My husband and I went to Willow Stream Park on a Tuesday evening. The weather was nice and we…read morewanted to take advantage of it. We went with a friend and walked around the walking path. There are also basketball courts, soccer and football fields, baseball fields, a frisbee golf course, and a swimming pool available at Willow Stream Park. I highly recommend Willow Stream Park for a great place to enjoy a walk!

Huge park with all the amenities you could ever think of like swimming pool, picnic shelter,…read moreplaygrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, bike path, volleyball courts, baseball diamonds,soccer fields, and ice skating rink. The parking is large and plentiful as well in this park so it can easily accomodate lots of events at the same time. My favorite feature of this park is the disc golf course. It's enormous, well kept, and features a variety of different shots -- without the fear of hitting buildings or roads unlike some of the smaller courses. Definitely worth a visit to enjoy some activities if you live in the area.

Kids Castle is one of the best parks and playgrounds around. The playground has so many different…read moreareas to explore that kids can easily spend hours playing without getting bored. Everything is well maintained, and there's plenty of space for families to spread out and enjoy the day. One of my favorite things about this park is its location. It's close to great walking trails, so it's easy to go for a relaxing walk before or after visiting the playground. There are also fishing ponds nearby, which make it an even better place to spend the afternoon outdoors. Whether you're bringing young kids to play, going for a walk, or just enjoying the peaceful surroundings, Kids Castle is a fantastic destination. It's one of those parks that keeps you coming back because there's so much to do, and it's always a fun place to visit.

Entertaining for all ages! Took my step daughter (5/6 year old) and husband here one summer…read moreafternoon. Clean, updated and a blast for all 3!

Parks like Busch Grove make me proud to be from Buffalo Grove…read more First, the park serves largely as a nature preserve. Trees, grasses, streams, and a pond are home to ducks, beavers, muskrats, and a colorful assortment of wildflowers. An asphalt trail circles through the preserve and on any sunny day you see families biking and rollerblading. To the side of the trail are signs highlighting various plants and animals you may see on your walk. On the east end, near Buffalo Grove Road, there is a skate park and roller/ice hockey rink. The hockey rink is busy year round and the skate park is very popular as soon as it warms up. Finally, the park is easily accessible from Willow Stream Park via the overpass over McHenry Road. Kids can safely get from the pool at Willow Stream to the skate park in Busch Grove.

How can you not love Lake Arlington?! The lake is beautiful,…read morethe treats at the Boat House are great, and the vibe is perfect. 10/10

Lake Arlington is a man made lake in Arlington Heights. There are many things to do there. There is…read morea walking path around the lake. The park also features a playground and exercise equipment. Lake Arlington is a great place to fish, kayak, and boat in the water. In the community center building, you can buy snacks and drinks as well as rent equipment to use on the lake. Lake Arlington is a great place for year-round fun!

I recently visited Lake Potawatomi and really enjoyed my time there. It's a peaceful place to relax…read moreand take in the scenery, whether you're going for a walk, fishing, or just enjoying the outdoors. The lake is well maintained, and the surrounding area is clean and inviting. One of my favorite parts was how quiet and relaxing it felt. There are plenty of spots to stop and enjoy the view, and it's a great place to spend some time in nature. The walking paths around the lake make it even better, and I saw plenty of wildlife while I was there. Overall, Lake Potawatomi is a beautiful place to visit if you're looking for a relaxing outdoor escape. It's well worth a stop, and I'll definitely be coming back.

Although Potawatomi Woods is not huge by comparison to other local preserves, it has a nice charm…read moreto it. This location has all the basic features such as areas to fish or boat, as well as paths for walking, hiking, and bicycling. There's also a grove available for picnics. Parking typically isn't too difficult and people are generally spread out fairly well across the woods, so you can enjoy a casual stroll without worrying about feeling crowded. These woods have a good variety of natural features that make it a great place to take pictures of the fall colors. If you have the right lenses, there's a nice variety of birds that can be photographed -- or possibly deer, rabbits, and other wildlife. Overall, it's amazing to have such a beautiful area in the middle of the busy suburbs. Definitely worth a visit if you live in this area and want to enjoy some natural beauty.

A little tricky to find, but is now one of my favorite spots to walk in the area - Buffalo Creek is…read moreenormous and stealthily bordering busy Lake Cook Rd on the south. The easiest way I found to get into the parking lot is by going North on Arlington Heights Rd past Lake Cook Rd onto Checker Rd and then taking a left right away. My GPS originally directed my onto the south side of the area. Once inside, you'll find an expensive space full of plants, creeks, bridges, and more. There's plenty of space to walk, bike, skit (on benches, picnic tables, etc.), fish, and more. At the entrance, there are toilets though there are many possible options for shorter and longer walks so it's not super difficult to get back to the parking lot should you need to cut your route short. This walk is one of the more picturesque walks to take around sunset time if you want a beautiful and relaxing view during your entire stroll.

One of my favorite preserves! It is a nice walk with beautiful views. Parking is always easy.read more

There was a wedding reception (dinner and dancing) held in Shelter A and B of this forest preserve…read more As a former Illinois resident I thought the wedding party would be uncomfortable, given this time of year. But I was wrong! Both the weather and surroundings were beautiful; I heard they sprayed for insects beforehand as well. Many picture opportunities. Open enough to enjoy the rest of reserve and share the good vibes with passersby. Some bees came out but only when we were already packing up. Maybe more available parking spaces would've been nice. Other than that, it was a good time.

A sensational park, trail, nature reserve that has been a gem for decades. As a kid, we would often…read morevisit the forest preserve to fish, go on the playgrounds, bike the extensive well-connected trails, walk..so much memories here. Great spot to host a cookout or party with their rental shelters too. Happy to see it still functioning for many folks after all these years. Wish Charleston, SC had preserves like this!

The new tennis courts are AMAZING! The pavement is perfect, the nets are tight, the lights are…read morefunctioning well at night!!! Oh yea and for someone that has allergies these courts do not have much pollen flying around, hence no allergy attacks, score! Oh yea, they did add a beautiful new entrance that is handicap accessible. There is a very nice playground. Clean bathrooms. Concessions are open during kid's baseball games... and there are two baseball fields here. The Parking lot is huge. The inside facilities do have some fitness classes, and during the summer I do believe that they have a day camp here still. BG Park District, you did very well with this one!

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

Has a quick wooden area (portage trail) loop walk with shade. A one-eyed red tailed hawk, another…read morehawk, an owl and a coyote are viewed in a cage enclosure. The visitor center is clean nicely maintained and has more live critters, reptiles and amphibians on glass enclosures. I imagine kids would enjoy seeing the animals. Medium parking and best of all, it's free. Donations accepted.

I recently took a hike in this area and passed by this Nature Center several times during the hike…read moreand decided to stop in. I was pleasantly surprised at how many different things there were to do here, but indoors and outdoors. Outdoors I was able to see a variety of animals including a coyote, owl, hawk, eagle, kestrel, and fox. Though they were caged, I got to see them fairly up close and hear the different sounds that they make. Indoors, there were various interactive exhibits as well as live turtles and various educational displays. Overall this is definitely worth a visit if you're hiking in the area and want to see a nicely maintained and educational display that helps to explain some of the wildlife nearby.