We absolutely love this place. A small forest preserve along the shores of Lake Michigan. Good for…read morehiking,biking and even cross country skiing. The beach is rocky which makes for great rock collecting and bird watching. There is a small parking lot which fills up quickly especially on the weekend. Ft. Sheridan is rich in history dating back to the Great Chicago Fire. Definitely a hidden gem in Illinois.

This is a lovely spot to feel cool breezes off the lake on a hot summer day. We enjoyed walking…read morethe beach, bird watching and all the native wildflowers.

I recently attended this park for a pickleball event but I am here to express my appreciation for…read morethis beautiful public park. Several years ago I took tennis lessons here. I also took taekwondo lessons (outside) here and I used to drop a family member at the ice arena for ice skating lessons. In winter, the sledding hill is a fun way to enjoy some outdoor activity. The children's play area looks well maintained. The accessible all gender restrooms are clean and in order. This is a beautiful park to watch sports, participate in sports, or enjoy the great outdoors.

This park has really blossomed over the years with a lot of activities. We only explored the…read moreplaygrounds on this visit, which were really nicely spread out. The playgrounds were fenced in and had soft cushioned surfaces. There was plenty of seating nearby too. By the playgrounds were tennis courts, pickleball courts and a basketball court. The park is just missing permanent bathrooms and a refillable water bottle station. The rest of the park has a frisbee golf course, ball fields, soccer fields, ice skating rink, sledding hill and plenty of parking.

What a treasure to have in our community!…read more When you're on the trails at Heller, you can completely forget that you're in a busy suburb, not far from the highway. You really get enveloped by nature in the best way. I feel compelled to add that they're doing a great job with the social distancing during the current COVID pandemic. Hopefully it won't have to stay this way forever, but I appreciate what they've done (making all trails one way, closing trails that can't be made one way) in order to allow us to continue to benefit from the beautiful surroundings. Trails are very well kept up. Staff is knowledgable. Can't wait until the programming resumes!

I was a chaperone for a 4th grade field trip here, and I must say, I was very impressed by the…read morestaff's patience with the kids. The team building games were excellent, and the kids enjoyed exploring the "playground". These trails are absolutely gorgeous, and I plan on returning with my own child! My only concern is that the fish tank is far too small for the amount, and the types of fish. I would expect more from a nature center that is promoting more knowledge about wildlife and nature. These fish were very clearly distressed and the biggest one was nipping at the smaller ones, tearing holes in its fins. Hopefully this is addressed soon.

Wood Oaks Green Park is one of my favorite parks in Northbrook! It offers something for every…read moreseason and every age -- tennis, softball, soccer, pickleball, a large sled hill, fishing at beautiful man-made Lake Shermerville, an extensive playground, picnic areas, and a scenic 1.25-mile trail around the park. Everything is very well maintained. When our daughter was little, my husband used to bring her to sled on the hills here whenever there's enough snow, and they always had so much fun. Nowadays, we come here mostly for the scenic walking and jogging trail. I especially love the picturesque Lake Shermerville that offers great photo opportunities. When the natural lighting and cloud formation cooperate, the sky becomes an ever-changing canvas with its artistic reflections casting on water. Those pictures are truly gifts from heaven! One of our most unforgettable experiences here happened on a chilly night in May two years ago, when we actually witnessed the northern lights from the sled hill! Who would have imagined that we could see the aurora right here in our own neighborhood? While waiting for the lights to appear, our family spent time together stargazing. It was such a beautiful and memorable evening. My husband, Alex L., captured some magnificent photos, which you can also find in his 5-star review of the park. A big thank you to the Northbrook Park District for taking such good care of Wood Oaks Green Park and the Northbrook's other parks. We are happy to see our tax dollars being put to good use and to have such wonderful parks for our community to enjoy.

The older grand-darling's softball team practices here and has their away games at this nice park…read more They have two softball fields, an east field and a west field. They are very well maintained, as are all Northbrook parks we have found. The park also has tennis courts, several soccer fields, and a renowned sledding hill that happens to be directly adjacent to the west field. The park is located adjacent to the Wood Oaks Junior High School, so there may be school activities ongoing depending on when you're there. Pro-tip for whomever - if you're going to the west field, check the map, and go onto Walters Ave to get to a very close by but smallish parking lot for that field. Otherwise, the next available parking is near the east field which is maybe 1300 ft to the east. Big thumbs up!

