for transfer play, and plenty of areas with lighter splashing water. My son (almost 2yo) had so, so, so much fun for about 3 hours! He came home absolutely exhausted- a mom's dream for a good nap! It was $4 admission per person, which I found totally cheap! They have plenty of picnic tables to eat, as well as areas to park strollers and lunch bags. There was also lots of seating available if you wanted to sit and watch your toddler play (especially helpful if you're pregnant and need a little break from standing!). The bathrooms were small, but clean. Honestly, all of the essentials were available and it truly made for a great morning!

What a cute place for kids to play! Perfect for toddlers or younger kids. Great on a sunny hot dayread more

The employees were friendly. They were very organized to keep the flow of golfing experience…read moresmooth. There are two different 18 hole courses that were challenging and fun. Everything was clean and well maintained. The background music was great and at a good volume. There is an opportunity to win a free round of golf at the 18th hole if the luck finds you!

Mother's Day went to play miniature golf with our family ages 7and 5. Turned away for the height…read morerequirement of 4 feet as my youngest was only 47 inches tall. Also, cash only...hmmmm. Absolute joke. I hope the business goes under as our one child was in tears walking back to the car. No need for a response, your business is an absolute disaster. Height requirement for "mini" golf. Unbelievable.

I've been here many times and it never disappoints. There are 2 different courses and they each…read morehave 18 holes. It's fun for the whole family! It's definitely worth doing both courses because all of the holes are a little different. Would recommend!

Congo River is the cutest mini golf course! The prices are super reasonable, and the course is much…read morelonger than I expected. It's such a fun date idea, and I loved all the scenery, waterfalls, and little water features throughout the course! If you're looking for a tiny mini golf course with only a few holes, this isn't it. It's also very kid-friendly, making it fun for all ages. I'll definitely be coming back again and again!