Veteran Acres Park is gorgeous, with a clean and historic nature center and plenty of hiking…read moretrails, with water features sprinkled in. I really enjoyed looking at the animals inside such as the snakes, and the trails were difficult enough to be challenging, but easy enough to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. I'm taking a star off because they were spraying Roundup all over the park while we were there, and the lake was quite green. Regardless, it was a fun experience to connect with nature and get off of our phones. We saw some caterpillars, chipmunks, and a lot of turtles. I remember coming here as a child, and will continue to visit when I'm in the area for some fresh air. I didn't see any ticks, but keep in mind there can be ticks and mosquitos in the damper months.

We really enjoyed Veteran Acres, saw a lot of wildlife with my boy and his friends, kids were…read moreplaying Army, I was taking lots of photos as usual n exercising while walking with them!!

It's not the largest park the village has to offer, though it does boast the picturesque clocktower…read moreand fountains at the NW corner. Other than that, unless you're looking to fish or take the kids to the playground, you may be better served elsewhere. Towne park has a larger playground, Hill Climb Park is no slouch either, and has just as many, if not more display boards with historical information. But if you're walking around downtown and want to head towards the river, you can get here without having to wait at the light, like you would if you'd headed to Riverfront Park. This park, like Towne Park, does feature restrooms, which is not nothing.

I like it here. The…read morepark has a brand new (looking?) playground, a nice gazebo that I think you can reserve for special events, and a big sunken grassy field which we found perfect for soccer. Also you can walk through the park up to the edge of the Fox river and do some fishing if that's what you're in to. By they way, the bathrooms were probably the cleanest I've ever seen at a public park.

Nothing spectacular or super exciting, but a park with a pretty nice lake view. They have a…read moreplayground-- a playground that's very old. Needs maintenance-- there were literally geese skeletons everywhere. Don't look at that picture if you're squeamish. Oh, also dead fish and other animals. Maybe it's a lion!

I happened upon this park when I got to the library just up the road a little early and had some…read moretime to fill. If you're waiting for the library open like I was, it's a short, easy walk. I was so glad for the extra time as I wouldn't have found this great park otherwise! The park being on the waterfront is mainly what makes this park great, it's a nice open area to enjoy the water. There is a cute little park with lots of slides and some swings. The picnic shelter is very large and close to the water. Further down from the park area there looked to be some ball fields. Looking forward to coming back here!

Just an update on my review since it's been awhile and I was able to have a wonderful conversation…read morewith Inna and Christi, who own and run this business every day! I came in on a late Saturday afternoon and it was perfect... there was only one other customer here. Except for the kids music playing over the speakers, it was "quiet" and calm. Everything was orderly and clean and my daughter was able to play with everything she wanted. Some notes for you who haven't been here: - No outside food or drinks. And this rule is serious. I found out from Christi that this is because due to their business designation, they are not allowed to have potential allergens (eg. peanuts, soy, sesame, etc) brought into the building. They are just following regulations and are not just trying to generate more revenue... though it's good to support local businesses! - Make sure everyone is wearing socks. This is one of the reasons it's so clean here! - It's $15 per child for the day, with no fee for adults. - Paying with card is 4% up charge (due to processing charges from the payment company), so bring cash or pay by Zelle. The owners are super nice as long as you are willing to ask questions and let them know what you need. They are kind to the kids and welcoming to the adults. One of the toys was out of batteries and Inna immediately replaced them so my daughter could have more fun! There's also an extensive menu of snacks and drinks for you and your child, so it's a good place to relax (as much as you can while having kids ) and have a nice coffee. Definitely come by and support this local business... especially when there's low traffic!

I've been taking my two toddlers here for awhile now. It's easy to watch my kids play since I can…read moresee the entire play area at once. The place is always very clean and staff is very nice! The food here (especially the waffles and coffee) is very good as well! I would recommend this place to anyone with younger kids!

Did you know a place like this exist?…read more So, if wakeboarding is something you've been wanting to try, there's one out in Crystal Lake that offers a pulley system. Think of it like a t-bar on water. Passes and equipment are all available at the site if you do not have your own. I believe the pass was for about 3 hours and if you are new, then there could be a wait for the cable each time you go. Luckily for me, doing 2 or 3 rounds was what I could possibly take, but I'm glad I got to try this sport out. I was definitely beat. The surrounding area is chill if you want to sit by the quarry with a beer and listen to the live band, no additional fee to enter, just pay to park.

Stopped in to the Quarry bar for a drink after paddle boarding at three oaks. There was a private…read moreparty going on, but we could still get a drink and sit near the water. I had a sangria. It was beautiful and strong. Everyone else had a second round but one was enough for me.

Hidden gem in LITH!! Peaceful, lovely scenic trails. It's a beautiful walk. The pavilion is great…read morefor a packed lunch or hanging out with a good book.

This place is a true hidden gem. You would never know it existed if not for stopping in and taking…read morea walk down a trail. The kids and I love to take in a trail and go amateur bird watching. My son loves fishing and he's participated in a few fishing derbies here as well as caught a few on a couple of quick trips out. The little ponds have all sorts of fish, but we've only really seen the bluegill and the sunfish. The trails on the west side entrance are grassy paths with various states of brush and shrub. There are even some stone formations for sitting or for the kids to play on. I've seen people jog and walk their dogs at safe distances, though now and again some inconsiderate patrons leave animal waste on the trails. I haven't been on the east side trails in a while, but from what I remember, they are more hilly. If you are in the area, you have to stop by... it's a natural wonder!

