Great little path, little bit of an incline going up over the bridge, can be a little rough as some…read moreof the trail is just gravel and dirt. Friendly people walking along this path saying hello and smiling at you.

A hidden gem in Bloomingdale. 2 looped crushed limestone paths. Dogs and bikes welcome. Very clean…read more Ample parking. Great for birding.

We discovered this place in 2020 & kept going as nature walks were the only family activity we…read morecould do during the pandemic. This park is impeccably maintained, safe & offers a vast green space along with ample parking. Views of the fox river, mature trees & big lush grassy lawn. There are numerous activities available besides walking, biking, picnicking. You can enjoy amenities such as a baseball park, tennis/pickleball courts, paddle boats & mini golf (for a fee), fitness circuit, beach volleyball & bocce or bring your own set of outdoor games. Also a small water park with slides. Now all that's lacking is a set of basketball hoops & this would be THE perfect park! The bike path runs alongside the scenic Fox River, providing breathtaking views. Benches & picnic tables are plentiful & scattered throughout the park. It's the perfect spot to set up a pop-up tent & picnic blanket like we always do. You can also rent a pavilion for parties & gatherings. This park is conveniently located near a variety of restaurants, stores & bookstores on Main St. in St. Charles.

Came here to picnic for Mother's Day. It was very crowded but a lot of green space. The park has…read morewide sidewalks for a stroll or biking. There are also activities. Paddle boats, scenic boat ride and mini golf. There are some snacks sold by the mini golf area. My only complaint is there isn't enough restrooms. There is one facility close to the parking lot but it is a long walk of you decide to camp farther away. There should at least be portopotties spread out.

Nice park area (with parking) with basketball area, restrooms, a few covered picnic tables, and…read moreolder/younger play areas. A nice walking path next to retention pond takes you to MacArther school park next store which has nice new equipment. Nice spot to stop and play for a bit. Some shaded benches. There are tennis courts here as well.

This place is a hidden gem.... literally. Well, not literally a gem, but literally hidden. GPS told…read moreme to make a right, where all I saw was a Nissan dealership. Nope, and instead I ended up circling around. But sure, enough, make a right when the GPS tells you too. Ignore that the car dealership is there, and pay attention to the fact there's a giant sign letting you know Vogelei Park is there. We had a barbecue at one of the seating areas with a roof and it was OK. The engineers who designed and created the shelter's roof apparently didn't like the sunrise, as the way it was angled, the unusual early June 90-degree heat and sun shone right on us during the early evening. After it got dark, the shelter had lights that illuminated, which was a bummer. Overall though, it's a great place to consider for a BBQ. BATHROOM REVIEW: Located in the building, the bathrooms were good, for a public park bathroom. It had a couple of urinals and stalls. Sit or squat? Squat.

HIDDEN PARK ALERT!! HIDDEN GEM ALERT!…read more When the sun came out one afternoon after a cloudy, dreary week, I knew I had to find some outdoor spot to frolic about in. Since I was in Palatine at the time, and wanted to go home to Roselle without driving too far out of my way, I pulled up the Yelp app and typed in "park." Too many places popped up, none were what I was looking for. So I tried, "zoo." One of the first things to pop up was the Northern Illinois Raptor Center. What!? I did a quick search on what it was, expected there was some kind of magical owl zoo somewhere, and headed out this way. The drive to this park is very easy to miss. I did miss it, and had to do a long turn about through a neighborhood to get back to the entrance, which is located off of Higgins at the intersection of Golf, in between a couple car dealerships. The easiest way to find it is to look for the Hoffman Estates Park District sign and turn RIGHT THERE. Then you'll see a barn at the end of the drive and a park. Whew. I got out of my car, walked over to the barn and older building, found locked doors, wandered over to a map, scanned the map, saw absolutely no mention of any raptors or owls or birds, and decided, "Screw it, I'll just go walk around the park since I'm already here." Fortunately, my disappointment was quickly dissolved after one leisurely lap around the park. Here's what Vogelei has: - A pond that's part of the Bio Swale Water Quality Initiative. I'm still not quite clear on what it is, but it's a water system that cleans storm water runoff of man-made chemicals while providing a habitat for animals and helping the environment. Whatever it was, it sounded and looked awesome -- grassy, marshy areas, a walking path, a picturesque bride and gazebo. And white birds with long legs that fly away when I try to take pictures (darn bird). - A rose garden. Not a very big rose garden, but it's a nice little rose garden with blooms bigger than my hand. I kid you not. Crazy giant flowers. - Lots of grassy areas for picnicking, hooping, and running around like crazy. The park district also holds concerts (mainly for kids) here sometimes. - A playground jungle gym that's shaped like a barn. Sweet. - A splash pad!! It's basically a large, squishy pad with sprinklers. It's turned on during the day -- all you have to do is press down on one of the buttons on the padded surface to activate the water that shoots up. Yes, there is a chance you could get wet doing this. It's fun. Take it from this lady with the crazy hair (oh, what a sight that must have been)! - A conifer garden: an area with a bunch of tiny pine tree bushes. - Safety town. One of those little set-ups where kids can ride their tiny bikes around a little town and learn how to be safe when they cross the street and all that fun stuff. - The barn. Apparently the barn holds some kind of banquet room that you can rent for events. Cool. The park district's summer camp also uses the building for the kids -- I kind of felt like a creep walking in there. Not sure what that other, seemingly abandoned building was for. I probably spent a good forty-five minutes lurking around the park. Not bad. Still no awesome owl zoo, though. Disappointed, I left and wrote this review. As I was finishing up this review earlier this morning, I decided I really needed to go back and find that mysterious magical bird zoo before finishing this review! Back I went... and instead of an empty park, I was greeting with a full parking lot and tons of camp kids. Definitely not the kind of scene for aimless wandering with a camera. Fortunately, someone pointed me in the direction of the raptor center... YES! IT EXISTS! ... which was in a cluster of tiny house-like buildings, surrounded by a fence to keep people out. There were no birds. The birds will be on display later this year or something. Bummer, but so glad I figured out this mystery! SO. This definitely isn't your typical suburban neighborhood park. I won't go out of my way to come back here again (OK, maybe I will -- because I already did), but if I'm in the area and looking for a quiet park to hang out in, I'd re-visit. Nice job, Hoffman Estates.

