Beautiful park named after the famous hometown author. It's one of the must see places in Waukegan,…read morebut it's usually pretty quiet. Ray Bradbury Park is located in a residential area, so it's isolated from tourists. A lot of people don't know where it is either. That helps keep them away and you can enjoy it better without crowds and stuff. As for the park itself, it's actually not that big. It has an entrance off a side street, close to a few houses. There's a marker noting history of the Waukegan River and the ravine that was mentioned in Bradbury's Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer. Cool for book nerds. For sure it's cool for anyone obviously. Bradbury was even at the park dedication and met a few excited authors and fans. The marker has photos and information. Has no parking lot because this is a residential area. It's usually not busy so street parking is pretty much okay. There's not a whole lot of people who know where this is, so it doesn't get lots of tourists.

The great Science Fiction writer Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan in 1920. His writings include…read moreFahrenheit 451, and of course The Martian Chronicles. Several of his novels are semi-autobiographical. In stories such as Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer he reinvented Waukegan as Green Town. He wrote about a park, drawn from childhood memories, in Dandelion Wine. In 1990 the park, located a few blocks from his boyhood home, was rededicated as Ray Bradbury Park. Bradbury himself, was on hand to do the ribbon cutting. The park is not large, but it has a neat stairway that drops down into a deep ravine. It is easy to imagine Bradbury as a child, exploring this magical place. It obviously left a lasting impression on the great writer. Go pick up a copy of Dandelion Wine, wait for a nice sunny day and let Mr. Bradbury take you on an adventure as you explore his park. You never know what you may discover!

I visited the Viking Park on Tuesday July 21 about 10:30 am. The weather was perfect for the…read moreoutdoor summer concert for the kids. There were many families with little ones. Jeannie B. Put on a remarkable performance with music and dancing for the children. There were many hands on activities. The adults got Chance to join in with their children at the end. It was simply amazing to be out in the park after the many days of dangerous air levels. A nice place with great musical acidity for the family.

been here a dozen of times...a hidden gem that is not easily visible and accessible from the main…read moreroads...located off the historical "old grand ave"...very well maintained recreational area...great for hosting different indoor and outdoor events (i.e. bday parties, weddings, craft shows, private gatherings)...several indoor centers with that old country settings...the rental rates are cheap maybe because it's a gurnee park district and not privately owned...clean indoor bathrooms complete with plumbing...different outdoor courts (basketball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, etc.)...plenty of parking scattered around...beautiful large old trees (especially the acorn) compliments the setting that mimics a bob ross landscape painting...the only negative comment i can say - metra line is next door so expect some train noise when outdoor...or wear ear muffs!

This park has a little bit of everything: new playgrounds, old playgrounds, basketball court, path,…read morefitness stations, sheltered picnic area, bathrooms, and a spray park.

Big awesome park lots of fun for family and friends!!Also has shaded areas from the sun!read more

Great park for the kids there's so many things to do there . Highly recommend it…read more Coming back soon

We came for the water slides today on a hot day. The prices are reasonable…read more This is a pleasant and safe environment. The outside of the water park has sprinklers for a tease. Once inside, there are slides for children, teens, and adults. I saw plenty of lifeguards and life jackets, ensuring everyone's safety. The bathrooms are reasonably clean, with private showers. There are plenty of chairs for everyone to lounge in after leaving the water. The facility is family friendly.

I took a little vacation from the city over 4th of July weekend and ended up spending a day in…read morebeautiful Gurnee! The original plan was to do Six Flags or maybe Key Lime Cover. However, once we got here, I just didn't want to deal with huge crowds. I used my Yelp app and found this hidden gem! It was not crowded at all. It was likely all local families. This was probably my favorite day of the vacation. We hung out for a few hours and this really nice aquatic center and then stopped at Jewel on the way back to the hotel and picked up some food -had a picnic back in the room. A really nice venue -I'm sure much nicer than crazy Key Lime Cove (who wants to be indoors on a beautiful summer day?) I felt like I was truly on vacation at a luxury resort. Funny what 35 miles out of the city can do for your spirit!

This is a great small town park and it's huge. Baseball diamonds, soccer area, football area, stage…read morefor music or movie evenings, a great bike/walking path all the way around, a fishing pond and more. Great American park in a great American town.

From the owner: Central Park is one of the biggest parks in Grayslake, IL. Operated by the Grayslake Park District,…read morethe park features 2 playgrounds, a splash pad, softball/baseball fields, football/soccer fields, a lacrosse field, a 1.5 mile walking/biking trail, picnic shelters, disc golf, a band shell, washrooms, and so much more! Several large community events are hosted at the park throughout the year.

Fun park with plenty of things to do…read more Originally intended to go here for some fun disc golf and enjoyed my experience here. The course has a wide variety of different challenges and terrain available, though the quality of the tees and signage varies throughout the course. I wasn't a huge fan of the earlier holes which go close to the street and around the areas where geese congregate. However, the middle holes go through some beautiful forest and have a much more interesting combination of terrain. The baskets are difficult at times to see, to updated signage would also be better. But overall, a fun set of challenges. Even if you're not into disc golf, the park itself is beautiful with a large pond, many walking paths, and a variety of nature. There's also basketball courts, a baseball diamond, pickleball courts, picnic areas, picnic shelter, washrooms, tennis courts, and other amenities. This looks like a great place to enjoy a sunny afternoon.

Bevier Park is a beautifully kept park. It has one gazebo that you can rent out with a few tables…read morethere. There's a decent sized fenced in playground for the children. It has a nice walkway along a pond which attracts lots of wildlife to see along the way. A large baseball diamond, tennis courts and basketball courts. The bathroom is decent which is a plus when it comes to parks.

Hastings Lake Forest Preserve has approximately a 2.1 mile hike. The path is paved and pretty even…read morethroughout. It wraps around the lake which offers nice breezes. Many areas along the trail are shaded by large trees so it's not all sunny and hot. The lake has a good population of turtles and surprisingly also has big mouth bass among other species that you are allowed to fish! They offer a boat ramp to bring your boat or even canoe! They also have plenty of places around the lake to sit and just reflect and relax. The path was very clean and markers easy to spot as there is only 1 path and no diversions. It's a great morning activity with family and friends.

Hastings Forest Preserve has wonderful trails and paths for both hiking and bikes. There is a trail…read morethat wraps around a beautiful Lake. There is also a wonderful playground for children. It has a nice soft padding for kids to play on making it safer than your usual wood chips or Tire shreds. There are plenty of swings for both Toddlers and older along with infants and young babies. The only reason I have not given this five stars is because there has been prepares needed to part of the playground that have not yet been repaired. The repairs have been needed for quite some time now and have not yet been addressed. Maybe once the repairs are completed I will change my rating. Another great feature to this area is there are nice bathrooms right by the playground and in the center of the forest preserve. There are also picnic tables and a pavilion for people to have Gatherings of all kinds.