Fellger Playlot Park

It has been HOT!  And so I went to a place that I knew I could count on to keep me and the kids cool - Fellger Park.  This cute little park is located on the corner of Damen and Belmont in Roscoe Village.  To begin, the park is in an amazingly family friendly neighborhood.  Fellger is always hopping with kids and parents (okay, nannies) enjoying the spray pool, playground equipment, little play house and child sized train.

We went to Fellger on a Thursday afternoon and there was plenty of street parking available.  My only guess is most of the people at the park live close enough to have walked.  On the day that we visited it seemed that the drain for the spray pool was not working fast enough.  This caused the water to pool in locations that it normally wouldn't (like under the baby swings).  Although this is not the norm, it actually added to the fun and I loved that I got to wade through the cool water as I pushed my little guy on the swings.

The park is very well maintained and also spread out.  It has the most slides I have ever seen in such a small space, tons of swings and enough trees to keep parts shady (and cool, somewhat).  K and F had so much fun running and jumping in the water, it is finally hot enough that the cold water was perfect for playing in.  We really enjoyed our day at Fellger and REALLY enjoyed our cupcakes at Bleeding Heart Bakery after.

Love:  spray pool on a hot day, trees to shade, little clubhouse, miniature train, great playground with tons of slides and swings, parking, great neighborhood, tons of kids, drinking fountain, rubberized material, gated.

Hate:  No bathrooms.  Although I did see a mom coaxing her child to go on the travel potty that she brought, pretty hilarious (yet smart?).

Special feature:  The water spout and the little house were our favorites.

*Man-Jo-Vin is a quick walk north on Damen for burgers, hot dogs and soft serve ice cream.

Please excuse my pictures, we went on a whim and all I had was my phone!

Not sure what is going on here!?

 *Fellger Park is a great place to hang with the kids during Retro on Roscoe  and Burger Fest.

 *Don't forget to "like" Urban Green Space on Facebook to keep up to date with park reviews and see more pictures!

Mary Bartelme Park

When I think of an urban green space, this park is EXACTLY what I envision.  This park is so cool!  Also known as the "Adams and Sangamon" Park, Mary Bartelme is located at, you guessed it, Adams and Sangamon.  You will find this 1.4-acre park in the West Loop surrounded by all things city.  For someone who lives on the north side I absolutely loved the view of the Sears Tower (I refuse to acknowledge it's new name).

I don't even know where to start because I was impressed by this park so much.  It was built in October of 2010.  Besides the playground there is a really interesting metal sculpture (see pictures) that also sprays mist, a fenced in dog park and a large seating area complete with rolling (think big!) grassy hills.  The grassy area alone is a toddler's dream, my almost 2 year old spent the majority of his time running up and then running back down the hills.

The playground is one of the most unique that I have ever seen.  While it is geared towards a slightly older crowd (3 and up I'd say), babies and toddlers can certainly make use of it as well.  My first and favorite point:  the park is surfaced in the fantastic rubberized material, but it is sloped and angled to make hills and walls that are so great for climbing.  The play equipment is then incorporated into the hills and there is one slide that comes off a hill and brings you back to the main floor - awesome!

All of the equipment is different from what you will see at most parks.  There are no swings here except for what looks like a flying saucer that is able to be pushed back and forth.  The main attraction is a rubber climbing structure that is almost shaped like a ribbon and tons of things to climb.  The kids are rewarded for all of their hard work with a gigantic tube slide that brings them back to the beginning or a run over a really cool bridge.

This was a really great adventure for us and I strongly suggest parents from all over the city check out this park!

Love:  Most everything!  The innovative design, the hills (both in and out of the playground), the uniqueness, great climbing, plenty of seating, drinking fountain, gated.

Hate:  No shade in the playground area, this playground can be pretty dangerous for the little guy that wants to do things he is not ready for, no bathrooms, parking was metered.

Special feature:  Not to sound too lame, but everything was pretty special.  The misting sculpture, the hills, the tons of climbing opportunities.

This sculpture sprays water! 

      *Participates in both Movies in the Park and Concerts in the Park.  

      *Looking for more pictures?  Join my Facebook page at the bottom of this blog to see  
       more!

Skinner Park

Skinner Park is located in the West Loop.  The entire park is enormous!  So big in fact that it shares it's space with both Skinner Elementary School and Whitney Young High School.  Skinner School uses the park for recess and after school there is a program run by Hi-Five Sports Camp through Whitney Young.  The playground is found at the southeast corner of W. Adams and S. Throop.

