Winnemac Park

Today we wanted to find a good park for riding bikes.  Winnemac Park was the perfect spot for what we wanted.  The park is located on almost 40 acres of green space, complete with paved trails that go throughout the grass.  All around are prairie plants and huge willow trees.  This is one beautiful park!

The actual playground is located on the corner of W. Argyle and N. Leavitt.  The play area is completely fenced in and there is tons of space within.  The playground equipment is typical of a renovated park: rubber flooring, lots of slides, monkey bars, toddler area.  However, one cool feature is that surrounding the park is a little side walked "road" for the kids to ride their bikes around.  Living in the city makes it tough to go bike riding with small kids and this was a great, safe environment for them to get their ride on. 

There were many picnic tables and benches throughout the playground area.  A few of the benches were in the shade, which was amazing on this sweltering day.  This is definitely a park that would be ideal for a picnic.  

Outside of the playground is a field house, tons of baseball diamonds, a running track, tennis courts, prairie trails and Amundsen High School.  The school has an indoor pool that the day camps use (I do not think it is ever open to the public).  But, luckily you know that a bathroom is not too far away.

 
Love:  there is a parking lot located off of Damen (be aware that this is about a quarter mile from the playground, so street parking would put you closer), lots of trails for exploring and riding bikes.

Hate:  Low rider swings, wish pool was open for family swims.  

Special Feature: Has to be the surroundings in general, tons of trails and GREEN GRASS!  Great place for riding bikes for kids.



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Horner Park

Looking for a large grassy hill to run up and down?  Horner Park has got you covered! The park is located in the Irving Park neighborhood at the intersection of Montrose and California. Have I mentioned that it is absolutely HUGE!?  Just under 55 acres of lush grass (complete with hill), tons of baseball diamonds, tennis courts, basketball hoops, a field house and a soccer/football field.  There is also a lovely little garden next to the field house with huge rocks to sit on and enjoy.

The playground is very large and spread out.  Although it is filled with wood chips, which are not my favorite, they are spread on the thin side so it is still easy to walk and/or run across them, even for my little guy.  We went on a Tuesday afternoon around 2:00 p.m.  The playground was pretty vacant and there were a few sunbathers on the grassy hill.

The equipment was typical of a renovated playground.  There were tons of slides, bridges, and climbing structures.  The playground has two areas: one for younger toddlers and the other for older kids.  There are a great amount of swings, both big and little!  If you leave the playground and explore the rest of the park, you will find that you almost feel like you aren't in Chicago anymore, which let's admit it, can be pretty nice sometimes :)

Another bonus is that the Chicago River runs just east of the the park, my little ones love going to the bridge and watching the river passing by.  If you continue south on one of the side-walked trails, Horner Park connects with California Park (more popularly known as McFetridge Sports Center) just across Irving Park Road where I hear there is ice skating in the winter, yay!

Love:  So much grass you feel like you are not in the city, a big parking lot, bathrooms, drinking fountains, relaxing garden, hilly terrain, lots of swings (including one tire), well spread out.

Hate:  The wood chips - but that's it!!

Special feature:  For us the best part was the large hill.  We seriously took turns running up and down, rolling down and relaxing in the grass.

*October 15th from 10 a.m. until
2 p.m. the park will be filled with a pumpkin patch!  Families can pick their own pumpkin for a very small fee!


























*For additional photos of Horner Park please "like" Urban Green Space on Facebook located at the bottom of this blog!!

River Park

River Park is most notably known for it's Olympic-sized pool.  However, this review will be geared towards the playground and splash park.  You can find River Park, next to the river, at the intersection of W. Foster and N. Francisco Ave.  The actual playground is south on N. Francisco.  Warning:  N. Francisco is a one-way street, this proved to be a little tricky while I was looking for parking.

Overall we were really pleased with River Park.  The playground had a few unique climbing structures, a good amount of space, and plenty of shade.  One of the highlights of the playground was the adventure of walking from our car to the park.  There are side-walked trails under a canopy of trees that lead from the street to both the playground and the pool (and beyond, N. Shore Channel Trail runs through this park).  The kids loved the freedom to run without the fear of cars and it was refreshing being under the shade of the trees.

