Ladd is my fave running spot in Evanston. Beautiful scenery, quiet, clean, visible mile…read moremarkers...everything I ask for in a trail. There is free parking in a lot located at the corner of McCormick & Bridge St. Don't forget to check out the Evanston Ecology Center, located inside Ladd Arboretum. If you have never had the chance to take a peek inside this little hidden gem, you should. From the EEC website... "The Evanston Ecology Center, a facility operated by the City of Evanston, was built on the grounds of the Ladd Arboretum in 1974 and serves as a focal point for environmental education and volunteerism in the community. The Ecology Center's mission is to offer educational programs to the local community that will foster a greater appreciation, awareness and knowledge of the environment. The offerings of the Center range from introductory natural history classes, covering areas such as plant identification and animal study, to popular summer camps that engage kids in environmentally focused activities."

I keep finding myself back to this park ever since high school. They have plenty of outdoor…read moreactivities like basketball, sand volleyball, pickleball/tennis, and baseball. Big area to picnic with bathrooms. The lights stay on until about 11 pm during the summer/fall. They also have a waterpark. Great park for all ages. No issues with parking.

This review is for the pool. I grew up going to this pool every summer. I recently went here for…read morethe first time as an adult to bring my own child. It looks exactly the same and they have managed to keep it in good condition. It's nothing fancy but it's clean and well kept. I love that they have two kid pools, one with a bunch of fountains and that connects to slides and another that is more basic/quieter. There was plenty of seating and lots of staff/lifeguards around. They do adult swim for the last 10 min of each hour. One less star because it is very expensive for non-residents ($18 per person). My infant was free, thank goodness. I guess if I think about it that is about the cost of a movie ticket. Anyways, I will probably not be going as often as I would like because of the cost.

Sometime ago I took notice of Community Park. It was recommended that I take my client here for…read morewalks on the track, switching up our typical scenery, plus because of it having softer pavement. During the evening of being introduced to Community Park I spotted quite a few runners and walkers on the track which built that interest to stop in in the future post finishing my work shift. During my initial run here I noticed that the track has a slight square shape to it different from any other, yet still accurate in distance and consisting of the rubberized artificial surface like any other. It is open as a community park, yet utilized and marked 'Bulldogs' referring to the Old Orchard Jr High School Bulldogs. And depending on what time of day you choose to utilize the track & field on the weekdays you may encounter the junior high school students conducting physical education class. Off to the side, there is even a tiny playground allowing you to keep an eye on your children as they play on the equipment. As for parking, there is access to parking along Kenton Ave which may be limited at select times of the day. But if it is then there is also access within the neighborhood. For me, the Community Park track is a relief because it allows me to get my run in after finishing my work shift because if I wait later I tend to procrastinate and maybe say forget it depending how fatigued I am from work. Even though Skokie is already a pleasant city, I most definitely recommend Community Park if you prefer a somewhat secluded area that will allow you to run, walk, play soccer or flag football. Thomas G

What I enjoy about this playground is that it's off the street a bit, it's connected to a…read morebiking/walking path, and it has several benches in the periphery of the action so I can move around based on where my kids play. It also has lots of tall, old trees that provide shade and ambiance. The area is nestled between the North Shore Channel and a quiet residential street. For some reason, it's difficult to get to by car, and the parking "lot" is minimal, but street parking is plentiful. My kids love this park because it has a spinner toy, slides, and a double swing. The swing set includes one baby swing, one accessible swing, two standard swings, and a pretty cool double swing. Other amenities include one porta-potty on site and a covered picnic area that has four picnic tables and two grills.

Pretty nice neighborhood Chicago park. PLENTY of street parking that leads you right up to the…read morepark. The kids love the equipment here, especially the jungle gym made of ropes. There was one of those swings where you can lay down in (not sure what they are called) and one weekend it was broken, the next weekend it was fixed. Talk about great response time!

Pleasant Park is a nice, quiet playground near Devon and Harlem. It is tucked away in the…read moreneighborhood and has plenty of parking on the one way street. Every time I have visited there were few to no people there, so it is kind of a hidden gem. This park doesn't have a ton of equipment, but the playground they have is pretty nice. The surface is a nice bouncy surface and there are a few slides for the kids. There are 6 different single swings and a big hammock type swing by multiple kids. The park district did a nice job or incorporating some rolling hills into the play area to make it a little more exciting than a flat park. A large rope structure allows kids of all ages to climb and hang from the different lines. The park has a nice open space for kids to run around at. There is also a full size basketball court with lights for nighttime games. This is a pretty chill park to enjoy some time with your young ones at.

An excellent playground "floor is lava" themed, shade, street parking, picnic tables and restrooms…read more Baseball field, splash pad, and tennis courts. Really impressed by the renovations to this park, and it's one that the kiddies will love!

The Wilmette Community Recreation center houses 2 modern playgrounds, a preschool, tennis courts,…read morebaseball fields, state of the art gym facilities for adults and little ones, and a variety of indoor and outdoor extracurricular activities for all ages. The indoor facilities and the outdoor grounds are all very well maintained. The large playground was rebuilt last year and is one of the nicest ones in the North shore area. The small playground (which is part of the preschool) is fully fenced and has a splash pad that operates during the summer months. There is an outdoor walking path that loops around the entire Rec center and an indoor running path at the fitness center. There is also a state of the art gymnastics facility for toddlers to big kids. Overall, this is an excellent recreation center that is very well maintained and has just about everything. The only negative aspect of this center is that the playgrounds can get too crowded when all the kiddos from the preschool, summer camps, and enrichment programs all come out to play. Otherwise, very highly recommended.

One of the best parts about living in Wilmette is coming to this community recreation center run by…read morethe Wilmette Park District. Here they run a variety of activities for children as well as adults and seniors. Almost any activity you can think of including sports, fitness, dance, theater, gymnastic and art are offered here. They are always adding new things that are popular. My son just started a video game design class which is really up his alley. During holidays and throughout the year they put on special events for families to enjoy. They run a very good preschool which is one of the most affordable in the area, but make sure you book it early because it fills up fast. The quarterly book that they send to the residents is huge and nicely laid out with programs. You can register for classes with ease online or there. Not only that, but the staff are all very helpful. If there was ever a time when we were not completely satisfied or were suddenly unable to attend, we were refunded our money and never given a hard time. Anyone can sign up for the activities here, however it is just less expensive if you are a resident. What I love the most is the convenience of everything being in one location, so I'm not running all over the place. I also like how many options there are. We are always trying something new and fun. They put on the cutest theater productions and tickets are not expensive. The rec center has alot to offer so check it out for yourself!

Roosevelt Park is a quite nice park tucked away in a residential section of Glenview. Its best…read morefeature for us, currently anyway, is it has a big open and well manicured field that can accommodate 4 full youth softball fields. The park is surrounded by residential streets and except for a small parking lot near the swimming pool, it's all otherwise street parking for visitors, so it can get crowded if you're not a slight bit early for an event. They do also have a swimming pool as mentioned, 3 tennis courts, and a field house. Great asset for Glenview families and activities!

There's nothing not to like about this park! Truly amazing place for gathering, tennis play or some…read morechill out. Very clean and calm. Always kept nice and tidy. There is some basketball court, tennis or huge pool. It is up to you and your daily mood. Playground for kids is also amazing with very interesting jungle gym addition:) Anyway you will enjoy if you are nature lover like me