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!!

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!