Beautifully landscaped and well Maintained park located in…read moreBerwyn. Part of the glorious and nice collection of parks in the Berwyn Parks District. Nice benches to sit and relax. Dog bags to pick up after your pet , which encourages a clean and sanitary environment. Free book exchange; which is a wonderful way to promote literacy, educational values and sharing within your community. To Share and exchange books you have read. So thoughtful. I love to see these boxes. This is a very nice park to just sit and enjoy the natural world around you. Located in a very nice and quiet area. Just West on Oak Park Avenue, South side of 23rd street. And Riverside Drive. Few blocks away you'll find many restaurants to eat . Gas stations, bars. Layla's Furniture is around the corner. Vibrant and nice neighborhood

It took over 15 years living in Chicago before I visited a beach. This one was the first!…read more Leone Beach Park is one of the northernmost beaches in the city. Leone Park Beach is named after an employee who managed folks along the entire north side, and lived above the beach house until his death. There's a swim ban in this park, though, due to the water quality. So that knocks out a big reason for going. Though you can go bake on the beach if you want. There's a good-sized parking lot here, and it's a pay lot. There's a playground and somewhat natural area surrounding it (at least it looks like it--I couldn't tell what may have been blooming there). I was surprised to see one of those Amazon lockers there, so apparently you could get your stuff shipped here. There's also basketball courts here, and lawn area, for non-beach-based recreation.

12/29/20 - Gorgeous beach front right off of Touhy Ave. W/a parking lot right there. My neighbor…read moreand I arrived just before sunrise. The sun was still below the horizon the sky was aglow in this beautiful reddish orange coloration of the sun rising. The sun was still below the horizon when we got there. We were able to capture many pictures of the reddish orange glow as the sun brought beautiful coloration to the sky. Slowly the sun came up over the horizon as the big orange ball came out of the lake (93 million miles away). It doesn't matter how many times I see it I never get tired of this magnificent ball of fire that gives live to every living thing on our planet. There were a number of people out and about on this chilly 23 degree winter morning all to see the sun come up again over Lake Michigan. Some just to spectate, some to walk or run, yet others out walking their dogs. I love Chicago. There was some small wave activity along the shoreline. The breakwaters were covered w/frozen ice w/seagulls sitting or standing on the concrete. The beach stretches to the south from their w/native grasses along the sidewalk. You can see the Chicago skyline that can be seen from many points along the shoreline each w/a slightly different vantage point, but always gorgeous.

This is a gorgeous little park near the University of Illinois at Chicago. My son lives in the area…read moreand brought me here and it's a great little green oasis in the middle of the city. Lots of mature trees and shade and very tastefully laid out. Perfect for a nice walk or relaxing in the shade. Just walking through here is therapeutic!!

I wasn't much in the mood to run at any of my usual run spots within the city. However, while…read morebrowsing through my Yelp collection of run trails & paths the thought of running at Arrigo Park intrigued me because it was a new experience. The park was also a well needed breath of fresh air to get me outdoors for a workout. I advise you to pay attention to the signs before you park because there are certain times of the day & days when parking is authorized. Only vehicles with a zone 5 permit are exempted at any time. A good thing about the park is that you have a good visual of your vehicle as you are doing loops around whether it be walking or running. So if anything happens for example like you being ticketed or a boot being placed on your vehicle then you can handle the situation beforehand. The park has a peaceful yet classy like vibe and it certainly feels safe. In my opinion it has a similar vibe to Palmer Square which is a park located in Chicago neighborhood Logan Square except its path is paved rather than dirt. As for its features there aren't any features like a playground, baseball diamond, basketball or tennis court, however you can play football or soccer on the field which is as lengthy for those activities. It does have that vibe of being the perfect spot to throw a frisbee with friends or with a pet. The park used to have a statue of Christopher Columbus, but the statue was removed out of safety concerns after police clashed near the Grant Park statue with protesters who wanted to tear it down. I love the visual of Willis Tower which appears very close. Its appearance gives that reminder that you are in the city of Chicago which I personally can never get enough of. Four laps around on its paved path will put you at one mile. There is no actual direction posted if you are either walking or running. I say this because while on my run I was headed in the direction head on of those walking. I went with the direction that was comfortable for me, but as long as I wasn't in anyones way I saw no issues with it. If you are looking for a nice peaceful park on the Near Southwest Side of Chicago then look no further than Arrigo Park. I am quite positive that I will return now that I have gotten a feel of it. ~Blessings~ Thomas G

