I've been hearing about this park for a while and we were able to take a visit over there today. I'm glad I knew what I was looking for because Google Maps was going to take me to a small playground on the other side of the school, rather than Little Bear Park which is on the very corner of Patriot and Chestnut (and is almost entirely fenced in, which makes it attractive with little kids). The Little Bear Park is actually a section within the larger Gallery Park, so you may need to put that in if your GPS is confused about LBP. This park was established as part of the redevelopment of the military airfield in Glenview. Overall, I was disappointed in the park, but there were some things I really loved about it along with those that left a bit to be desired. First, it looked like a gorgeous, romantic garden like you might envision from an Austen novel. Truly a beautiful setting, with a small hedge maze and a several picnic tables. Quite an idyllic little spot within the larger park, and ostensibly where it gets the "garden park" part of its name. There's also a really awesome water feature here. It's really large, and unlike some "splash pads" that are little more than a tall pipe sticking out of the ground, this one had several arms coming out of the ground of different heights. It also had some water coming from spots in the ground, for a lot of different ways to play. My kiddo got soaked and loved it. Sadly, the playground section looked kind of old and worn. It has a cute castle/medieval theme, but all the play equipment was quite faded. Of more concern was that the playground terrain, which was that composite rubbery stuff, was broken off in quite a few places; more than once my babe brought me small or large pieces. Seems potentially fraught in a few different ways, but it was weird since in all the parks I've been to with that kind of ground cover I haven't seen chunks of it missing throughout the playground. There's lots of parking at/around this park, because it shares space with a middle school and park district headquarters. The playground itself isn't the attraction for me--though if we are already in Glenview, I might stop--but I would absolutely return for a beautiful picnic in the garden, and that's what really makes it shine. read more

Heads up if your kids like swings: there are none at this park. But there's a cool splash pad, a hedge maze, a play structure, and a huge sand pit area. read more

Very clean and well-maintained park. Kids had a nice time in the playground and splash areas. There are benches throughout and some tables under the shade. The maze and walking area are also a nice addition. read more

Little Bear Garden Park - Parks Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

The most adorable playground ever. Love that it's fenced in and has so many features.

Wonderful park geared for little ones. Fully fenced - With room to walk and explore. Parking is close - stroller friendly. read more

Great summer park for kids with large sand area and splash pad feature! Could use a bit of updating and better signage to find.

Perfect summer playground With sprinklers for Littles !! Love that the playground is gated safe for kids and worry free for parents ! read more

I only went to this park once and was expecting a lot more from a Glenview park. Though the grounds are very nice, the kiddie playground was a total disappointment. The playground was filthy with old food items lying on tables and on the floor of the slide area. The carpet was ragged and worn. There are no swings and nothing other than a slide for toddler fun. It does have sprinklers but they weren't on during our visit. There are other much nicer parks in the area. This one gets a big thumbs down! read more

The idea of this park is brilliant, gated off so little ones can't run off without an adult to open the gate. however, there were no baby swings that I saw which was a big disappointment. I'll happily return here for a walk though because the place is very stroller friendly! read more

This park/garden is so nice. The best part is that it is completely fenced in, so it is super safe! A lot of different activities and a lot of shade read more

Little Bear Garden is entirely enclosed by a wrought iron fence. Areas within are separated so that there isn't a huge mess of kids in one spot. Sprinklers cool off kids in a padded area by the main slides park. There is a large, clean sandbox spot with some umbrellas and benches. A huge circle of wooden old-fashioned porch swings face inwards to grass for kids to run and play. A small shrubbery maze and flowered garden allows kids to stop and smell the roses. There is also a padded fort-like playground with a stage, two slides and lots of little places to sit or hide. A circular wall ledge provides more room for imagination. There are plenty of shaded picnic spots throughout the Garden. Book pages are hidden throughout the park with numbers so older children can enjoy a scavenger hunt to finish a short story. Outside the Garden is a huge nature preserve with ponds to fish in and fabulous trails. My friends and I enjoy this destination for a playdate-lunch in the Glen and walking on the trails and to the park, and playing in Little Bear Garden for the little ones! read more

Little Bear Garden Park - View from swing at Little Bear Garden. - Parks Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

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Nope! You won't find any little bears here, but what you will find is a beautiful enclosed refuge in the middle of Gallery Park. Come here for storytelling in the storyteller's corner, the shrubbery maze, flower garden, children's play area, covered sandlot and fun water feature. If you're a kid you'll love the fact that your parents, grandparents or caregivers can sit under the trellis and safely watch you frolic about doing your thing. The wooden bench swings spaced throughout and under the trellis make the perfect resting spot to enjoy a book or sit with friends and family. The flower garden alone makes it worth the visit. Chauncey Gardiner would be proud of how meticulously this place is kept up. Alan R does a great job of capturing the essence of this place, so I'm not really sure what else I can add... other than the fact the bathrooms are super duper clean (outside the garden of course), and yes, you will find a good old fashioned pay phone for making those important calls. Without a doubt worth the visit and worth the bookmark. When you're done, head over to The Glen. read more

