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!