A few days ago, I took a brief walk in the Village Green Park, the path was nicely shaded with…read morebeautiful weather, it was absolutely pleasant to see little kids playing in the large and well-equipped playground on such a nice late-summer day. The park is right in the heart of downtown Northbrook, with an award-winning baseball diamond, seasonal soccer field, picnic areas, playground, paths, an old-fashioned gazebo and lush greenery.  The park is surrounded by a variety of eateries and restaurants, making it very convenient to dine in or get takeout to enjoy at one of the picnic tables. The Village Green Park holds an important place in my heart, as our daughter used to play here every day when we lived within walking distance. My husband used to bring her here to play every evening while I was cooking dinner. When she was a bit older, they would ride their bikes or rollerblade to the park, get ice cream at Baskin-Robbins, and then come home. It is a special park that was part of her growing up. Northbrook Days used to be held in Village Green, until the village decided that it was too damaging to the grassy area.  Fortunately, Art in the Park of Northbrook still happens here annually, making it our favorite activity to come to browse at the art and look at the dogs. Thank you, Northbrook Park District, for taking such good care of all 23 parks. We are happy to see our tax dollars being put to good use and to have such wonderful parks for our community to enjoy.

We happened upon the North Shore Artisan Market at this park. They had an eclectic collection of…read morevendors -- vintage clothing and accessories, foodstuffs, jewelry, art, plants, pet products, health and beauty items. It was a really nice assortment, the booths lined the paths, there were four or five long aisles. This is the only weekend for this location -- other markets in Chicago, Oakbrook and Naperville.

I so adore this park!! I remember dreaming of bringing my own children here one day, while nannying…read moremy way through college, and that day finally arrived TODAY. I appreciate the beautiful greenery, and although the park is faded and more worn than it was 11 years ago, my daughter and her bestie (4) had an absolute blast here! We spent a solid 3 hours here, bouncing between the spray park, playground, hedge maze and sandpit. The grass is spacious enough for a picnic lunch, and there are also two picnic tables on site. There are bathrooms onsite, including a family restroom which is great for changing. Not the cleanest, but decent for a park. I do wish they'd bring back the bench swings!

I've been hearing about this park for a while and we were able to take a visit over there today…read more I'm glad I knew what I was looking for because Google Maps was going to take me to a small playground on the other side of the school, rather than Little Bear Park which is on the very corner of Patriot and Chestnut (and is almost entirely fenced in, which makes it attractive with little kids). The Little Bear Park is actually a section within the larger Gallery Park, so you may need to put that in if your GPS is confused about LBP. This park was established as part of the redevelopment of the military airfield in Glenview. Overall, I was disappointed in the park, but there were some things I really loved about it along with those that left a bit to be desired. First, it looked like a gorgeous, romantic garden like you might envision from an Austen novel. Truly a beautiful setting, with a small hedge maze and a several picnic tables. Quite an idyllic little spot within the larger park, and ostensibly where it gets the "garden park" part of its name. There's also a really awesome water feature here. It's really large, and unlike some "splash pads" that are little more than a tall pipe sticking out of the ground, this one had several arms coming out of the ground of different heights. It also had some water coming from spots in the ground, for a lot of different ways to play. My kiddo got soaked and loved it. Sadly, the playground section looked kind of old and worn. It has a cute castle/medieval theme, but all the play equipment was quite faded. Of more concern was that the playground terrain, which was that composite rubbery stuff, was broken off in quite a few places; more than once my babe brought me small or large pieces. Seems potentially fraught in a few different ways, but it was weird since in all the parks I've been to with that kind of ground cover I haven't seen chunks of it missing throughout the playground. There's lots of parking at/around this park, because it shares space with a middle school and park district headquarters. The playground itself isn't the attraction for me--though if we are already in Glenview, I might stop--but I would absolutely return for a beautiful picnic in the garden, and that's what really makes it shine.

My kiddos loves this park. Very clean and has areas for every age group. Wonderful during the…read moresummer days. Take some food and have a picnic!

This is a small park tucked in a nice neighborhood in Wheeling. It has a small basketball court,…read moreplayground, gazeebo, and picnic area. A great, safe spot to play in the neighborhood.

Nice small park with playgrounds, gazebo, walking path and baskeball courts. It is enclosed within…read morea residential neighborhood so you do not have to worry as much about high amounts of traffic passing by. The grounds are neatly kept and the equipment is in good condition.