I grew up in Mount Prospect and took ballet classes at Lions for more than 15 years. When I was in…read moremiddle school or thereabouts, they built the second studio. In the years since then, I have been repeatedly reminded of how lucky I was to be able to grow up in a village that was so generous to its young dancers. The dance studio is spacious, beautiful, and has a sprung wood floor--much better for the knees than the tile-on-concrete that some other places have. I loved the dance teachers we had as well.

Lions Recreation Center is a small local recreation center in Mount Prospect. I have been here a…read morecouple times to play in an intramural basketball league. The basketball court is blue plastic and not very good. You won't kill yourself on this floor but it definitely isn't the ideal surface. The hoops are good and fully adjustable for all ages. On one side of the court under the hoop is a stage that is less than a couple of feet from the baseline. If you're making a hustle play on a fast break you must be aware of the proximity. They have bleacher seating for 30-40 people and a functional scoreboard.

I'm in a few park and playground social media groups, and the park at the Des Plaines Park District…read moreAdministrative Center has come up a time or two as being particularly good. I decided we should finally go check it out. If you're coming here for the playground, don't make the boneheaded mistake I did: Stopping at the Iroquois Community School, which is right off Touhy and when I saw the school's playground I thought we were at our destination. You will be sorely disappointed if you stop at the wrong one. If you make your way here via Birch Street, you'll go all the way to the end of the street, turn left, and find the park on the other side of the building; if you take Maple Street to get here, drive down toward the barricade dividing the street and you won't be able to miss it on your right. With all that out of the way, this is a fantastic park. When we left the school playyard, something just seemed off and I am so glad that I went around the block to find the actual playground we'd intended to visit, at the DPPD. It's all the way back at the end of the road; you'll essentially dead-end into when you head down Birch. This is my current favorite playground. The equipment is fantastic and so much of it is geared toward the littlest kiddos, which is not always the case. Here there are small things for them to climb on and under, there's a little "farmers market" booth with different play elements, crawl spaces, slides, and so on. My little girl had fun just running around the place, and she also did some crawling and climbing and sliding and enjoyed trying to feed the big turtle sculpture, as well as naming the turtle's body parts that she recognized. Toward the tail end of our visit, she spotted the swings, which is her favorite so we spent a while there before heading out. All told, we spent about 45 minutes here. The first time, that is--we've since been back again in the last week or so since our first visit and were there for an hour or more. There are several picnic tables in this playground area as well, so many of the parents were hanging out there whilst the kids ran around. This playground is geared toward younger kids (10 and below). The terrain is turf, grass, and paved walkways throughout, and it's fully fenced which is one of my favorite features of a park right now (though some parents are better than others about making sure the gates are actually closed). There's a private parking lot, very convenient. I hope we see you there!

On Sept 15, we went to the Fall Festival to see Live bands play on stage but what we saw was…read moredrunken brawls break out during the concert. Prior to the bands playing and during the breaks, announcements were constantly made for Alcohol Sales. Alcohol impairs judgement and I highly suggest that at future park district events that No Alcohol Sales occur, especially events that are promoted as "family friendly".

This is a pretty nice community center, and there's so much that it offers Des Plaines. There's…read morewhat you might expect from a park district community center, such as a quite large fitness center. There's at least one gymnasium. I know that somewhere in the building is a pool since this is where they host their swim program. There are studio spaces. In another area of the building, connected but not in the same building, is Prairie Lakes Theatre which hosts various suburban arts organizations and other events.

Ive been going to this community center for 4 years now to play pickleball. They offer it on the…read morebasketball courts Mon., Wen., and Friday from 8:30 till 11:00. When we arrive there used to be 3 courts set up and we had to set up the other 3 as they just left the nets aside the court. They offer no balls or a place to put our rackets like other community centers do. This year we arrive indoors once it gets cold and they haven't put up any nets, 6 are available. The friendly guy at the front desk said the nets are there and you can set them up. What happened to your maintenance man and good customer serve. I asked perhaps I should get a discount for setting thing up for you. I complained to the manager last year and nothing happened. Oh did I mention that when the kids are off from school we get kicked out early. Guess seniors aren't a priority at this center.

We unofficially nicknamed this place "Dirtface Park" but it's really a great playground, nestled in…read morethe midst of the rows of shabby apartment buildings by Dee Road and Emerson (north of Ballard & just south of Golf) in unincorporated Maine Township. It's just a few minutes from Golf-Mill but not well-known except to the locals. This is probably the most ethnically diverse park in my area, with lots of Indian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Eastern European kids from the area. Best of all, it has the one of the most elaborate playground setups I've seen in the NW burbs. So why the name? Well, when my 3-year old went to this park last year, he played and loved it for only a few minutes before he fell off a plaform and landed in a mound of wood chips. Dirt and tears smeared his face and itty-bitty woodchips went into his nose and mouth. The sad sight he was, we rushed him home to comfort him and give him a bath. He refused to play there again and we avoided it for a year, while it earned the name of "Dirtface Park". After a 1-year hiatus, I took him back a few weeks ago and he just got out of the car, tripped on the pavement and hurt his knee before ever reaching the park! Is it cursed? After that fall, he vowed "Never again!" to go back to this park, ever... Well, maybe not. The park is safe in my opinion and my son was a victim of unusual bad luck here. We took him back this past weekend and he got to play for a long time without any tragic injury or a faceful of dirt. My 1-year old crawled around and loved it too. The playground has a short tunnel made of coated wire mesh that looks like a cage and makes for great fun. It also has a series of square stepping blocks for climbing up to the slide, almost reminiscent of the old Qbert video game. I have not seen that done anywhere else. Besides the playground, there's tennis courts, and 2 sand volleyball courts which double as a giant sandbox when not in use. Lots of trees and shade around the play area to sit while you watch the kids playing.

