I really enjoy coming to body pump classes here. The instructors push you to do better and get…read morestronger every time and you really see the improvement in your strength after just a few sessions. The basketball courts in the gym is spacious and it's nice to check out the schedule and look at open gym times. Also, there's an awesome track above the courts on the second floor too. Other than that, I haven't explored the rest of the gym but it looks like there's also a swimming pool, outdoor tennis (or some other racquet type of sport), and a golf club.

I love the Zumba here!…read more With no overhead cost for fancy studio decorations, the Zumba instructors at Highwood Rec Center can do their trade at a reasonable price attracting tons of members. Both Louis and Mercedes kick my butt every time! If you need to get in shape for your wedding come here five times a week; four after work and one early Sunday. The instructors take cash for walk ins but you can also do a punch card. Totally flexible! two thumbs up

So what makes me want to drive 13 miles and about 20 minutes from home on an early Saturday…read moremorning? Answer in one word: Zumba (with Kathy). OK that was 3 words. Words elude me when trying to convey my feelings for keeping the pounds off, finding the natural high that one may get from the endorphins that are produced, and getting the inspiration that is found here. If I told you that Zumba was the magic in all this well then that is sort of true. Yet Zumba here with Kathy is the real winner, and sums it up for me. My reasons for this change in lifestyle are many. I probably mentioned a few above, but being tired from bringing in the groceries, huffing and puffing walking up and down the stairs with laundry, and feeling aches and pains from carrying around my kids are some added reasons for positive change. This place houses the Saturday morning classes that Kathy offers to her Zumba participants. A group of people wanting to salsa, samba, hip hop, shake their bum, and shimmy to heart racing, blood pumping music is what you will find. Walk-ins encouraged and pay as you go $10/session or punch card 5 visits for $40. Feelings of elation and joy are how I feel and I am sure can be found in the other peeps who also come to get their groove on. The Rec Center sits across from the Metra tracks and next door to the Fire Department. Class time: Saturday 8AM Kathy has been introducing her equally talented crew (Mercedes, Aliza, and Rachel) and they are sweeping the Northshore with their Zumba stylings. More deets found on Kathy's website: http://www.zumbawithkathy.com/ I found my answer for the extra travel miles and time to come here. Do you need more reason to come and join? Try it out and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

If you're looking for more indoor fun this winter this review is specifically for the treehouse. I…read morewas a bit worried about the crowd factor on a chilly Saturday morning but my twosome had the company of only q few other kids. At first look my daughter said "this is amazing!" And I thought "nice! $3 (per child) well spent." Main attractions for my children included a little playhouse (where they probably spent most of their time) and of course a huge ball pit. They technically don't allow kids under 3 in the ball pit but since there weren't many kids around didn't seem to mind my 2 yr old was there. Then again I understand the age requirement because having to recuse him from the balls over and over again proved to be annoying. Be sure to check their website* for their hours but they are typically open: Mon/Wed/Fri: 9:15-11am Tues/Thurs: 3-5pm Sat: 10am-12pm It's also a very popular and affordable spot for BDAY parties. * http://www.deerfieldparks.org/parks-facilities/jewett-park-community-center/tree-house/

We travel for play parks. For reals, people! Parks can get boring after a while. The same park over…read moreand over and over again. So when a friend put together a play date here, I cried out "Sign me up!" And boy we were not disappointed. The park actually has several sections to it -- two toddler/infant playgrounds that were gated. (We didn't spend any time here so I can't comment.) It has a baseball field and then the big playground, which is where we spent time. As a mom, I appreciated the picnic benches in the shade as well as clean (yes CLEAN) bathrooms. The playground was impressive. There were a huge merry-go-round with ropes you could climb up as well. It was pretty freaking cool! And you don't see those things that often anymore. Which makes me sad and makes me old all at the same time. But the killer was the slide/fort monstrosity that any kid would go ape over. You just gotta check out the photo for yourself. There are two incredibly long curly cue slides. My kids could have run up and slid down all day. But then the structure is made like a fort with a full deck at the top. And it's covered so no one gets sunburned. Kids banded together and before I knew it, there were about ten boys playing pirates. I felt like I was watching a rendition of Lord of the Flies but thankfully everyone survived. This park is worth a little drive to wear out the kids!

This is an initial review because there was no listing for Blair Park, which is surprising…read moreconsidering it is home to: 1. Lake Bluff Golf Club - 18 Hole Golf Course, Driving Range, Pro Shop & Locker Facilities, Village Grill Restaurant 2. Lake Bluff Park District Recreation Center, including a Gymnasium, Fitness Center &Locker Facilities; Running/Jogging Track 3. Outdoor Facilities, including Outdoor Shelter with Grill; Olympic Swimming Pool & Locker Facilities; Play Equipment; Lighted Sledding Hill; Two Outdoor Tennis Courts; Skateboard Park ;Two Soccer Practice Fields with Goals 4. Paddle Tennis Facility; Three Paddle Tennis Courts; Paddle Hut Now we are Lake Forest residents so we really haven't utilized this facility as we could. Having kids, the rec pool is the biggest draw for us. (Still can't believe LF doesn't have a community pool!) We did love the kiddie pool until it had to be closed down due to leaking. However, they have turned it into an adorable sand play area... which, to be honest, is a pretty big hit, too. My son is taking swimming lessons at the pool. And they offer a day camp for kids -- VERY popular with our friends. We've also used the sledding hill. We thought it was awesome. Completely freaked out our 5yo. He just wasn't ready for the speed. Dad, however, was.

Today, my boyfriend and I rented a paddleboat for an hour. The weather forecast indicated rain…read morewouldn't start until 1:00 PM, so we thought we had plenty of time. However, around 12:20 PM, the sky turned black. We immediately turned around and began pedaling back to the dock as fast as we could. While we were heading back, a safety staff member on a speedboat approached us. He told us we had to return to shore but added that he couldn't tow us in--we had to pedal all the way back ourselves. While we were already doing that, the storm was rolling in incredibly fast, and it was a genuinely scary experience. As we finally approached the dock in the storm, we saw two teenage employees who had been assisting people earlier. One of them looked right at us, but instead of helping us secure the boat, both boys ran back into the covered checkout area and completely ignored us. As we struggled to park and tie up the boat in the pouring rain, not a single staff member stepped out to help us dock safely. Meanwhile, at least 10 employees were crowded inside the checkout area. As a person of color, I am unfortunately always hyper-aware of how I might be treated in certain environments. I have visited this forest preserve many times, always thought it was beautiful, and was so excited to show my boyfriend around. To be treated with such a lack of care was incredibly disappointing. When we spoke to the male manager, he explained that they are required to clear the water during storms. My boyfriend clarified that we had no issue with leaving the water; our issue was the complete lack of staff assistance to help us dock safely in a dangerous situation. The manager offered us a "rain check" for a free rental, but missing out on time wasn't the issue--our safety was. No one seemed to care that we were the last ones out on the water. I hope this forest preserve implements a better emergency protocol, because storms on the water can quickly become life-threatening. I guess my question is if the staff are closely checking the weather , why even let people still go out on the water ? Instead of saying "hey there's a storm that is going to be rolling through , we are holding back on rentals at this time for safety reasons " .

Independence Grove is such a nice forest preserve with lots of things to do especially in the…read moresummer time. Beautiful trails to walk/run along but they also have a playground for kids. They have a beer garden and snack shop. They also have water activities that you can rent like paddle boats and kayaks. It's just a nice place to go solo or with friends if you are looking to connect with nature for a bit.