Getting beach ready! Not only myself (preparing for a summer beach vacation), but Rosewood Beach…read morerecently got a clean up and seemed ready for visitors. It's been awhile since I've updated my experience at Rosewood. This review is based on a recent walk I took to get some fresh air and much needed exercise. After parking the car in Downtown Ravinia and walking to Rosewood beach and back to the car (round trip about 1.3 miles), I noticed a bunch of beach updates that are worth mentioning. First of all, gear up, because the beach is open this year and you'll be able to swim! It's a private beach and not free, so you'll have to follow this link (https://www.pdhp.org/beaches/parking-2/) for resident and non-resident fees. This year you can purchase a swim pass and a parking decal. I entered via the dirt path that leads down to the beach so I could make my way back up the stairs for a good stair climb. The path was nicely cleaned up and breathtaking all on its own. Surrounded by lots of foliage and overlooking the ravine, I walked until I met up with the beach boardwalk. The boardwalk is all cleaned up and nicely refreshed. Looks like it did when it first opened! The beach sand is all freshened up and ready for summer. The play structures for kids are covered (but not sanitized). The best part? The steep, really-great-for-your-legs staircase now has handrails! This is such a huge plus for when you can't quite make it up and need to lean over a rail to hold yourself up (don't judge). It was a nice quiet walk, since the beach isn't actually open yet, but it will get crowded for certain. Parking lots have meters.

Amazing that I can walk here from my house. I am very lucky to live here. This beach is amazing,…read moreyou get great views of Chicago, Waukegan, and water. The recent remodel and rebuild are beautiful. It is nice and quiet her in the winter, all you hear are the waves, the wind, and your breath. Wait until spring!

This is such a gem for the 2-7 age range! It was $15 for a 4 year old and 1 year old. Our 1.5 year…read moreold even got to ride the train (with an adult), go down the giant slide and play on the playground. Quick drive from the city. We spent 2 hours here and got to try every ride and have lunch. It's small so 2 hours was perfect. Our 4 year old rode the carousel, flying pirate ship, train, Giant slide, water boats and rock climbing wall (with harnesses). There is a big play lot that is really fun too. Concession options were good - pizza, chicken tenders, corn dog, hot dog, fries, ice cream. No juice boxes. Clean bathrooms and water fountain. Lots of tables in the shade to eat. The ride operators were extra special nice to the kids. One stopped to help our kid with her shoe at the top of the slide and one put towels on the seat of the ride so it wasn't too hot from the sun. We left happy!

This is great a place for young children…read more You only have to pay for the child. $15 for non residents. There's only two rides parents can join on - the train and the burlap sack slide. The other rides the child does by themselves. My 3 year old son had a blast! A young 3 years old was the perfect age and we will definitely take him back next year. This would be a great place for birthday parties too.

A kid's dream playground and totally worth the small entrance fee. This nature-themed play space…read moreis huge, creative, and packed with fun. Because it's so popular, they use timed entries to give more families a chance to enjoy it without crowding. It's located inside the Spring Valley Nature Center, so after playtime, you can wander the trails or explore more of the natural area. A great combo of fun + learning + nature. Perfect for an afternoon with littles

I get it... people do not want to pay to go to a public park, but then.... Maybe don't go? It's a…read morepark district park, so perhaps they need the money to help maintain the park or to help with crowd control. And I'm sure there are plenty of other parks in the area that do not charge. The place was pretty packed on a Sunday morning at 10:20am, but not in an annoying way. I thought the equipment was uniquely different from your standard playground. Lots of creative equipment for sensory play. I wasn't SUPER thrilled to see the gritty sand and water (am I just super OCD or are there actually parents out there that see that at a playground they drove to that says "oh yay! Water and messy sand!"). Oh and the death trap tight rope was also a "yikes" reaction, but my kids stayed away from it, so no biggie. It was fun. I wasn't bothered by the one hour time limit (although, I don't even know if they actually kick people out because we left a little after 11am and I didn't see them trying to clear the area). But.... It was hot and I was ready to leave the park and do not mind having the backing of being able to tell my kids that the park is closing to help get them to leave.