Such a shame that $400,000 Illinois taxpayer dollars were used to cut down the beautiful old growth…read morehardwood trees and turn them into mulch. The money was supposed to be spent to "improve urban green spaces", but the money was used to destroy beautiful trees worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and turn them into mulch.

Great park with shaded splash pad and multiple jungle gyms. Lots of shaded areas for when the sun…read morereally beats down on Chicagoland. The kids play area / jungle gym is quality and is well used by area children. Recommended!

Nice grassy park in Oak Park for jogging or just walking the dog. The Cicadas are out and about on…read morethe trees, so keep a look out!

A nice hidden and peaceful gem located in Oak Park. Austin Gardens is sometimes referred to as "The…read moreSecret Garden" it is hidden in a quiet residential neighborhood. Nice area to enjoy a nice quiet and relax day. Atmosphere is calm. We came here on a Thursday evening for a Shakespeare in the park "Much Ado about nothing. I absolutely enjoyed the evening. The whole night was amazing. I felt very comfortable and relaxed. It's a nice park to enjoy nature and serenity. You can enjoy a nice picnic or just sit on one of the benches and take in some fresh air. Go online and check out some of the programs and events throughout the year. The park has many great features for you to enjoy. A field house, restrooms, walking paths and picnic areas.

Nice and quiet neighborhood park in Oak Park. I was on Auntie duty over the weekend. I came here…read morewith my six year old niece. She had lots of fun playing with the other kids. Its a very nice small park for kids to come and enjoy. Nice slides and other amenities to enjoy. It has a nice peaceful feeling.

Good playground with sand pit, tot lot, and a splash pad. The play structure is big enough for…read moreadults to follow little ones around if they need help. The fieldhouse is rentable for big parties or events. Parking on OP ave is risky with small kids. It's very busy and the crosswalk is at the end of the block. Parking on the east side is much calmer.

This place is small and intimate but it was so nice. Now, when I say that it's small, I'm…read morereferring to the greenhouse side. It isn't a huge park, but it is big enough for a little adventure. The plants are well kept. There are so many, and they don't have signs for them all, lol. So have your identifier app ready, lol. The temperature is set to maintain the plants, so you may want to have a nice jacket that you can take off while being inside. Other than that, the plants are beautiful and huge! They had parrots!!!! Lol, they weren't too talkative (until you walk away, lol) This is a great place to visit and take in different beautiful species of plants, the water system that they have set up as a coy pound, the HUGE plants that they have .... it is a great substitute for a botanical garden visit. Oh... AND IT'S FREE!!! LOL

We had a 5 year old bday party there and it was a blast! So well prepared and they really think of…read moreeverything. They have 2 main activities (terrarium craft and scavenger hunt) and two smaller activities to keep the kids busy in between (coloring and bird toy making). They have two staff to help with kids. We found with 5 year olds, having 4 extra adults was nice. They supplied tablecloths and a happy birthday banner. It was an easy way to celebrate and I would recommend. Sean did a great job being a host for the conservatory

I give it 5 stars for the decent sized park with great amenities for families with kids. However I…read morewouldn't stay there too long after 7pm but use your own judgement. Adults were seen in the park around 7pm passing around a blunt while sitting on the bench and another adult wore a T-shirt with the "F" word spelled out....all while the kids they came with were playing on the playground. This is not what our neighborhood needs!! Poor little kids!

I have lived right next to this park for 20 years and bring my grandchild there frequently. It's a…read morelovely, safe place for kids.

I have to say, I really like this park. I don't have kids yet, so I don't need all the playground…read moreequipment to give it a good rating. It's got a baseball diamond, a bit of playground stuff, but the best part is the sled hill! That hill is awesome. You can find a hundred people there on any given snow day with all sorts of sleds. It's a blast just watching so many people at the bottom wipe out or knock other people over. Come on, if you are standing at the bottom of a ginormous sled hill and there's sledders along the entire top of the hill, you are likely going to get hit. Survival of the fittest, people. We take walks here with our dog a lot and he loves running around the wide open space when we are the only ones. It's a nice location, and definitely the place to go when you want an awesome sledding experience!

