I have been here many times. This time I decided to smoke a cigar and sit on the shore rocks. You…read morecan see the Chicago skyline long in the distance. There are really nice homes that are huge in this area almost reminds me of Kevin McAllister's home from, "Home Alone." The Park has plenty of benches and also a jogging path along the walkway. The only con about this place is that you need to be really careful walking in the grass because dog poop here are like land mines! *Kaboom*

#magic I love it here!…read moreMiles of biking, running or walking paths. Beautiful beach to run through the waves. A nice park to lay on a blanket. A hop, skip and jump to Northwestern. Watch the sunrise and a full moon come up over the water. My favorite meditation spot.

I passed through this lovely park on a walk through Evanston. It has amazing beachfront views,…read moreespecially in the mornings. I noticed all the grass and trees looked lush and well maintained.

The views here are incredible, it feels like you are in a different place in the world and not 5…read moreminutes drive from busy Chicago!

There is some beatiful parks and lakefront property that Evanston can boast about. There are also…read moremany parks and walking trails that go all the way from the lakefront to Dodge Ave. On my last visit I was checking out the lush greenery and lakefront property that can be found by Sheridan/Church St. near the boat launch area.

I can honestly say I probably spend half of my summer at the Evanston sailing beach and the…read moreEvanston dog beach. My dog even gets excited when we drive by on Sheridan Road. All the facilities are top notch with clean facilities and groomed beaches. The staff are always friendly and do their jobs well. We keep a sailboat at paddle board down at the sailing beach for easy access and it's easy to find street or lot parking to enjoy a day on the water!

This park is kinda underwhelming considering the beautiful park across the street with the…read morefountain. Cornelia Lunt appears overgrown...at least the grass does. Plus it seemed rutty and full of divots. Out of all the parks I passed through on walks through Evanston, this one was the least well tended.

Short loop with a riverbank trail and tree shade. Good for a quick walk. Can get muddy during rainy…read moredays. Easy to park.

Take this entire review with a gigantic grain of salt, because I only came here once, it was cold…read moreand we didn't walk very far, and we missed out on the water element entirely. As seems to be the case these days, we* had hours to kill before our return flights to LAX and SFO (by way of LAS), respectively, so we drove around Chicago almost aimlessly. (You should know me by now; even when it seems like I'm meandering randomly, there's a pattern to my patternlessness.) I knew my mom would want to see Lake Shore Drive, so we took it from its humble southern beginnings, which I had never done before. We got to the end way quicker than I thought we would, and none of us were hungry yet, so I headed west and then north and then west and then northwest or west, and soon, we were in Lincolnwood, Illinois. I did not want to remain in Lincolnwood, Illinois, so I looked for something big and green on my map, and after a couple of missed turns, we drove right into LaBagh Woods. There was an immediate fork in the road, and seeing people walking and jogging to my right and nothing special to my left, I turned right. That would, ultimately, be a bad move. To the left was a small pond. Beyond that lay the Chicago River's North Branch. But all of it was obscured by trees, so I went right, and there were trees, winter-dead grass, plenty of parking spots, and a path. The cold (about forty-two, according to the rental car's external thermometer) was too much for my dad, who wasn't really dressed for the cold and who doesn't enjoy being outside in the cold anyway, so after we got to the end of the path, we doubled back and drove away. If I had known about what turning left could do, I would have at least driven back that way for the water element. I'm sure it's beautiful and four-star-worthy in the summertime. What bothered me, though, was the absolute lack of benches in any and all directions. Yes, there are covered picnic areas with tables and benches, but all parks--especially parks this large--should have benches interspersed throughout so that people can sit down and take a load off. I might come back, but how often am I this far northwest in Chicago? OK, OK, I've been near here two out my last two visits, but really, I don't normally venture up this far. *My dad, mom, and I.

