I'm not a skater but my husband is an avid skater and he learned here as a kid. We've come a few…read moretimes and I watched him but decided to skate and try it. They do offer classes which I will take as well and we met one of the owners who was so gracious and he gave a friendly reminder that they do have lessons. We went on Sunday which was gospel skate day from 1pm-330 and it is free to the community. This is every Sunday! Donations are encouraged and if you need rentals it's $3. I think that is a tenfold blessing that they do that! This will be our go to after church. It was beautiful to see families skating of all ages! Loved seeing and feeling COMMUNITY:)

When I was here at the rink I had an awful and terrible experience! The staff seemed nice but were…read moreextremely heartless and cold. I pitched a ticket for 5$ at 7 and skated for a bit. While skating I thought the music was obnoxiously loud it read 89-93 on the online decibel reader. However the music became not just over stimulating, but nausea inducing. So I asked to step outside, they said yes but that they usually don't do it but, the one worker said if you need to get some air yes, which was the case. I stepped out for approximately 30 minutes and while that's a long time, why does it matter? Upon returning I was told I took too long and have to re pay to get in. Mind you I was told I was ok, if I had know it wasn't I would have stayed as I didn't drive myself. In the end I payed an additional 8 dollars as I had no other choice. It's a shame because I visited this place as a kid when I visited Chicago and had fond memories, now I will never return. Overall I had a terrible experience, received nothing but negative and cold energy. You never know what a costumer is going through. And in the opportunity to choose kindness and compassion they chose to do the opposite. (One worker though tried to help me shout out u! )

Nice place to relax and fishing Up to the person good for…read moreeveryone and every weather lol for me personally it's a nice place to relax

An amazingly beautiful park along the Chicago Boulevards which linked a series of parks from Palmer…read moreSquare to Hyde Park. Many of the greenbelts have been disrupted by roads, highways, and in one case a prison, yet the heart of the parkway system still endure in these great large city parks. This park is almost pristine. It is truly one of the prettiest parks I have been to in the city - it lacks the build up and major restoration projects you see elsewhere, but something about it is just perfect. But..... There is only one entrance on Garfield Boulevard (55th), and one on the east side of the park. The day I was here the people in the park were nice, and I was able to go for a walk without any trouble. This is a park that reminds me of Humboldt Park in say 1995 when I remember seeing cars abandoned in the park. There were no abandoned cars, but other than the youth events going on in the parks and recreation building, there was not a lot going on - no joggers, etc. It is not that sort of area. My visit was disrupted by dozens of cop cars flying down the Western side of the park (outside the park) at full speed. I was told by a woman who walked past with her kids "there must have been a shooting south of Garfield Boulevard.." before she said "you're safe in here!" I felt safe. This reminded me of my visits to Humboldt Park in 1995 when I was dating a woman who had a friend whose parents had a mansion on the Boulevard which they paid $60,000 for. It was really a mansion. We spent the day walking the then run down paths of Humboldt Park, before our mutual friend's dad said we better spend the rest of the night hanging out in the fenced back yard off the Boulevard. Cities can change, and I would definitely check this park out next time I drive down Garfield Boulevard on my way to midway. Having good parks like this one helps a lot since the kids programs were well attended, well staffed, and supervised as far as I could tell walking past.

Chill beach on the South Side that doesn't get too crowded. It certainly is one of the lesser known…read moreones. Oakwood Beach isn't as popular but that doesn't mean it's bad though. Has bathrooms. There's also spots for grilling. A place that honestly seems like a locals beach. It gets its name from being between the Oakland and Kenwood neighborhoods on the South Side. This is also called 41st Street Beach because that's the location of this. It's one of the city's newest beaches. This one actually hasn't been around that long, having only been open since 2010. Has concessions. There's a beach house with bathrooms and showers. Best way to get here is with a bicycle. It's located along the Lakefront Trail and it's a convenient stop. This is also kind of close to the Kenwood Metra station if wanting to use public transportation.