Obviously my favorite, we were welcomed by a rubberized surface.  Tons of stuff to climb on that is geared at an older age (6 and up?).  Also, a small section for the toddlers, a good amount of swings, and benches (in the shade) for the parents.  Everything was lovely.

Without making this post too long, I also want to talk about the really amazing splash park located next to the pool.  The splash park is a toddler's dream!  It is completely fenced in and has numerous sprayers.  While there is no shade in this area, you won't need it because you will be plenty cool in the mist.  I can't wait until next summer to really take advantage of this place!

Love:  full of trails and trees on the way to the park, next to the river, rubber surface, tons of things to climb, drinking fountains, splash park, benches, grassy areas, a volleyball court that substitutes as a sandbox.

Hate:  parking was tough with all of the one ways, the bathrooms were not the cleanest, there was an area of the playground that was collecting fallen berries and TONS of bugs.

Special feature:  the spray park, climbing structures, trails

Jacob Park

After a disappointing trip to the Sunken Garden Park we needed to find a park to play at for the day.  We headed to Jacob Park (N. Virginia and W. Leland) only to be disappointed again.  I don't like "talking badly" about parks.  I completely understand that there is most likely a group of people who are fond of Jacob Park, whether it be a park they visited while growing up or because it is their neighborhood park of today.  Unfortunately, part of my job as a park reviewer is to voice my honest opinion about a park and this one was lacking.

The first thing that was tough was the wood chipped ground.  My 4-year-old kept getting wood chips stuck in her sandals and my almost 2-year-old struggled to keep his little body upright.  I know that not all parks can be renovated and new, but wood chips are the worst.

The park is very small and looked very sad with a broken swing hanging from one chain.  We honestly didn't stay very long because my older kid didn't think it was very fun, she wanted to know where all the things were to play on.  Bummer.  Of course my youngest was having a good time, running as fast as he could across a bridge that I could have sworn he was going to fall off of.

Love:  lot's of trees, nestled right next to the river (no access however), cute neighborhood, plenty of street parking.

Hate:  small, limited equipment, no bathrooms, wood chips, unsafe areas (broken swing, uneven ground).

Special feature:  Cute little boat to play on.

My pictures did not come out very well due to the shade of all of the trees:

Sunken Garden Park

I pick our weekly park outings very randomly.  Sometimes I target a specific area, while other times I go by special features (water spouts, sandboxes etc.).  For this park I chose it based on the name alone.  Sunken Garden Park sounds really cool. I imagined a park slightly lower than the rest of the ground creating a sunken area to play in, maybe some really nice natural elements such as rocks for climbing and beautiful, gardened landscaping. I really felt we were going on a great adventure as we headed to our destination.  THIS is the Sunken Garden Park:

Located at N. Virginia and W. Sunnyside in the Ravenswood Garden neighborhood you will find this TINY green space, complete with 4 benches.  Not quite the Sunken Gardens I thought we were going to find.  The best part is that the Chicago Park District website describes this park as one meant for "passive recreation."

We were so passive we decided to skip it.

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.   

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! 

Berger Park

What better way to start my blog than by reviewing one of my favorite parks.  Berger Park is located at 6205 N. Sheridan, the intersection of Sheridan and Granville.

One of my favorite things about Berger Park is the location, it is nestled right on Lake Michigan with spectacular views of downtown.  Unfortunately, an amazing location also means that parking can be pretty tough.  With no street parking on Sheridan I often find myself looking for a metered spot on Granville.  Note: bring a stroller, you might be walking!

Love:  Rubber surfaces, tables for picnics, benches, updated equipment, drinking fountain, lots of space, grassy areas, amazing views, lakefront breeze, bathrooms.

Hate:  Equipment is directly in the sun and can be hot, there is no fence around this park (which borders rocks that border the water!), parking stinks.

Special Feature(s):  A pirate boat play area, cultural center (yet to be explored), The Waterfront Cafe

The Pirate Ship

                             

Amazing Views!