I've been wanting to visit this park since it opened, but it never came to pass. I'm really glad we…read moregot to visit during their 10th anniversary celebration! That party was cool; they had various community orgs, like a citizen science group and the Budlong Woods branch of CPL here to share info and stuff. There were park volunteers doing arts and crafts with the kids. They even had a fishing derby in the little pond, I think, which was really cool. There's at least one or two works of art in the park that are nice as well. This isn't your typical CPD park. It's a nature area that was acquired from neighboring Rosehill Cemetery and developed into a natural area/native preserve. Though the cemetery is over 150 years old, this portion on the northwest corner of Western & Peterson was never used for burials and was simply an undeveloped section of the cemetery. I used to live a couple blocks away from here and remember thinking it was a bit of an eyesore. But the Chicago Park District, and the advisory council for the park, have done wondrous things. There's a walking path throughout the park for a leisurely stroll. The park also hosts various events; I believe they recently had an equinox program, and I hope the bat program comes up again so I can take my little one. They even had Hocus Pocus movie night a few days ago (just before Halloween). But my favorite part by far is the nature play space. It's gorgeous! There are lots of benches and stumps for adults and children to sit on, and they had a couple of outdoor play kitchens. There's a little mound (which to a small child could look hill-sized) for kids to play and sit on. There's a small stage and I'm not sure if they've always had events or if they've started hosting more, but I'm keeping an eye on it because it's truly one of the best nature play spaces I've seen around. It's absolutely worth a visit if you have children, or just want a little quiet contemplation.

We had a great morning at West Ridge Nature Park! We came here on a Sunday morning to celebrate the…read more10th anniversary of the park. They had a lot of kid friendly activities like face painting, coloring, fossils to look at, and our favorite -- music from old town school of folk music! After enjoying some wheels on the bus, we walked around pond. The path was so pretty and well kept. We saw lots of geese, butterflies, squirrels, and even a hawk which my two year old loved. Our favorite though, was all the turtles! We saw about 10 out in the pond swimming. They were so cute, we could have sat out there for a hours watching them bob around. Definitely recommend West Ridge if you're wanting some peace in the city.

The "Home Alone" gazebo might be gone, but a new era just began…read more A $2 million dollar renovation happened in the center of the Hubbard Woods Business District, and this beautiful green activity hub for the community was born. Currently the focal point of a Wednesday summer concert series, musicians are rocking the new pavilion and kiddos are getting their moves on at the splash pad and various climbing structures. Adjacent to the Hubbard Woods Metra Station and across from Once Upon A Bagel, this place is a refuge for commuters, shoppers enjoying the Design District, and passersby looking for an impromptu picnic or rest. Fun for the whole family, the play area is appropriate for ages up to seven or eight with various play structures and swings for the bigger kids. Plenty of seating and parking surrounding the park. Super cool factor alert: There's a free-standing station for repairing your bicycle, just in case you get a flat or need to tweak your seat height or handle bars. Air and all the tools you could need!

Beautiful park, with water. Nice people and what a neighborhood?! We love coming up this way where…read moreit's actually safe!

The number of blooming Tulips truly made my visit sooo worth it ! I was wowed and wowed over and…read moreover again. Shakespeares Garden is very peaceful and perfect spot with lovely seating area . It's perfect to come and reflect and perhaps read poetry or Shakespeare'a soliloquy's!! Come and enjoy this scenic and beautiful garden

I learned of the Shakespeare Garden many years ago and have often thought I needed to visit, but…read morehave never done so until today. It's another of those places that I hesitate to review because it's a lovely place and I'd love to keep it "secret" (as much as it can be given its location on college campuses and in an urban area). It was tricky to find--for some reason I found an address on Google that led me to where the tennis courts are on the Northwestern Campus--but it's actually just north of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. The Shakespeare Garden is behind the small chapel on the Seminary grounds. It's a small garden, but beautiful, and a tranquil, secluded space. I can't wait to see it when it's in full bloom! Since spring only lasts a few minutes and it has been even cooler this far into spring than usual, the trees are still very bare and it's a bit muddy. There are several stone benches to sit at in this garden in particular--at least four of them. In addition, there are a few wooden benches just before garden as well. There are uneven paving stones in and around the garden, so you'll want to be careful especially if you or someone you're with have mobility issues. If you're using a wheelchair, it will be a bumpy ride but you would be well rewarded. I was surprised to learn that the Shakespeare Garden has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988. It was established by the Evanston Garden Club in 1917, as a show of solidarity with Britain and to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death (the Drama League of America made this suggestion to encourage groups and individuals nationwide to do so). The Evanston Garden Club still maintains this space; it is not under the care of Northwestern or Garrett-Evangelical. What landed it on the National Register of Historic Places is the original Hawthorne trees that still grow here, and that this is an example of the type of project that was encouraged in bygone days. The designer of this garden has an impressive resume--he is considered the mastermind of the Forest Preserve system, as well as both Garfield and Columbus Parks in Chicago. What makes a Shakespeare Garden a Shakespeare Garden is the collection of botanicals that are planted there. This garden contains plants and flowers that are mentioned in Shakespeare's works. You may find thyme, marigolds, rosemary, tulips, columbine, lavender, and so on depending upon the time of year.