Do not recommend. My son spent 2 weeks in this camp. While camp is in a beautiful area, it didn't…read morefit. He was not allowed to call or talk to us parents at all, we had no connection to hear from him personally. Camp directors make sure kid will only write 1 happy letter per week, so that even if there are issues, you will only find out when the child is back. My son is a great normal quiet kid yet he was bullied there and we had no control over it ... This camp Is a hit or miss. Also, directors use shady tactics of making kids spend pocket money (that they insist kids need to have) on stuff they don't need. Like my son brought home t-shirt and blanket and something else they basically forced him to buy. I tried to return with no luck.

My daughter joined Swift Nature Camp last summer. The area and nature is beautiful. There was…read moreincident when my daughter got sick and she couldn't call home. The counselors refused to notify parents that she was really sick. They told her that she was home sick and that is why she wants to call home. My daughter is 14 years old and very independent, Swift Nature camp management refused to contact parents, they did not care. She was really sick and they gave her throat medicine. From our point of view this action was unacceptable. It showed that all they care is business. My daughter suffered so much that she came home crying and very sick.

The Park district of La Grange inside playground is amazing! It's great for those really hot days…read moreand you still want to enjoy the day with your little. My son enjoyed the bridge. He was running up and down for a long time. Besides the playground they have a fitness center, basketball court and I'm sure plenty more!

Lots of Equipment, space, and a variety of fitness classes included in the membership. They just…read morerenovated the parking lot so it's nice to finally park my car within a reasonable distance.

Does not engage children well, make sure to sign up for swimming In the mini pool or your child…read morewill be sitting in the sun for six hours on the first day like mine was. Maybe I recommend you go over there and check out the pool first yourself considering it's about the size of a postage stamp.

My daughter went here a few years back when she was 6 years old. She was traumatized. They do not…read moreunderstand childhood developmental stages or individual children differences. They used high school teenagers to take care of the kids instead of trained staff, which was a disaster. Our experience overall was that they are intolerant and have a very hostile attitude both towards the kids and the parents. We ended up pulling my daughter out and we never wanted to go back there. My daughter was so happy when we pulled her out of what we thought was going to be a wonderful camp experience, especially with a school with the reputation that Avery Coonley supposedly has.

We had the most wonderful birthday party experience here back in February. I have been meaning to…read moreleave a review for months! Having a Feb bday doesn't leave us with a lot of fun birthday party locations so we're always looking for something different. The kids absolutely loved this experience. Learning all about different animals and reptiles. The party room was the perfect size for a kid's party. They provided tables, chairs, and tablecloths which was super helpful. The staff is kind and knowledgeable. We got really lucky with having weather nice enough to be outside to see the outdoor farm. They actually said as long as the weather is not unsafe, they continue to provide that part of the party year long. You definitely don't want to miss that part. I'm not sure who enjoyed this party more, the kids or the adults. Thank you Double J Riding!

We enrolled our 9-year-old in the 4-day JJ Horsecamp for $375 after doing extensive research. We…read moredrove more than 30 minutes each way because the camp description sounded exactly like what she was looking for. While we understood that activities were "subject to change," we expected an experience that closely reflected what was advertised. Our daughter was by far the oldest child in her group, and I wish there had been more age-appropriate grouping or activities. She came home each day underwhelmed, which was especially disappointing because she had been counting down the days until camp. The biggest issue was that many of the advertised activities felt much more basic than they appeared. There was far less hands-on interaction with the animals than we expected. Instead of an immersive farm or horse experience, it often felt more like observing, listening, or completing simple crafts. For example, "making parakeet sticks" meant feeding the birds with sticks that were already prepared, and "making a goat piñata" consisted of stuffing a pre-made paper-mâché piñata. She also told us that "learning to milk a cow" involved squeezing a rubber glove attached to a wooden calf with blue-colored liquid inside. While these activities may be enjoyable for younger children, they felt geared toward a much younger age group than our 9-year-old. One thing I did appreciate was the check-in and check-out process. The staff had a clear system that made drop-off and pick-up feel organized and secure. My biggest suggestion would be to make the advertising more representative of what campers actually do. A day-by-day sample itinerary or more photos and videos of children participating in the actual activities would help parents make an informed decision. We chose this camp over others because of the detailed activity descriptions, and the reality simply didn't match the expectations they created.

We had my 4-year-old daughter's birthday party at ArtSpace with a glow-in-the-dark princess theme,…read moreand it was absolutely amazing! From start to finish, everything was so well organized and stress-free. The glow setup was magical -- the colors, decorations, and lighting. The kids were completely engaged the entire time and had so much fun painting. The staff was friendly, patient, and great with the kids, which made a huge difference. As a parent, I really appreciated how smooth everything ran. Highly recommend ArtSpace for a fun, unique, and memorable birthday party. My daughter is still talking about her glow princess party!

Awesome place for people of all ages!! Everyone was so nice and our group had a great time.read more

Wonderful instructors, compassionate director. Bright, open, colorful space. My daughter can't…read moreget enough. We love it here.