This is my most favorite beach in the city. Small and slow in traffic. I can't wait to spend as…read moremuch time as possible this summer. Walk. Ride a bike. Play some basketball l. Read a book. Listen to music. Take a nap - but not really cause it's still Chicago. Sit in complete silence and remain in awe of nature and its creation. You get the vibe.

Rocket Park is great! There is a catch & release pond, a walking trail with exercise equipment, the…read moreplayground, A splash pad, tennis courts, and basketball courts. There is a pavilion and bathrooms as well. I believe you might be able to rent the pavilion for a party with the Oak Lawn Park District.

This park is an excellent location to bring your children. This park has a lagoon, a rocket themed…read moreplayground for the adventurous child, a smaller play area, a light game, a splash area, and a basketball court. The park is nestled in a beautiful community and the maintenance of it is well kept. My niece and nephews loved this park. The boys really loved the splash pad. The walking trails around the lagoon are awesome for exercise. This is a great park to come to on the hot summer days and play.

There are two spots for chargepoint ev charging. Rates after 8pm is $2 per hour. This park has many…read moreindoor classes available and kept very clean. Highly recommend this park.

The way the surrounding park is set up is a bit odd. There's only one entrance and the rest is…read morefenced off (which google maps didn't seem to understand); it has this kind of exclusive vibe and yet signs say it's open to the public, so I somewhat awkwardly walked in, passing a golf course, a magisterial building hosting some fancy reception, a picnic area hosting some considerably less fancy gatherings, a small beach, and finally a small stretch of trail which circles through a bird-filled woodland. It's much like Montrose Point on the north side of the city, but smaller and less accessible. Having said that, the birds were signing and the views were quite splendid, so far be it from me to dissuade anyone from going.

03/14/21 - This Bird & Butterfly Sanctuary is just another hidden gem that is part of Chicago's…read morelakefront. The sanctuary is located within the South Shore Cultural Club & is accessible to the public. There is a metered parking lot set back for public use and a beach adjacent to it. It's a beautiful little gem hidden where you can get away and reflect while enjoying nature. This morning I was rewarded w/a gorgeous sunrise in the lake. It's so peaceful & quite as you walk along the path by the lake and the rough the grasslands set aside for the birds. This morning I saw a pair of mallards, seagulls & a few geese flying by. So beautiful it's nice to come out early and see the sunrise & walk through a natural habit along the lake. Peace out.

Had so much fun at a concert at Northerly Island this weekend! We were in the lawn for Vampire…read moreWeekend and it was a beautiful summer evening in Chicago. The grass was lush and green from all the rain we've been having recently. Getting into the facility couldn't have been easier, and the security team did a great job keeping folks moving along. There was BBQ, pizza, and taco food options in there, along with some bar tents. All the hard alcohol is through live nation, and I learned that everyone working are volunteers, and all their tips go to a non-profit which is great. They have large screens so you're able to feel like you're closer than you really are, and the sound is great. We had so much fun! Such a perfect evening.

Northerly Island gets its name from its part in Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago, because it was…read moreenvisioned to be the northern most in a chain of islands that spanned between Grant Park on the northern end and Jackson Park on the southern end. It's the only one of the islands that was ever completed. Northerly Island was the site of the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair, the second World Fair held in Chicago. Once upon a time, a single-runway airport called Meigs Field existed at this site for about 50 years, right in the middle of the city. It was the busiest singlet-runway airport in the city for a time. The air traffic control tower still exists here--an odd homage to what one was here--but the airport was destroyed overnight by the second Daley mayor and the park created shortly thereafter. Although It's present day use is that of a nature sanctuary. There's a nice view of the city from here, and there's a variety of events that take place taking advantage of the nature sanctuary. I was surprise to find that the amphitheater isn't as large as I imagined. Parts of the park may be closed during, or on the days surrounding, an event at the music venue that's here so it may not be the most reliable of parks.

This is a very nice park. It has two baseball/softball diamonds and a playground. Parking is…read moreavailable but quite limited. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Oak Lawn Park District.