Well well well, Cicero showed their great Community Pride in this Lovely Park. Located just North…read moreof Pershing Road and West of Laramie Avenue. Across from the Hawthorne Race Track. This is a tree lined, beautifully landscaped and designed park. The community rules are posted, and should be respected. There are bike racks for your bikes, it's a nice smooth surface for skating and jogging or just Taking a stroll with your family/ friends/ pets. What a lovely park and in a great family friendly neighborhood. A must see. Many restaurants and gas stations nearby

This year, 2026, the Cinco de Miler 5 mile race moved to Union Park. I absolutely loved this move…read more It has historically been at Montrose Harbor, but the new route was amazing and showed off a neighborhood rarely seen during popular Chicago races. I would argue that the parking was better here, as it can be a bit of a cluster now with the parking gates newly installed at the harbor. You just have to find street parking and walk on over. I loved that we ran by popular restaurants, the corridor of murals and ended in a park that is centralized in the city. The burritos were fantastic this year. Stuffed and fresh (it's a breakfast burrito, so it's egg and potato), you throw a little of the Cholula hot sauce packets they give you and it's GREAT. They give you a little cup of horchata too. I have to say, this year's race rekindled my love for the Cinco de Miler.

Get some good views from this small park close to Navy Pier that gets overlooked a lot. It being…read moreclose to a big tourist attraction means it gets ignored by most people. Jane Addams Memorial Park is a hidden gem in plain sight basically. Lots to see around here. This is popular with yoga classes and those coming for a workout. A small park located by Ohio Street Beach. It's a small park and there's not much as far as facilities. This used to be called Navy Pier Park. Located not far from the popular tourist area. This was renamed in 1996 to honor the social reformer and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Check out the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum to learn more about her and her activism. This meanwhile is a pretty good place for chilling, or working out as there's many bicyclists and runners around it seems. Has a pretty good location. It's close to a popular area for tourists. There's also sights like the skyline and other good views.

Such a cute, beautiful, and serene park…read more I walked here on top of the snow that I saw for the first time in my life and it was such a beautiful experience. This park has nice trees and benches. Easy to walk and then a little bit farther you can even see the water and the view it's marvelous.

I first found out about this from watching 190 North on ABC so I and my 2 friends decide to give…read morethis a whirl. Essentially, you need to go to specially marked areas where you have to punch in. It's like an adult scavenger hunt only no prizes or awards: you just need to find the correct marked points. There's various levels so because we're newbies, we took the easiest course and took us only 20 minutes but there are more difficult courses that may take up to 3 or 4 hours. But if you don't finish within a specific time, than the organizers come after you to tell you that the race is over. It's 10 buck to register and another buck or so for the map that tells you where the punch points are. It's better off if you have a compass for the more difficult courses but they do offer compass rentals. You can either run or walk in these courses. Taken off their website: "For a nominal fee ($10) you are given a detailed 5-color map of the forest preserve that is made by our club. You copy one of the five offered courses onto your map and pick up a Punch Card and a Clue Sheet. The Clue Sheet tells you exactly what natural feature you're to look for inside each of the 100m diameter circles you've drawn on your map. You report to the start table for a start time and then you're off into the woods, trying to find each of the control features of your chosen course where you punch your card, and return to the finish line in as short a time period as possible. It's a fast treasure hunt! Sometimes a compass is nice to use, but usually you can navigate using the features marked on the map, just as you would a street map. "

Welcome to Chicago! There's no city like it and the Chicago River is one of many places that…read moreshowcases its exquisiteness and allure. Vast architecture can be found along the path here; Encompassing complete beauty and incredible historic views. Chicago is tenacious, a city that can never be sidelined. Growing up here was the absolute best, and it will always be home.

A charity swim this morning to benefit ALS on the Chicago River. Safety teams in kayaks paddled…read morealongside the swimmers, who were chosen for their open-water swimming experience, while lifeguards lined the Riverwalk to help swimmers who could not complete the course. Only 3 of the 263 swimmers didn't finish. It took some an hour to go a mile through the downtown loop with orange floats gliding across the river. It was funny to see them walking through downtown Chicago in robes with medals around their neck, what an accomplishment! The last time that Chicago sanctioned a group swim in the river was 1927, a tradition thwarted by the loads of industrial and human waste that were routinely dumped in the water. It has taken decades of cooperation between environmental groups and elected officials , including at least four mayors, to clean up the river. I understand there are now dozens of species of fish, eagles overhead & otters playing along the banks now.