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!).

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