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Pretty great place for little ones to run around. There's a play castle, shrub maze, swinging benches, open fields and a water sprinkler thing. It's free. It's fun. Nothing else can beat this. It does get hella crowded on Saturdays though. read more

Little Bear Garden Park - Play castle - Parks Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

This park has is a very well maintained playground with a sprinklers for the kids to frolic in during the summer. There is a bunch of wood swings, under a wonderful shady canopy. I love to sit here to just relax and think. Yep, I am guilty of coming here on a lunch break to swing on the swing. Very peaceful! read more

A pretty little gem of a park (for little ones) with a super fun water element as well as a playground for all ages. My sister just moved to the area and took us here for a fun and inexpensive afternoon. Although it is pretty tiny, it has a very pretty set up. It was also very close to the Glen Town Center, so you can easily find a bite to eat with little ones after working up an appetite running around this park. I will make it a point to go back here whenever I make it back tot he area. read more

What a great park and it's fenced yay!!!! Playground, huge sandbox, grass to run around, and a splash zone for summer months! Very clean washrooms near by...lots of trees and benches. Highly recommend this for toddlers! read more

I came here with my kiddos one afternoon after we had some lunch at the glen and it was literally across the street so we figured why not. On a Friday late afternoon around 5 it was pretty busy I must say with tons of kids running around and they had their little sprinkler activity going so that was nice for the kids who wanted to cool off. They has some nice shade area benches that you could swing on which I thought was a nice touch for the adults who wanted to relax while their kiddos ran around. The park itself was also cute with little activity centers with slides and places to climb so my girls definitely had a nice time here. The only thing missing in my opinion were the swings for the kids, shouldn't every park have swings? Mine love that so that was the only thing that was missing for us but otherwise if we're in the area I would definitely come back since it's nicely maintained and they can meet some little friends there. read more

Very well maintained playlot. Playground is fenced in. Plenty of parking. Bathrooms right next to playlot. Equipment is geared towards younger kids (I could see older kids getting bored easily). My 1 and 1/2 year old had a great time. Equipment is all over cushioned repurposed rubber. One drawback is that it is right at the intersection of two fairly busy roads. It is fenced, so there is no safety issue, but the noise can take away a bit from the experience. If in area and looking for a place to run a kid, this will do the trick. read more

One of the most extensive parks on the North Shore. Next to Attea Middle School and the Park Center, Little Bear Garden has just about everything you can imagine a playground would have except children's swings. Old fashioned swings for both kids and adults like people used to have on their porch are at the front of the park. They also have a shrubbery maze, a small playground, huge sandbox, nice area with flowers and the water area that makes LBG a destination and not just a neighborhood park. read more

This park is IDEAL for children ages 1-5. Awesome layout - in the center is a circular garden/grassy area lined with ivy and benches, reminiscent of a roman villa- very beautiful and relaxing. It's surrounded by play areas for children, with each corner of the garden being a different theme - a castle playground, sprinkler/water area, sand area, and a hedge maze! It's my favorite park in Chicago to take my 2 little tots. read more

Great for kids. Fenced/gated kids area. Bench swings that can support the whole family was awesome..

Awesome little place. The little hedge maze is a hit with the kids. The story walk is a nice touch (they have pages of a kids book set up all over the park and you walk around the park reading the story). The flowers and plants are really nice and the playground is big and has lots of activities. I wish more parks like this existed, read more

Very nice park to bring your toddlers. Has huge sand box area and the sprinklers and play area are age appropriate. Also has some great shady areas for a picnic. read more

Great park with fun play area, a decent amount of benches for adults to sit on, shaded areas, and then a little water fountain that sprays the kids to keep them cool. I wouldn't bring kids over probably seven or eight here, but it's a fun, enclosed area for the little ones. read more

So much fun. My daughter's favorite part was relaxing on the swing and running through the sprinklers.

I went here last summer with my nieces and nephew, ages 3-9. It is a little bit hidden, so if you don't find it right away it is because it is an entirely enclosed park with lots of greenery around it. I love that this place has so much to do all wrapped up in one. There is the actual playground area, which has NO woodchips (love!). There is a sand pit, so bring some sand toys with you, and there is a small splash pad, so towels for the kids would be good to bring along too. There is also a beautiful, huge circular trellis that my 9 year old niece just sat under, swinging on a bench, reading. I'm so glad we just happened to bring a book with us! On top of all that, there is a hedge maze that the kids can go through and a small flower garden. It wasn't crowded when we went at all but I am not sure if it is always like that or not. We will definitely be back! Oh, and everything is free! read more

Great park. Water spray, sand area, trails, huge water fountain, pond, kids park, lots of benches and swinging benches for the adults. Crowded on a Sunday but still space to move around. read more

Wow...great place for kids...slides, splash pad, sand, swing...very nicely packaged into 1 place...and all for free.