Skokie Lagoons is huge! Biking, hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing- it has it all. I had no idea…read morethis place existed, but I'm so glad to have been introduced to it. Was here recently to rent kayaks and it was great. Chicago Kayak and Canoe rental company sets up camp, and it was very busy with school groups and families on a recent beautiful September 2016 Chicago weekend. Kayaking the Lagoons you're bound to see cranes, heron, a few other people kayaking, and get lost in nature. From time to time there is algae on the water and it can be smelly. We went right into a cove of algae where nobody else was going, and it felt like something out of the movie Adaptation. I was jealous of all the fishing going on, and hope to be back for that. It's only 5 miles from Chicago Botanic Gardens, so if you park here you can bike on in for free, and have an easy short ride. A lot of people reviewing Skokie Lagoons complain about the trash, and how people leave lunch garbage and bottles laying around. To me that's not a reflection of the place itself- do your part- pick up some trash before you leave, or pull a bottle or two out of the water. Or just stay away, because I'll be back, and the less people the better!

Great place for hiking. Not too crowded and not far from home for me. Lol. Will definitely visit…read moreagain.

This is one of the small little parks that pop up in a big city block. It is named after a beloved…read moreschool superintendent, at least that is what the sign said. It had tennis courts, baseball fields, bathrooms and a nice walking path. The park was dotted with SAHM and retired folks.

I go here two to three times a day to walk my grandaughter's dog, Shilow. Sometimes we just relax…read moreand I sit on one of the benches and he sits right next to me. This park is absolutely beautiful. I love the different trees but my favorite is the evergreens. And, I love that all the flowers and grass are native to the prairie land. There are two nature walkways enclosed by flowers and shrubs on the south and north side of the west end of the park. Walking through the winding paths brings me very close to nature. It makes me feel like I'm somewhere else.

We went to the Forest Park Aquatic Center on Memorial Day. It was wonderful…read more We went to Brookfield Zoo first, which is about a 13 minute drive from here. The pool was open from noon-5pm (it was opening day, I don't believe those are standard hours). We bought tickets online in the morning before going, which was a good idea because there was an incredibly long and slow line to purchase tickets. It was $15 per person. They have changing rooms, including showers with soap. They have a reasonably priced concession stand (no outside food allowed). There was a gigantic pool with multiple sections, including a zero depth entry section, 2 lap lanes, a 12 foot diving pool with diving pool and 2 drop slides. 2 medium large water slides. There was also a huge splash pad including a set of little kid water slides and a water bucket that dumps water on people. The life guards were great. We had a great time!

We attended an after-hours fundraiser at the Forest Park pool tonight, the annual Duck Splash,…read morewhich benefits the local special recreation program, WSSRA. We were very impressed by all of the lifeguards tonight. They were very pleasant and attentive and kept a close watch on the action. The pool has 2 slide areas, a kids section, lap lanes, diving well, and free play space. Grassy area and lounge chairs. My teen enjoyed the concession stand- soft serve ice cream and funnel cakes! I like how they enforce the "no food on deck" and "no shoes on deck" rules. Points off as the parking is absolutely bonkers. There were other sporting events happening tonight, plus just folks in the park, so there was no available parking. We parked in the farthest lot, which seems like a full 2-3 blocks from the entrance, and with 1-way lanes it took us super long to get everyone in and out of the event. Also, the locker rooms were outdated and did not smell the best.

My son likes to call this park "Piratey Park". It's no…read morewonder. They have a pirate ship in the middle of the playground. They also have a sand lot, tons of fun play structures, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, and a walking/ running path. I'm a creature of habit and I also loathe too much sun and humidity. I prefer this park because there are many areas of shade and places to picnic. The walking path is also a great and safe place for my son to ride his bike. P.S. One of the few parks whose public washrooms do not send me into gagging fits.

gorgeous park to take the kids too. my sis lives very close…read more always fun to go to, the kids love it. right next to the train station, they love that for sure.