Another small park that's in Hyde Park and used mainly by residents for dogs and kids. It doesn't…read morehave a whole lot going on. Nichols Park is nice enough either way. Kept up pretty well and clean. There's also a playground. Fairly good open area. It may be kind of small but it's bigger than it actually looks. This is small compared to the larger parks for sure but it's still plenty enough space. People like to come here and walk dogs. There's also pretty good playground equipment so this is family friendly too. It may feel a little sketchy at times but generally there's not much trouble around here. The area is usually too busy to get away with bad stuff. Has a few athletic fields. It's most often used for soccer. There's also tennis.

There are actually quite a few parks in Hyde Park, in particular near the university, of which…read moreNichols Park is one. It's not a Jackson Park in size, but it's a large park for sure. Nichols Park is named in honor of John Fountain Nichols, an artist and lifelong resident of Hyde Park. He was a student at the SAIC and took part in creating artwork for the federal government during the Depression. He also was a teacher on the south side and championed the revitalization of Hyde Park. This park has a gym, tennis courts, two fountains, field house, and lots of green lawn. There's also a community garden here, flowers and veggies for all. Playgrounds, a baseball field, and more round out the offerings here. If you need parking, there's plenty of it around here.

I'm a Chicagoan. It's important to know your biological and national history. The Museum is full of…read morehistorical artifacts. The guide was engaging and knowledgeable. I recommend that all Chicagoans especially our school aged children are exposed to an important legacy.

This is a gem and well worth the visit. Kudos to those working on preserving the Pullman buildingsread more

This is a beautiful preserved historical town. With such…read morecharm, sophistication and class. It's well cared for, which shows in how clean and presentable everything is. They are doing an amazing job of preserving a piece of history for their community and visitors. Beautiful traditional town square with gorgeous residences around. There seems to be everything small towns need right here. Nice Restaurants. Ice cream parlor, nice clothes tailor and cleaners. Financial services, law offices, heat & cooling specialists. It's wonderful to see history preserve and they are doing such a good job maintaining it.

The Riverside waterworks is hard to miss, and it and the two well houses look fascinating. But…read moreyou'll basically be admiring them from outside. The museum is housed in one of the two well houses (the other is used for storage), as well as the archivist's desk. There is essentially no space, so there are just a few tiny exhibits (a glass plate; a model of a house), some posters on the wall, a few leaflets, and a file on every house in Riverside. The archivist was very helpful and friendly, and I learned a fair amount about Riverside and about Frederick Olmsted, who designed it (and Central Park, and the Biltmore...). But if you're not local, you'd better combine this trip with something else - I love museums and was hard-pressed to spend 20 minutes here. You'll learn just about as much in the "Visitor's Center" at the train station (the roofed area on the right as you get off the train from Chicago), which I recommend you visit as it's right next door, and goes into a little more detail on the town itself than the museum does.

My discovery of Sunset Bridge Meadow came after I took an alternate run route because the underpass…read moreheaded north towards Schiller Woods South was blocked off due to flooding. And since then, I have been slowly moving further south with hopes of locating paths that lead to Thatcher Woods which I hope to eventually start off at in the future to train for marathon runs as I have done before, but at Fullerton Woods trailhead. What I like about this trailhead is that its parking lot is spacious, and highly visible being that it sits along a highly driven on W North Ave. And on top of it having a spacious parking lot, it has a huge open field that is perfect for activities outside of outdoor picnics at the grove. Out of the trailheads in this area which are Fullerton Woods and Jerome Huppert Woods, I recommend this one for safety and security purposes due to its location if you plan to be on the Des Plaines River Trail for more than an hour exploring. Because with its location being in a highly visible area along W North Ave anything suspicious will be easily identified. And also there are a decent number of visitors in-and-out. Once you enter the Des Plaines River Trail, it is a whole different world where you can easily escape reality and be one with nature that covers an estimated total of 28.4 miles. And if you are lucky you will encounter some of the wildlife that live within the preserve too. On the Des Plaines River Trail, you will encounter hikers, dog walkers, mountain bikers and trail runners which all are friendly from what I have experienced. Most encounters with mountain bikers can throw your pacing off depending on how many there are in a pack which most of the time are no more than four. I do recommend taking the encounters as the time for a short break to hydrate or gather yourself until they pass by on whatever portion of the trail you may be on if there is not enough room. And lastly, a tip on how to not get off track on this trail is to stay along the Des Plaines River, which will end up on your left hand side once you cross the bridge. If you cannot see the river then you may have went in the wrong direction, but I assure you it is not hard to miss. And the further north you go towards the state line of Wisconsin the more the trail disconnects. ~Blessings~ Thomas G

Friends lived near and participated in Pilsen's El Paseo Community Garden in Chicago for a number…read moreof years, and we all still return to help or just to visit! This Sunday (Aug 2026) there was food and light merch for sale. We got fresh eggs! And there was a snake you could hold!

El Paseo Community Garden is one of those things that defines the greatness of Chicago. Humble…read morebeginnings of vacated land made way for the sunlight and brought neighbors together. Plants, specifically edible varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs are the focus, but there are beautiful flowers and indigenous prairie species in abundance as well. Translated to English, El Paseo means the way. The name speaks to this green spaces role as a path connecting two streets, as well as an approach to life in the city that generally speaking is the way for us all to stay sane and even happy living together in the vast urban jungle of Chicago. Growing things together.

