A nice place to relax and take it all in while the boats go by…read more I highly recommend a visit at sun rise and sum set.

I had to look up the name of this park, but it's still one of my favorite places to take a quiet…read morewalk with someone in the summer months. It has a lot of park benches to stop and sit on, you can easily watch the river traffic or the emerging new skyline across the river. So far, it's relatively undiscovered, too, so you won't have to fight your way through crowds to have a pleasant conversation. There are trees and the railing has better detailing than some. Some people might think it's too sterile, but I think that's only because it's such a young park - such a young neighborhood for that matter. The whole area is no older than 20 years, and i think in time it will develop more character. Until then, it's still a great place to have a quiet, romantic walk with someone.

Today was my first visit to Seneca park post-baby and it was an entirely different experience. And…read morea fantastic one! The park was almost preternaturally quiet given its location; there are two hospitals directly across the street and a major medical center another block south. Ten paces to the east is Michigan Avenue, and there was even a small protest happening at the Water Tower and we heard none of it. It was quite peaceful. There are almost two different playgrounds here which is actually pretty great. Although my adventurous toddler really wanted to go on the big kid stuff my friend and I were able to steer our kids to the more toddler- and baby-friendly edge of the playground. Swings, small slides, and some other play structures for little littles to have their fun. And like all other Chicago Park District playgrounds, it's fenced for the children's safety. (Why isn't this something that literally every playground in the country has adopted as a safety measure?). So glad we stopped here; I'd been wanting to come back with my little one. We will certainly be back to enjoy this little oasis as the weather warms up.

Fun! Our little one enjoyed. Lots of different areas and types of spots to play. If you got a…read morelittle one i def recommend

Very cute park and perfect for dogs to run and around and play. I loved all the tulips and the big…read moreopen grass field. There's also a fenced in dog park where my boyfriend sat for an hour watching the dogs run around. It's right near restaurants and a grocery store, which is convenient. If we were locals this would be the spot to go to!

Wonderful park for the neighborhood kids. It's well contained so you can see where your children go…read morewithout losing track of them.

Chill park located in River North along the Chicago River north branch. Erie Park is also known as…read moreWard Park according to others. It got its beginnings in 2000 and it became a park site. Has good views of the river including a riverwalk that goes along it. There's also a dog friendly area and playground. A good view of the river along with lots of benches. It's a great place for seeing the skyline. The playground is pretty modern and has equipment such as slides and swings among other things. A dog friendly area is on the north side of it. Many other large open areas though. Also there's lots of artwork. There's a sculpture by Sheila Klein called Commemorative Ground Ring at Erie and Kingsbury Streets. Good park no matter what you call it. It's got a few interesting pieces of art to check out. This is also known for the dog friendly area and there's alerts plenty of them running around here or in the park wherever.

Cute little park to take the kiddos at or yourself (if you want to feel like a kid again) has a…read morelittle cute water park attraction and a nice playground for the kids to play around! There is a nice view of the river so take a lot of pictures :)

It's an ok beach! The views are nice but has nothing on oak street beach. It has a cute cafe close…read moreby and we were able to find a good spot in the sand on a warm sunny day around 3 pm.

The most beautiful calm part of the city…read more Come here to hang for a while and escape the hustle of city crowds You'll have a beautiful day guaranteed And please someone renovate that little beach shake That couple easily be done into a two level new hot spot for busy city socialites looking to unwind

I try to visit butterfly houses / habitats whenever I find them. This one was enjoyable but perhaps…read morenot quite as much as others I've visited. Still, I would never pass up the opportunity to hang out with these lovely creatures.

My family had an amazing experience at The Butterfly House. This is an absolutely amazing…read moreexperience for all butterfly lovers! I highly recommend this if you love butterflies like I do. My son was too overwhelmed in here and had to leave very quickly. But my daughter and I stayed in here for almost two hours and we didn't want to leave. Some of the butterflies really get up super close and personal. They land on us and stay so calm. Some of the butterflies actually preferred to go on our hand instead of the stick they gave us for feeding them. Just extend a finger, don't move, and wait for them to crawl on you and they just stay there! I learned this in a different butterfly garden experience once, so I taught my family this and it worked so well. Please be careful when you walk or sit anywhere in the garden. We saw butterflies on the chair and on the ground. If someone wasn't careful they could step on them! Every time I saw a butterfly on the ground I extended my hand to see if it's willing to crawl up on me, and I would then move it to a plant to keep them safe.

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 13 acre green space serves as the entrance to Navy Pier. It is located at the west entrance to…read morethe pier. The park is a result of a gift by the Polk family, Chicago retailers who have made many gifts to the neighborhoods of Chicago. In 2014 they gave 20 million dollars to transform the park so it can offer art and cultural programs. it was the single largest gift ever made to Navy Pier. Many of the programs are paid for with grants from the Polk Bros. Foundation. In the summer, the highlight of the park is the plaza with a 12,500-square- foot fountain with more than 250 programmable jets that mimic the movements of waves, schools of fish, and flocks of birds. The fountain contains hundreds of LED lights. Kids can cool off by playing in the fountain. The Polk Bros Park Performance Lawns designed by landscape architect, James Corner Field Operations has two new performance spaces at the park's southern end that can host live cultural events. On Fridays in the summer, Wiggleworms is offered for children. Other events include Shakespeare in the Park, movies, sunset yoga, and live jazz. In the winter the park offers seasonal programs like a skating rink. Polk Bros. Park is also known for its beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.

The 13-acre Polk Bros Park is Navy Pier's green front door and includes three beautiful, highly…read moreinteractive and programmable outdoor spaces, showcasing arts and culture and providing spectacular public expanses for Chicago families and visitors to enjoy for years to come. Polk Bros Fountain and Plaza at the entry point of the Pier feature a dramatic, 12,500-square- foot signature fountain in warm weather with more than 250 programmable jets that mimic the movements of waves, schools of fish, flocks of birds and other magnificent scenes. My son loved playing in the water fountain. The park also has an amphiteatre and performance venues. It include two new performance spaces at the park's southern end to host live arts and culture events set against amazing views of Lake Michigan and Chicago's skyline. It's a nice little park right outside of Navy Pier with an interesting water fountain and spouts. There are lots of lovely plants and it's a great place to walk through and admire the view over the water. Nice picnic area and some hidden picnic tables.The park is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area around Navy Pier.