Fairly good sized park in the Irving Park neighborhood known for baseball. It also has facilities…read moreand fields for many other things. California Park is certainly a place to get exercise. Has a path along the river if wanting less physical contact when working out. The park also has a large center for hockey and skating. As expected it gets its name from the street next to it. Its beginnings go back to 1917 when the city began purchasing land. The park was completed by 1928, with athletic fields and a fieldhouse, and Illinois' largest outdoor swimming pool. A lot of improvements in the years after. McFetridge Sports Center was a replacement for the original fieldhouse. The park became the first in the city to have an indoor ice rink and indoor tennis courts, and is a popular training facility for figure skating. Later the park was expanded. This goes along the river to the trail so it connects to other places. Great place to train and just get some exercise. It's located by the Addison intersection. There's programs for hockey, skating, and whatever.

I watched some of a wheelchair softball event here today. I was blown away…read more There were volunteers and lots of players. There were balls being tossed and smacked around the concrete field. But that isn't what got me. I saw an older muscular man in a heavy duty, almost Road Warrior looking, wheelchair talking earnestly with young, timid boy. I imagine the boy was attending his first wheelchair softball game, maybe even new to his chair. I couldn't hear what they were saying. It didn't matter. I was moved. I immediately felt guilty for my petty gripes Du jour and was humbled. The field is well kept. There's a nice, slightly raised, grass berm beyond the outfield fence for spectators but what's special about this park is what happens on that field. Check it out man. Seeing all that effort made me a better person... even if only for a moment.

Right off, I have a statement to the press: this goofy-footed former skater hasn't skated in years,…read moreworried about my brittle bones potentially ending up outside my skin in a compound fracture, and after having broken a couple ribs from rollerblading too fast for conditions. I also wasn't too excited about a million-plus dollar skate park coming to my neighborhood. That having been said, I love watching the kids learn their tricks and seeing the professionals on the Dew Tour this past weekend. There's something about aficionados putting their noses to the grindstone (or ledge or rail) and working to achieve something that gives me hope for the future. It's nice that they have a place to grind, since they can be quite annoying in public places. And the kids are fit from all the exercise: no faces planted in front of cellphone screens here. Some people say they have no regrets in life: this is a minor one, but I would have loved to have lived near this place in my youth. My only other minor regret is that they don't have a bowl here, but it's not far to go to 34th Street & LSD and get stoked, watching someone catch some sick air after popping his first 180 off the rim of the bowl .

This park opened just in time for some fun before the snow! I came by with a friend who's been…read moreskateboarding for years and he said this is one of the biggest parks in the Midwest, definitely best in the state. I'm posting a picture from opening day, it was crowded, but had a good flow. The pedestrian bridge just north of the part(along 11th St) is great for spectating. All that from a grassy field. Good job Chicago!

Not going to lie, it has been quite a few years... didn't drop in, didn't get air, but I did get…read moreabove transition and carved around. What a great asset to have along the lakefront. Great vibe, good fellow skaters, lots of fun.

I can't skate to save my life but just watching is awesome. I'm surprised there aren't more of…read morethese extremely beautiful concrete bastions around town. The concrete is perfectly smooth and the lip of the pools are molded metal that prevents the edge from chipping. And the skaters thrash it all day here. It's an amazing thing to behold. Just make sure you know the lingo and when to ensure your kid wears a helmet! Is he or she yammering about "dropping into a bowl" the first time? For Pete's sake they should wear a helmet! And hand guards! Even Tony Hawk always has his main gear on. He's the best role model out there. I'm not saying your kids should look like they're wearing a space suit. But only the experienced skaters wear less safety gear. Skating still gets a bad rap. It's a great way to blow off steam, socialize, and it's good exercise. You can tell how much energy and focus it takes when you're less than ten feet away. And if your teenager never evinces charisma about anything other than video games and cutting class, you should be ecstatic if they pick up skating. It's really cool being at the Wilson pools and watching the magic.

Pretty nice skate park. Very smooth. Lots of unique terrain for all types of tricks. Better than…read morethe wood parks around.

Smooth concrete, interesting park. Next to a community center so if you're there the right hours…read moreyou can use the bathroom which is a plus for me. Expect a lot of kids on scooters and bikes from around the neighborhood.