The playground section of the park is fenced off and is fairly large as well.  You can find a little bit of everything here.  There was a small toddler section, a large older kid area, a really cool climbing structure, a water spray area, a large sandbox, plenty of grass, benches and picnic tables.  Outside of the playground area was a small building with what looked like an office and two restrooms.  However, when I attempted to check out the facilities all of the doors were locked.  I am not sure if this is a common issue or not, so I really do not know if there are accessible restrooms.

Overall, we enjoyed our time at Skinner Park.  After playing we walked through the pretty garden and ran around in the grass.  There is tons of space and I can imagine it is full of all types of people on a hot summer day.

Love:  large grassy areas, fenced in playground, drinking fountain, sandbox, water spout, climbing feature, picnic tables, shady areas, tons of swings, rubberized flooring, clean and updated equipment, a police academy training center directly across the street (makes me feel safe).

Hate:  bathrooms were locked, sandbox looked like it could have used some attending.

Special Feature:  unique climbing structure, water play area.

*Check out Toddlers, Tunes
and Turtles on August 10th, 2011 for children under 6 years old.

*Participates in Movies in the Park - next one up is THIS Thursday (July 14th)

*To see more pictures follow the Facebook link at the bottom of the blog!

Jonquil Park

I decided to hit up Jonquil Park on a whim, I was driving by and saw the enormous green space and decided to give it a go.  Jonquil Park is bordered by a cute little neighborhood on one side and the busy streets of Wrightwood, Lincoln and Sheffield on the other.  Free parking proved to be a bit tough, while there were no spots on Lill, I found a few open ones on Seminary.

As I said, there is a decent sized area of grass.  Since it was a hot day when we visited the lawn was occupied by numerous sunbathers and people playing frisbee.  There is also a baseball diamond and two tennis courts available at this park.

The playground was medium sized with a bit of grass in one corner that was completely covered in shade.  The play equipment was very nice with plenty of swings (one tire), a small section for toddlers and a really cool climbing area.  The main attraction?  A water spout of course!  Living in the city can have it's disadvantages (one COLD lake to swim in, extremely busy public pools), luckily there are plenty of parks that have spray pools to help cool off the kids and keep them busy for an hour at least.

Love:  The sprinkler, clean playground, rubberized surfaces, grass in the shade, the train goes by this park every 5 minutes (this is a love because my son loves trains, it could be a hate - but it is a block away :), picnic tables.

Hate:  Free parking is lacking, no bathrooms.

Special feature:  Climbing structure and water spout.

*If you need to use a restroom there is a 7-11 at the corner of Wrightwood and Lincoln.

*Lou Malnati's is just across the street for a great lunch or to take home dinner.

*Participates in Movies in the Park

Oz Park - Dorothy's Playlot

 If you were to ask me which Chicago park is the very best to frolic in, Oz Park would win hands down!  The grass is green and the gardens are beautiful.  You can find Oz Park at the corner of Lincoln, Webster and Larrabee.  At this corner you will be greeted by a large Tin Man and it is here that the adventure begins...

The first thing that I enjoyed at Oz Park was "The Emerald Garden", this is a gated garden area that is reserved for relaxing, enjoying and quiet talking.  While it is gorgeous, it would not be the best place to bring the kids unless they can be quiet and respect the sunbathers and flower lookers.  Just west of the garden is "Dorothy's Playlot" and the basis for this review.

Dorothy's Playlot is a gated park that is almost entirely made of wood.  This park was designed for children 5 and younger.  You will still find the rubber surface on the ground, but you will not find play equipment comparable to the newer parks.  This park is full of nooks to hide, places to climb and bridges to run across.  There is a great space in the middle with tiered seating that gives parents an awesome eye to watch their children.  My one note of caution is that there are many times when you cannot see a child because of all the cubby holes and nooks, I had to follow F like a hawk so I didn't lose the little guy.

There are a few metal slides and a few plastic ones, the best part here is that you do not need to worry about them being too hot - Oz Park is 85% in the shade.  The baby swings were great, the older kid's swings could use a little revamping as they were super close to the ground.  All in all this is a really fun park and different from all of the rest!

Love: Wizard of Oz characters, shade, great play structure, drinking fountain, picnic tables, tire swing, great seating for parents, tons of grass outside of playlot, toddler area with train, port-a-potty outside of playlot (I do not know the conditions inside).