Came across this small park while going by on a bicycle. It has many access points to The 606, the…read morebicycle trail that goes along Bloomingdale Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Julia De Burgos Park is one of the parks along this. Even though it's a pretty small one, it still has a lot. The playground includes a spider sculpture and a climbing web among other stuff. A convenient stop along this hip bicycle trail that goes along Bloomingdale Avenue. It's one of the many parks that access it. The park is known for the playground. Has a lot to play on. This was named after one of the greatest Latin American poets. She was born in Puerto Rico, and published 3 books of poetry in 1938. Then she moved and worked menial jobs, but she continued to write. It's not a park that has a ton of features, but there's some pretty cool ones. This is one of the city's newest parks. Land was acquired in 2009, and it opened pretty soon after. This park was renamed after her a bit later. Good way to get here is on a bicycle. It's also a good place for area residents to bring children. There's a pretty well taken care of playground.

This is a cute little Park that is off the Beaten Track…read more In the middle of the park is a spider web-like structure with a small trampoline in the middle. I have seen children and adults alike using this as their playground. Thankfully the ground underneath is a cushioned rubbery surface so anyone who may tumble out of this is not likely to get hurt. There also is a small climbing structure that can be very popular at times. During the week this part is not that crowded, acid is mostly used by locals in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, there is now an entrance and exit to the 606 Bloomingdale trail, so a lot of runners, walkers, bicyclists and disrespectful pet owners have discovered it. If you want to enjoy the park come during the week, forget about the weekends as it is overrun with too many people who do not respect or clean up after themselves or their pets.

We attend this festival every year. It's easily accessible by car or train, it is usually very hot…read moreand very exposed to the sun's UV's so come prepared with your sunscreen, spf wear, and/or parasol. There is a wide variety of art to peruse and take in. They also do a great job with the kids area by the DQ. If you need a bev or bite outside of the established surrounding businesses, follow the sound of live music to the west music stage and you will find vendor options. There are also some bite options at the north music stage but no alcohol. Thanks to Ravinia Brewing, we have beer at the festival, and since it's August, they usually have their Octoberfest on tap. Prost!

I'm always a fan of a great art fest, especially in my home town. It's been a few years since my…read morelast Port Clinton Art Festival, and I happened to be able to attend at the last hour of the show this year. Contrary to another review, I'm pretty sure this show is juried. I didn't have time to "shop" at the show, but I did take a bunch of cards from those I'd like to visit online. In truth, I think there was a wide variety of artists this year. Yes, it seemed like there were fewer, but I was happy to see some new ones mixed in with repeats. I don't know what I would do differently, but I wish it felt a bit more urban in flavor like the Old Town Art Fair. Even more variety? What I missed this year were the big crowds, since I came late. On the plus side I could get around a lot easier, but on the minus side, it took away from the excitement a bit. Next year I plan to get there earlier. I love and appreciate all art. Some of my favorites (so I don't forget), not included in the photos attached to this review, included: - Igor Menaker Fine Art Photography - Second Chance Art & Accessories - kudulah monsters - Tiny People Big Laughs photography out of Denver - Ezra Siegel - Bruce Jefferies Reinfeld with High Fidelity Gallery - Dotty Giraffe - Mark Hersch photographer (in photo above) Great job, and see you next year!

Looking for a fabulous venue to have a wedding, a grand party, or perhaps a music recital? This…read moreawe-inspiring room in this imposing building is owned by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). You've probably walked past it to or from Michigan Avenue shopping (it's just a block and a half west of the "Mag Mile." If like me, you first thought it was some family's mausoleum, you wouldn't be too far off the mark. The building was originally erected in 1926 to honor one of the founders of the ACS by its members. A concise history of the structure and its recent (1987 & 2003) renovations can be read here: http://www.murphyauditorium.com/history.htm. While the most recent restoration is chronicled in the ACS' official bulletin at http://www.facs.org/fellows_info/bulletin/2006/regnier1106.pdf It was following this 2006 restoring that the Fellows of the ACS decided to offer the auditorium for public events. A recent concert of Beethoven's newly discovered piano trio was premiered here in 2009 as covered by the Tribune: http://tinyurl.com/yjeqzdm John Von Rhein sums up his review with a plea for further concerts in this hall. This concert was also broadcast live over WFMT-FM. Even if your event is less groundbreaking than that one, you owe it to yourself to have a look inside. You can do this virtually by viewing their photos at the above site. The rental rate is also at their Web site. The auditorium's event coordinator is Catherine Carey and their phone number is above. Ms Carey's email is ccarey@facs.org

If you are looking for a grand, aesthetically pleasing venue for a party or an event, then you…read moreshould consider this place.if you are looking for someplace that has a good location that is lose to the Loop, Streeterville, and River North area. I was kind of thrown off for a moment when I walked in the front door. The company whose party I was attending has a history of choosing outstanding venues for their parties. When you actually walk in the front door of an elegant looking building from the exterior, you are greeting by a rather out of date, worn down entrance to the auditorium. Don't let this fool you because when you have entered the auditorium yourself, expect to to get blown away with how grand it really is!