I have 3 kids. my son is a free spirt but has always loved going there. sadly the staff is so…read morepoorly trained that they don't know how to deal with children. I recently had them there for a sleepunder. My son split his ear open and I was never contacted. but the coach said my 6 yo who was there to have fun was fine so they didn't feel the need to call. you have a head injury with blood and they aren't trained to call the parents. THIS IS A JOKE. my husband spoke with the owner and she apologized- it was a great conversation. then a day later I got an email canceling all my future camps and was told no one in my family is welcome back. UNREAL. I'd be very cautious with their care and compassion if you send your children there!!!! awful treatment.

Theater of Western Springs is a wonderful night out where you can see a play that is as good as and…read moresometimes better than seeing a play on Broadway - and I have been to NYC. The actors are really good. Set's are professional, acting is stellar. Price of tickets is very very reasonable. If you want a fun night out, subscribe to TWS - please support this local theater.

The joy of participating in live theatre has been sucked out. Politics has taken over and only the…read more"chosen" can survive. After years of diligent volunteerism being snubbed for the last time has taken its toll. Don't go here to be seen, heard or developed. If you're not "golden" you're "gone."

Music Makers is one of the best if not the best studios around. They have great teachers and…read morestudents are paired up with the appropriate teacher for whichever level they are at in their music abilities. All ages and levels are welcome and it really is a supportive environment to learn or continue learning an instrument, voice and theater.

We adore MusicMakers Theatre - our daughter has been performing with the program for over 5 years…read more We love that it is family owned and operated and the personalized, flexible service we get from the administrators is wonderful. Micki, the theatre program director, is great with the kids and has been incredibly supportive of our daughter. The shows are always high quality and they typically have more than one cast which allows more kids the opportunity to have a part. They also accompany the shows with LIVE MUSIC which is pretty unusual for a children's theater program. Another benefit is the fact that the program draws kids from all over the area and our daughter has made a ton of friends who don't go to her school (she calls them her "theater friends"). Having another set of friends has really been a blessing with the ups and downs of middle school! We would recommend MusicMakers over and over again - it's fantastic!

Worst ever daycare that I've experienced. Teachers are ignorant. Cold face! They don't hit your…read morechild, but they also don't care about. My heart still hurts whenever thinking of my kid's experience over there.

We have LOVED our 5 years at TGS Oakbrook. I can't believe we are about to leave behind this daily…read morepart of our lives! The people at The Gardner School of Oakbrook Terrace have helped to raise our daughter to be the beautiful, smart, hilarious, creative, sweet little 5-and-a-half-year-old lady she is now. These women have changed her diapers, fed her nutritious meals, played with her, read to her, soothed her, encouraged her, loved her, taught her, shaped her, and helped her grow in every way possible. They've helped me be a better mom (& teacher, too). They've helped my husband in myriad ways as well. The teachers, administrators, and other staff are supportive and caring in all their interactions. The administrators were understanding whenever "life" happened and you needed to bend protocol to make all the things happen, whatever they might be. In our case, when our daughter was an infant, we actually pulled her out of TGS for a 6-month period because she was getting sick so often and so intensely. (Former preemie with low immune system plus she had the stereotypical childhood recurring ear infection.) When we decided we wanted to have her return, TGS welcomed us back with open arms. And...no matter what...every day during high traffic/morning drop-off/evening pick-up times, one of the administrators was there with a smiling face to greet parents and families at the front door. That meant more than it might seem on the surface. First of all, there were plenty of days where I blew into the building in quite a mood from my own long, trying school day with 100+ kids, but after I was greeted by a smiling Ms. Natalie, Ms. Jen, or Ms. Brittany and walked to my daughter's classroom, that interaction had managed to shift my focus to what kind of day my child had. Second, consistency is key with children and at TGS, it's demonstrated even in this area. Third, knowing you can count on that presence at a particular time makes it simple to plan quick verbal check-ins with TGS staff. The teachers were forever gracious about everything, including me dropping off incredibly late in the summer. :-P Enrichment teachers like Coach Janelle helped our daughter explore ballet, gymnastics, and theatre in a friendly, safe environment. We counted on Chef Nicole to prepare and serve tasty, healthy food several times a day every day & she always delivered. Most of all, we knew that daily our daughter's classroom teachers were doing absolutely amazing things, instilling in her a love of learning and an understanding of how school works... Ms. Angelika, Ms. Abbey, Ms. Tameka, Ms. Jessica, Ms. Angela, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Cassi, Ms. Adriana, Ms. Ann, Ms. Anna, Ms. Lonnisha, Ms. Vanessa, Ms. Elyse: you are forever in our hearts. Beyond everything mentioned above, these women at TGS Oakbrook have always understood who our daughter is. That means they know what she responds well to and what she needs in order to feel safe, loved, & happy. It also means they knew what gaps needed to be filled and what she needed to work on. So at TGS, she has learned soooo much about how to be brave, to write, to play with friends (or to play alone when she's not feeling it!), to wash your hands at all the right times, to listen when others speak, ... Because of TGS Oakbrook and the women who work there, my daughter will walk into kindergarten at our neighborhood school the most prepared she could possibly be. And for that, we are forever grateful.

The chair yoga and senior fitness instructors are very good and understand the needs of the older…read moreadults who attend classes.Their dedication and commitment is commendable. The Cons: There is a mask mandate but no social distancing. The senior classes are crowded and all who wish to attend cannot be accommodated. The website for registration is not user friendly and is cumbersome. That being said, I enjoy the Y, the employees and the classes.

Perfect for my needs. Good virus safety measures include appointment-based workout times.read more