My review is specifically for Ms. Sandria's girls and women's ballet / tap classes. The class is…read morean amazing value for the money -- and to me a surprising find for a small municipal park district. You or your child can learn ballet steps, and proper posture and decorum, while having age appropriate fun and stimulation. A small but exciting portion of each class is dedicated to tap. Ms. Sandria, who enjoys both dance and working with people, puts together a creative routine, starting from day one, building on each new skill and resulting in a gratifying show at the end of the "semester". She is also incredibly accommodating, and presented a "mothers-only" dress rehearsal in addition to the annual public recital. No matter where you start from, you'll find these classes interesting, good exercise, and you really can't beat the prices. Here's a link to an article in the local Tribune paper about the class: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/niles/community/chi-ugc-article-golf-maine-dance-classes-prepare-for-twinkli-2015-06-09-story.html

Absolutely beautiful!!! I needed a place to relax after my…read moreflight into Chicago. While I waited on my daughter's flight to come in (about 5 hours later). Next trip I'll be planning a picnic either when we land or before we fly out. What a beautiful and well maintained space. Filled with so much information and respect for America's heroes. Can't wait to come back!

Built in 1975, this memorial honors the men and women of Des Plaines who have served our country in…read morethe armed forces from the Civil War to the present day. This was a collaborative effort by the city, local VFW and local American Legion Post. The pavilion hosts numerous events including the annual Memorial Day services, the Live at the Lake summer entertainment series, Concert Band performances, the summer Movies in the Park and the annual Fall Fest. They were selling Christmas tress while I was there. The restroom facilities are also co-located here. The Pavilion is well maintained and consist of a bandshell and a walk way that has a plaque detailing every war from the Civil War to the Afghanistan War. Inside the bandshell you will find plaques with the name of the Des Plaines veteran that lost their life and which war it occurred. The center of the bandshell has the seal of all 5 of the US armed forces. There is a flag pole and a brick walkway leading from the bandshell and ends in a small circle. Because the pavilion provides somewhat protection from the elements, homeless people seek refuge here. This is a small, but fitting tribute to the honorable veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

This American Legion post has a small but very interesting military museum. They raise funds for…read morethe museum through monthly arts and crafts shows. The organization "The Young Marines" also meets here and is present at the arts and crafts. The place is very clean and well lit, especially during the arts and crafts shows. Five stars..

A great place to dispose of your worn American Flag, a dropbox is located outside of the building…read more If you can, get a buddy to fold it properly. Plenty of parking, including handicap.

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!!!!

Review for Harrer Pool parties only: Don't. We contacted the park district 1 month prior to…read moreintended party date to pay deposit to secure the party room. After scheduling and paying deposit for the pool party and confirming we have 1 hour set up and 1 hour post party to clean up, we tried to contact the Harrer pool coordinator for room specs, table number, size, chairs and equipment availability so we know what we needed to buy or not buy..table covers wall decor and such. Nothing. Emails and phone calls not returned. Was contacted 2 days prior to party by the new coordinator only to be asked about the cake. Coordinator told my daughter, the birthday celebrant's mom, we had to be out of the room exactly at noon. We were pushed out at 1145.. why? They had their own party to go to. Will never opt for a party space that NEEDS to have a coordinator on site. Have used the field houses for parties before and will continue to use them again. OR will rent Oriole Pool party room and instead (as long as that particular "party planner" is NOT part of the deal) So terribly disappointed.

This review is purely for the 'open' volleyball Thursday nights. I've gone to the gym for years…read more The workers there are friendly and helpful. The older woman that looks to head this "open" volleyball seems to pick and choose when she would like others to take part. My friends and I have slowly started to participate in the open volleyball here, but have noticed that her attitude towards us participating is not very kind. We come from different suburbs in the Chicagoland area - not exactly close. But we're turned away because she felt that they couldn't let one more team play (even though other players told us we were welcome). Third week in a row we were given attitude while trying to take part in "open" volleyball. I would suggest MG park district try to come up with a sign up sheet or better method of signing up to partake in "open" volleyball. Because if I have to travel from far to only be told I cannot play, it should not be called "open" volleyball. We would have made other arrangements to play had we known we would be told we cannot play there. Instead we wasted 45 mins trying to arrange another court to play. Unprofessional and rude.

We had a wonderful time. The venue suited all our needs…read more Inside seating for 60 guests, extra space for the buffet, covered pavilion for socializing, and the playground right behind that and so close for the kids. Showing pictures to people - they thought it was beautiful. Your guy was very nice. My daughter and her husband will have great memories. Our guests as well. I recommend it to everyone. Thank you. Pamela Varchetto

This park closed for about five months from November to March for renovation and just opened up a…read morefew weeks ago. They did a nice job. It's not the largest park but it is a popular one given its location. The new park has two types of terrain; there's a rubber surface under most of the structures and then under the swings is sawdust. They have a couple structures, including one that's a smaller one for the littlest kids. My kiddo really enjoyed that play structure and the swings are her favorite. She's still getting used to the slide, but I like that there's a couple small ones here for her to feel a bit more comfortable with it. There are at least half a dozen benches around the place which is helpful. The place is very busy but when we visited, it wasn't overwhelmingly so. There's a kind of field house here, so there's ample parking--I hadn't realized there was a parking lot for the place at first, and was glad to see it so that we could check this place out and not have to fight for street parking.

This place fills up a lot these days, but it's still a great oasis if you have young children and…read moreneed somewhere to get them in the water. If you go later in the day, it can be nicely shaded, and there is a pretty solid playground right next door if your kids get tired of being in the splash pad.