Daughter had her wedding here in December a beautiful white building with snow was awesome. They…read moresupplied the chairs and table tables.-if I remember correctly. It was in 2014. Would definitely recommend spring summer winter fall. I think this building would make anything look beautiful.

My brother and sister-in-law went to Walton Island Park in Elgin to take pictures before their…read morewedding on their wedding day. As the name suggests this park is made up of an island and several bridges in the middle of the Fox River. There is a walking and running trail, fishing spots (with the appropriate permits of course), and benches and shaded places to sit and enjoy the nature. While we were visiting, the trees had turned color in the fall and added to the beauty of the area. There are some fantastic places to take pictures. The park even comes with a gigantic American flag. For a beautiful park to experience and enjoy, I highly recommend Walton Island Park!

After having a meal at GIA MIA - Geneva, my husband and I needed to have a walk. We found Mount…read moreSaint Mary Park in St. Charles. This was a great park to take a walk in. There were sculptures all along the walking path. This gave us something to look at and discuss as we walked. In addition to the walking path, there is a playground, tennis court, and skate park at this park. There is also a veteran's memorial at the center of the park. For a variety of things to do, I highly recommend Mount Saint Mary Park.

A nice place to take a stroll in the park. Sculptures, benches, on the river in St Charles. Very…read morenice.

Fun little park! A hidden gem found in Bartlett. The park is perfect for children of all ages…read more There's something to do for everyone here. Not to mention a free splash pad if weather cooperates! It's small, but it seemed clean and parents were present and on top of things here. It did say on the website that the splash pad would start at 11:00. It didn't start until 11:10. But the tiny parking lot close to it filled up at around 10:45. So getting here early would be beneficial. There is also a covered gazebo -- so bring a lunch when the kiddos get hot and tired of the sun. There is a port-a-potty too in case the little ones need to use the bathroom. Visit if you can!

Pretty view while I ate lunch. The sound of the water was relaxing and watching the birds and ducks…read morewas nice

This is a nice park right along the Fox river! We stopped by last weekend on Sunday, which was an…read moreabsolutely gorgeous day. The only problem was that everyone had the same idea as us so the paths were a bit busy. Nearby are a bunch of picnic tables and they even have indoor restrooms that were clean. Props to whoever is keeping those up to par! There is also a bunch of benches, a gazebo, and plenty of open space for a picnic. We packed one and it was the best idea. The park is right alongside the walking/bike path and you can get to it from the parking lot of the Geneva bike shop. It's honestly a cool looking park to bring the kiddos for the day. One thing to note is that the paths in this area are pretty narrow. With bikers zooming by, it isn't the easiest spot to walk your dog. I think what would help is if people walked their bike, instead of riding it in front of the park area. Anyway, we were glad we stopped by and recommend if you're looking to get outside in Geneva!