What an amazing place! How did I not ever know about this? It is free for entrance otherwise it's a…read morefive dollar visitor fee. If you wish to go to the main beach, that's an additional $12 if you are not a resident of Crystal Lake. The grounds are immaculate, very well maintained, and the bathrooms are clean. There are two lakes, multiple pavilions that you can rent ahead of time. Lots of picnic tables for you to sit down. Near the bar and grill while you can't go in the water, you can take your drink and sit on one of the cheers on the beach. You can watch people practice on their WaveRunner. Swing on the swings at the bar and listen to great music. I did not have any food here. I did have an amazing Mojito. The bartender was a young man looking to join the Barrington police force. Polite, kind and also had great customer service skills. The reason why I didn't give it five stars is that there are absolutely no markings anywhere as to what trail you are on, how long of a trail it is, and where there may be porta potties. There aren't any maps or QR codes and it was a bit confusing as I came upon several wise and the trail to decide which way to go as I had limited time there. Given the fact that everything is so nicely taken care of I don't know how they can't have at least some markings on the trails that they have there. One of the workers sent me direction and it literally just took me to a pavilion. They have kayaks, canoes, paddle boats and SUP boards. They also offer lessons for SUP depending on the day. Lots of people fishing. Amazing Place! Please add signage for the trails! The pop and water machine near the beach entrance did not work. Hopefully those are checked daily to repair.

First time here, and came with our 3 year old. Boy oh boy did we have fun!…read more Beach was beautiful. Very clean, everyone there was respectful and our son had fun playing with some other kids. Water... cold. Expected. Lol. But nothing you wouldn't get used too. Typical "pool / beach" food is available. Not the cheapest... so be ready, lol. But all is okay. Haha. There is feet washing stations and a really nice playground! We had an absolute blast and will absolutely be back!!!

Hidden Gem. This…read moreplace is buried in the back of this strip mall and those that have found it have probably searched for a kiddie place and saw it pop up. It's easy to miss. This is my daughter's favorite place to play. The staff here are friendly and wonderful. There are so many things to do. On this trip we rode the wheeled vehicles around, played in the princess castle with the costumes, and played in the little town and grocery store. It's worth the price of admission.

Great for very young kids! Clean and well organized. They have food and coffee so moms can feel…read morecomfy

Crystal Lake Main Beach never disappoints. We had an amazing time at their Friday the 13th…read moreinteractive chapter 2 of the movie. This is our second year going we went to the original and it was so fun. We decided to do again and they did not disappoint. They brought up their game by 10 points. Don't sleep on these little Park district activities. Sometimes they turn out to be the funnest not only do you get a beautiful view of the Crystal Lake and all its amenities but we had food and activities. They really went all out. The bathrooms are clean and well stocked. There was plenty of food to go all the way around with all the food trucks and as always, the park is clean and easy to navigate.

This main beach is full option! There are the beach, water activities, playground, food stand,…read moreconvenient parking spots, and big restrooms! Overall is nice and clean. Very good for family with kids.

Not bad. There's a bunch of different activities in this fun park. I'd say the age limit would be…read morearound 9 or 10, so if you have kids younger than that, you're good to go. I took my 5-year old and she loved it. There were some trampolines, ball pits, rock climbing and a ball playground. My kiddo could navigate the park pretty well, but there were a few things, like the rope swing, and the hamster balls that were just meant for the older kids. Overall the park was pretty clean, but there was an area with the plastic axe throwing (see photo), where the wall was torn to shreds, and it made me feel like the owners don't care about the state of their park. There's also an obstacle course-like area that needs updating for safety and for easier navigation. My kid wants to come back, so I may take her, but there are better indoor play places close by.

This place itself looks fun and sounds great, but hosting a party here is a completely different…read moreexperience. It was horribly managed. There is a "2 hours of jump time," which is deceiving. The 2 hours is actually the reserved party room, and once you factor in food and cake, that alone takes up about 30-40 minutes, depending on the ages of your party. So the actual jump time for us was actually only about an hour. The biggest issue was the lack of support. There was no help at all during or after the party. No one assisted with cleanup. The only thing staff did was put tablecloths on the tables. I've hosted and attended many parties like this, and I've never experienced one where the host is responsible for everything, especially the clean-up while knowing when parties are booked back to back. You're only given 15 minutes to set up at the beginning, and parties are scheduled immediately one after another. Our party was from 2:30-4:30, and we were expected to be completely out of the room by 4:30. No one came to help us transition or clean, and before my guests even had a chance to gather their belongings, for us to get all the gifts out of the room and the food we brought in - the next party had started barging in. Each room has shoe racks, and before my guests could even retrieve their things and move them to the common area, the next party was already placing their belongings there. On top of that, there's an extra $6 per child charge, which is tracked on an honesty system. How flawed is that?! While wristbands are provided, they aren't checked, and realistically, there's no way to track which kids belong to which party in such a chaotic and high-energy environment. People can easily lie about how many kids are staying behind. All you really do is to tell them the names of the people on their screen that are staying. All the kids had so much fun, including my own, which I'm so happy about. But would I ever again host a party there or recommend this to be the place - absolutely not. The party system has no structure and unorganized.