Small but a ton of fun! Wasn't a lot of people just me and 4 others so I got in plenty of skating!…read moreA nice peaceful evening ripping it up

We have kids who ride scooters and skateboards. One of our kiddos is a fairly advanced scooter…read morerider who rides every day. We spend quite a bit of time driving our kiddos back and forth to various skate parks in the area. My son had been begging us to take him to the new Vernon Hills Skate Park, so we headed out on a beautiful sunny day. Getting to the park was a little tricky. For some reason we missed the turn. Aspen Drive is a little hidden if you don't look out for it. When in doubt, just turn around in the Vernon Hills Police Department parking lot ;-) The skate park is new and on the smaller side. For our kids, this was a little more on the beginner level. I don't recommend it for advanced riders. The rails and ledges are limited and it's pretty flat. But, it's so nice and new. The park district did a fantastic job. I have no doubt it will get used quite a bit. It's a great place to gather with friends! Take note: There is only a little shade with a couple of covered areas Tons of parking, and there is a Walgreens nearby for those wanting a snack. The nearby Sullivan Center is actually really nice. It was closed the day they went due to Covid19. Highly recommend for those starting out. Open dawn to dusk.

Ramps are in great condition, very smooth ride! Not a lot of people either so we got in plenty of…read moreskating! Has some beginner boxes, rails and ramps and a lot of advanced/bigger stuff too, so definitely fun for all levels of skateboarding! The 7' half pipe is also in great condition Would absolutely recommend this park!

Who knew this place even existed? My scooter kids recently went to, what they referred to as, the…read moreAbt skatepark and loved it. Okay, when did Abt add a skate park to their compound? This I had to see for myself. So, the other day I offered to take my kiddos there, and it's not at Abt, but rather hidden in the large Glenview Park District Community Park West right behind Abt. Kids refer to it as the Abt skatepark, because I believe it was sponsored by Abt at one point in time (I mean of course!). The park is a ramp-centric 15,000-square-foot facility designed for beginner and advanced level skaters. It has a bunch of smaller beginning ramps, quarter and half pipes, and a grind box/ledge and rail. There are no bowls. Note: It says no scooters allowed, but there were both scooter riders and skateboarders. The park is off the beaten path. It has benches for taking breaks, and there is also a covered area for those who want to enjoy some shade. On the day we went it was super duper hot, so we were there for only 30 minutes. Plenty of onsite parking.

Came to this park to walk the dog. Hamlin Dog Park is obviously located in Hamlin Park. It…read morespecifically is located next to the tennis courts in the southwest part of this. A small area but enough room to run around. This also has poop bags and a fountain. A pretty basic ass area. It's small and there not that much to it. There's a fenced area for dogs to run around and that's about all they have it seems. One thing is that it's close to the tennis courts. These make it convenient to those looking to do something else while hanging out with a dog or some other kind of pet. For sure a good place to bring a dog. It's pretty clean, without poop everywhere. This has lots of baseball but this is where to go for walking dogs or whoever.

It's a nice day today and my pup is four months old; I wanted him to play with some new dogs before…read moreit gets cold outside. The people that were there today were extremely nice which is a plus. It's nice to be able to communicate with people who aren't rude. The park was ok, a bit dirty; I didn't like the gravel, especially the area in the back where a mud-pitt forms. People say it's a well kept park,(it does look nice from the pictures posted, especially with all the dogs) so come spring I'll probably give this park another chance. Maybe it's just a bad experience at the end of the year. I had to travel about 15-20 to get here, no dog parks in my area, so if you're like me, maybe you can check out the portage park dog park. It's a nice area and the dog park is half gravel half turf. Not as big though but its pretty close to it; nice big square area. Nice drinking fountain and bags to pick up waste. People there are friendly also.

Amazing experience started our almost 3 year old here and our instructor Alex had him dropping in…read moreby the end of the first lesson. I was initially going to wait till our son was older to start lessons but they were running a killer deal for first timers so I signed him up and I am so glad I did he is having so much fun and learning great skills. They also sell skateboards here so if you need one buy it here or at one of the other local skate shops. They all have great people.

From the owner: ash will in laterread more