Hate:  Can be tough to see kids, big kid swings are too low, parking can be tricky in the heart of Lincoln Park, while the park is 5 and under I saw tons of older kids "ruling" the park (one group seemed to have been bussed in), lots of random garbage on this day - I saw an abandoned dirty diaper, an iced coffee drink just begging kids to take a sip and a bunch of chip bags.  

Special Feature:  the wood structure with castles is really the best part!

  

* Participates in Movies in the Park - The Wizard of Oz will be playing August 25th!

*Looking for a snack?  Hubby's Doghouse is a hot dog stand located in the center of Oz Park.

*Looking for dessert?  DQ/Orange Julius  is on the corner of Lincoln and Webster.   

Wicker Park

Ah, Wicker Park - what's not to love?  This neighborhood has seen many changes in the last few years.  I love that you can run into just about any type of person while visiting.  From yuppies to hipsters I have found that parents are parents and kids will be kids.  

The park itself is a 4 acre triangle.  The landscaping is beautiful and the community residents maintain the stunning gardens.  As you walk through the park you actually feel like you are not in the middle of one of Chicago's busiest neighborhoods.  F was running around without a care in the world, chasing the birds and jibber jabbing with the homeless while K was very excited to see such large amounts of ... grass (we obviously need to get out of the city more).  

The park includes a dog friendly area, basketball court (4 hoops), baseball diamond, field house, huge fountain that kids are known to splash in and the playground itself.  The playground is fantastic.  Nice and clean with a really great climbing/playing area for the older kids and a smaller one for the toddlers.  On top of all this, there are cute statues of bears that spray water.  While I do not think I would consider this a "spray pool" (Chicago Park District does) it is still a great addition.  

Love:  close to the Blue Line, clean field house with bathrooms, tons of grass and shade, picnic tables (in playground and park area), fencing around entire park, pretty fountain, tons of benches, drinking fountains (best in the playground area), rubber surface, beautiful scenery.

Hate:  two big kid swings is not enough, parking is tough (cannot park on Damen in front of the school when in session), a few questionable characters hanging around smoking/drinking.  

Special Feature:  water spouting bears, huge fountain to play in.  

  

*Wicker Park has a farmers market every Sunday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.

*Participates in Movies in the Park

*Super close to Big Star, which I am BIG on their tacos! 

Weisman Park

At the suggestion of my friend, Michelle, we decided to hit up Weisman Park for our new park of the week.  Weisman Park is very close to Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital on the corner of Oakdale and Mildred in Lakeview.

One of the main reasons that we decided on Weisman is because I knew that there was a spray pool.  With the weather finally in the 80's I knew that this would be the best bet for keeping everyone happy.  And I was right!

Weisman was recently renovated and the landscaping is outstanding.  There are tons of flowers which make this park especially sweet.  The spray pool was a hit, there is one large sprayer, a small fountain with three spouts of water, and a really fun sprinkler for the smaller guys.  Both of my kids had a blast running through the (freezing) water, filling up buckets and taking turns pushing the button that keeps the water on.  When they weren't in the water they were busy running around the well-maintained playground and sliding down the (hot!) super slide.

Love:  splash park (!), gated, great shady areas, astroturf along the border (if there is no grass, this is the next best thing), great landscaping, clean, mini chairs for the kids (they look like they came straight out of a preschool classroom), picnic tables, train play area, super slide, drinking fountains, benches.

Hate:  No bathrooms here folks, while we found parking in the afternoon it will be tough on weekends and after 6 p.m.

Special Feature:  the spray pool area, cute train to play on, super slide (super steep slide that my oldest loves!).

*For more pictures please join my Facebook page at the bottom of this blog! 

Adams Playground Park

We may have found our new summer home at Adams Playground Park!  This little park has everything you need for a relaxing day at the park.

Adams Playground Park is hidden away from the hustle and bustle that is Armitage Avenue (Clybourn and Sheffield too).  We went late in the afternoon today and there was plenty of street parking.  However, I can imagine this gets tough on the weekends and after 6 p.m. when it becomes permit only.

At first I was thinking that Adams looked a little small.  But, once we got inside I realized that it was the absolute perfect size!  I very easily chased around my youngest while keeping an eye on my oldest.  The swings are nicely arranged so that you can push a baby swing and a big kid swing at the same time.

