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.

The nature center is a great place to see some animals and other exhibits. The forest is much…read morebigger than it looks from the street and has nice flat paths. We saw several deer and chipmunks. Great place to go for a hike.

Well, on this hot and muggy Sunday, we decided to have an atypical weekend visit to the shady Grove…read moreto do our almost daily walk. We typically only visit here on quieter weekday mornings. We were pleasantly surprised and fortunate to find the Blacksmith Shop open and that is the case only on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. Alec was the blacksmith on duty and he provided some insights into his craft as well as a walk-through of their various iron products, both functional and decorative. He is one of five volunteer blacksmiths on the staff here and really enjoys his time here. Thanks for the tour Alec!

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.

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.

There was a family event here so we decided to come check the place out. Even though my kiddo is…read moreonly two, she liked seeing some of the stuff they had on exhibit and they also had coloring pages and whatnot. We got here near the tail end of the event, so we didn't spend much time inside and went walking along the little trail where they had signs up with information about turkeys spread out through a little loop around the woods. It's a lovely preserve, and I'll bet it's particularly beautiful in the spring and summer. The building is small but sufficient to have some programs and there are bathrooms here. There are a few outbuildings as well; I'm not sure if there are programs there too or not. There's a good deal of parking here. Keep an eye on their calendar to have an excuse to come out, or just spend some time wandering the trails in peace and quiet.

This place is stunning. My neighbor told me about it and I promptly took a drive up here that…read moreafternoon just a few days after "peak" fall colors. It's amazing. I wasn't adequately prepared because it was a spur of the moment decision, so I didn't have a jacket or warm enough clothes, so I didn't stay or walk around too long. (And sadly their giftshop didn't have any sweatshirts -- I would've bought one if they had because it would've solved my problem. So, note to Ryerson: sell sweatshirts in the fall!). I've since come back here for an art exhibit (see my review on the Brushwood Center page for that info). I cannot wait to return again in the spring and definitely multiple times next fall. I want to explore it all.

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.

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.

My review is for the pool. Footballs being thrown all over, flying by our heads. Preteen boys…read morethrowing balls and running around in the zero depth pool. No discipline by any lifeguards. It was ridiculous! The "manager" walking around while all this is going on and nothing! Camp kids throwing each other in the pool and no counselors or lifeguards telling them to stop. I've been going here for years and it's just getting worse...so disappointed!

Brought our 2 yr old to enjoy walking around the park. It's old, dirty, and seems to attract odd…read morepeople. The whole time we were there a grown woman was swinging on a very loud squeaky swing. Seemed to be a bit off. A cute family was trying to have a little lunch on a nearby picnic table. The strange squeaker probably ruined their Sunday afternoon too. Tried a couple times, just seems like a lonely old park. Hot, no shade either.

As I read through other reviews, there is a lot more to this park than just a trail around a lake…read more We did a fundraiser that included a walk around the lake. The park is very good and the walk is nice. The whole loop is only about 1 1/2 miles so it's an easy walk. The other reviews talk about accommodations for a party, indoor sports like basketball, a gym, and more. We didn't check any of that out since we didn't know they were there. Speaking of the path and the lake, it's lovely and a nice place to go on a warm day.

Gallery Park started out as a collection of flat aprons and runways in the Glenview Naval Air…read moreStation. The Naval station closed in '93, and the hundred and fifty acres that now comprise Gallery Park became available, and were incorporated as this park. Tip: There are several different trails here, all of which loop around Lake Glenview. The lake also has several piers, some small islands, and a bridge My two favorite trails here are the Lake Trail (one and a half miles long) and the Park Trail (one point eight miles long). I used to also very much enjoy the Lakeside Trail, but I ran into far too many ticks the last time I went there, so I've been avoiding it. Over and above the hiking trails, the park also has several soccer fields, tennis courts, and even some catch-and-release fishing spots. Last (but not least) there's a fitness zone with equipment for cardio steps, chest presses, an crunches, etc. But wait, there's more! You'll also find a children's garden, bike racks, water fountains, and picnic tables. All in all this is a pretty cool place to relax and get some nature on :-)

I had a great time at Dam No. 1 Woods East Forest Preserve. One of the highlights is the biking…read moretrails, which are well maintained and fun to ride. Whether you're looking for a relaxing ride or just want to spend some time outdoors, this is a great place to explore. The preserve is clean, peaceful, and surrounded by beautiful scenery. There are plenty of trees, open spaces, and wildlife, making it a great escape from the busy city. The trails are wide and easy to follow, and they're perfect for biking, walking, or simply enjoying nature. Overall, this is an excellent forest preserve with great biking trails and a relaxing atmosphere. I'll definitely be coming back for another ride.

Has a nice walking trail but if you make it a loop, it is on pavement for the other half. You get…read moreto see a few different habitats when you walk on this well kept trail! They have picnic tables and plenty of parking. Two main entrances for trails