The reason this place is so great comes down to two major reasons: a water playground and a sandbox. Unfortunately for us it is still COLD so we were not able to use the water playground, but the kids had a blast in the giant sandbox (which is under a huge umbrella, score!).  The sandbox had plenty of shovels, pails, sifters and castle molds for everyone.  There is also a water fountain nearby for creating lagoons, lakes and streams.

Another great option at this park is the mini basketball court complete with a fun hoop to shoot at and plenty of balls to throw.  This sits right next to a shaded picnic area with tons of tables and a toddler play area.  There is not much that this park does not have.  Although small in size there is tons to do!  I haven't even mentioned the cool slide and climbing wall.

I cannot wait to come back when it is hot out to play in the water park!

Love:  perfectly small, water playground, sandbox, benches, picnic area, field house (with bathrooms and what looked like two party rooms), multiple swings (two handicapped), nicely landscaped, clean, shady areas.

Hate:  I love rocks at parks, but I do not know if I love them right at the beginning ramp of the equipment.  Pretty tough to keep the little guy off of them and he is not the most stable, I have a feeling parking can be rough on weekends (speculation, I know), rumors that the water playground is often "reserved" for camps or groups, lots of moms on cell phones.

Special Feature:  1) The water playground, duh.  2) The sandbox with umbrella (and benches overlooking the area)  

* A quick walk to Tom and Wendee's Italian Ice - perfect summer day.

* Super Stolie will be here on June 16th at 6:30 p.m.  As far as kid friendly musicians go, she is one of my favorites!

The Water Playground

Hoop

Sandbox

Field House, Sandbox on right

Margate Park

Margate Park is fantastic!  Located at 4921 N. Marine Dr. it is just a hop, skip and jump from Lake Shore Drive and the beach (and the dog beach and the dog park!).  The playground area of this park is pretty big with tons to do.  This is both wonderful and a little tricky.  Depending on the age of your kids it can be tough to keep an eye on everyone and I found myself doing a lot of chasing.  Big bonus here is that it is gated.

Margate Park playground has a great toddler area with four slides, a tunnel to climb through, a bridge to wobble across and block like stairs to climb over.  The big kid area has three or four bridges, slides, numerous things to climb and monkey bars among other things.  There was a huge game of tag going on the day we were there and it looked like the older kids were having a blast.

My only problem with the playground is one bridge on the big kid side that does not have much to keep a child from falling off of it.  One of the moms that I talked to said it was inevitable that every kid falls off that bridge at least once in their lifetime.  Well, that's reassuring!  

Love: parking lot (can be full, especially on Saturdays), picnic tables, grassy areas, bathrooms in the field house, rocks to climb on, lakefront breezes, huge space for running/jumping/chasing, tons of swings (2 handicapped), rubber surface, gated, drinking fountain, great decor (mosaic tiles, really cool stone animals, metal insects).

Hate:  hard to see all kids at once, flimsy bridge, hot slides in the summer, hard to get to all areas.

Special Feature:  1) Fire truck for the kids to play on. 2) An area that is intended to look like a pier in water with stone frog, turtle and snail, cute!

Big Kid side

Toddler side

Chase Park

Chase Park is at the intersection of Ashland and Leland, it is somewhat on the border of both Uptown and Lincoln Square.  

This park was just renovated last summer and the changes were well worth the wait.  In place of wood chips you will now find the rubber material that I so love.  There are tons of swings and big open spaces.  There are some unique equipment pieces that I haven't seen very often like a "spider web" for climbing and a balance beam for, well, balancing!

Chase Park playground is a good size, big enough to feel roomy and small enough to chase the little ones around.  The benches are perfectly placed to keep an eye on the kids and there are enough trees to hide out in the shade on a hot day.  Chase Park in it's entirety is huge!  There is a field house with a gym, toddler room, bathrooms, workout equipment and locker rooms.  There is also a pool, tennis courts, an outdoor track, two baseball diamonds and tons of green grass for blowing bubbles and flying kites.

Chase Park hosts numerous plays throughout the years, The Midnight Circus, and the Raven Festival (a great fest for families and adults).

Love:  fenced in play area keeps kids from going too far, toddler play sections, tons of swings, drinking fountain, bathrooms, tables, grassy areas.

Hate:  Play equipment in the sun can be hot, there are times when the park district camps take over the whole park.

Special Feature:  Love the climbing wall and spinning thing (who knows what this is called!?)