Fairly simple yet a great park with lots of trees and a fountain. It's a nice oasis in the middle…read moreof busy hipster businesses and craziness so it's good no matter how small it is. Washington Square Park is popular with dog owners. Has plenty of room for them to run around. This is also a place where there's lots of demonstrations, speeches, and things. A good park for a pretty popular area. It's around the neighborhoods of both Streeterville and the Gold Coast. There's not a whole lot of green space around this area, so this is one reason why it's popular with dog owners. Has quite a few trees and benches. Quiet for the most part except for the surrounding traffic. Has a pretty nice fountain. This is also next to the Newberry Library, so you can check out a book and then come here for reading. Even with issues, it's still a very good park to hang out at. It's not as nice as it was of course, but it's still pretty clean considering everything. The park can be busy or quiet depending on if there's any events happening or whatever.

Washington Square Park is a fine park. It's across the street from the Newberry Library. It's a…read morefairly simple one with a lawn and some benches, and there is no formal programming at this park in general. However, they do have Movies in the Park here and this summer, at least (2022) they are having Broadway in the Park in collaboration with Porchlight Music Theatre. There is a garden area on the north end of the park, at least--perhaps other sections too that I didn't explore as much. You're likely to find lots of dog walking happening here, and they have what's called The Bark Bathroom for the dogs to do their business. About 10 years after Chicago was founded, the land for this park was donated to the city. I suspect the donors had an ulterior motive, as it was a land company that did so, and to what I'm sure was their great delight many fine homes were built near and around the park. The original fountain placed here came in the 1890's, but by the turn of the century the park had fallen into disrepair. Robert McCormick (yes, of THE McCormicks) donated his aldermanic salary to revitalizing the park he added a new fountain. A third fountain--the one currently in place today--was added after the prior one was removed. The character of the neighborhood changed over the years and WSP earned the nickname Bughouse Square; "bughouse" was a pejorative for mental health institution. The park's true legacy lies in its history as the center of oration and discourse for residents of the neighborhood and beyond. People would get up on their soapbox (yep, just like the idiom) and have their say whether it was a lecture, political rant, poem, or other things of that ilk. This legacy continues in the annual Bughouse Square Debates that take place every July, hosted by the Newberry as part of their annual book sale.

Love the track and tennis offered. Pleasant environment with gorgeous flowers and swing set :)read more

Summer entertainment! It allows individuals to experience outside the house entertainment too! It…read morealso can show examples to new neighbors that the area is safe for entertainment!

Convenient dog park in this area. I have been here a number of times with my daughters 4 dogs. I…read morehave never seen any problems with any dogs fighting. I found the dogs that go here are friendly and will come to you for a rub on the back. At one time I had 3 dogs on my lap. Enough room here for dogs to run a bit. A greyhound May need more room , but most dogs can let loose and run. There is a sand/stone area and a cement area separated by a brick wall. The wall is low enough to sit on and dogs have no problem getting over it. Also a water fountain is here and a few stainless water dishes. You have a few park benches to sit on , also the wall. A double entrance gate to help reduce dogs escaping.

Came to use this dog park after hearing good things about it. It seems to be one of the better…read moreplaces in River North to let a dog loose. Ward Park has a dog friendly area on the north side of this. A fenced in area with the ground covered in concrete. This means there won't be a muddy mess going home from the dog park. A pretty small area so it's pretty limited to how many dogs can be inside. It's big enough for a few but not a whole lot. The ground is made of concrete and stone. A good thing about it is this helps the dogs stay cleaner. This also makes it easier to see piles of poop. Has a fountain. There's also poop bags you can grab if you need these. Good place to bring dogs. It's mostly safe. The fence is totally secure and there's no dogs running off or whatever.

Very cute park and perfect for dogs to run and around and play. I loved all the tulips and the big…read moreopen grass field. There's also a fenced in dog park where my boyfriend sat for an hour watching the dogs run around. It's right near restaurants and a grocery store, which is convenient. If we were locals this would be the spot to go to!

This park is incredible. The landscaping is stunning and sets it a part. The playground is super…read morenice and has lots of shade but it can get VERY busy at certain times of the day. It also has a water feature that kids can splash in on hot days. Just FYI fur babies seem to out number kids in this area. I've seen dogs in tutu skirts, dogs being carried in a baby carrier, and dogs in wagons. They are always on leashes and people seem to do a pretty good job of picking up after them. My only complaint is that it isn't bigger. Also for some reason the fountain installations on the southeast corner don't have any water in them which is a little bit of an eyesore. It also is super easy to access the lakefront and river walk from this park! Definitely check it out if you are in the area.

This little gem of a dog park is not easy to find. Once you do though, you'll be happy you did. It…read moreis one of largest designated dog parks I have been to in Chicago but it is long and narrow - not at all wide. It is located along side the Kennedy Expressway between N. Orleans and Kingsbury on Ohio Street. There is a sign that reads "Ohio Place Park" but unless you are specifically looking for it, it can easily be missed. There are two entrance ways - one off of N. Orleans on Ohio and the other off N. Kingsbury, again on Ohio Street. The one by N. Orleans can be treacherous to get to since the expressway off ramp is right next to it. I have observed a lot of dog owners pull their cars up to the cul-de-sac by the Kingsbury side entrance which seems to work well as there is little traffic on that side (although I'm not so sure how legal it is to park there). This dog park has a lot of shrubbery and trees along one side. There is also an area that I have dubbed "The Dunes" because it's basically a barren slightly inclined sand pit for dogs to frolic. There are even several plastic chairs near the Dunes so that owners can sit down while dogs play. In my experience, it is a friendly, welcoming place. For large breed dogs, this park is a dream come true. For small to mid-sized dogs, this park can sometimes be overwhelming but that really depends the dog. I have been there when there have been 20+ dogs all getting along grandly making it a doggy paradise. I have also been there when there was a more aggressive dog making noise and causing discord (there have been two times when I just simply took my dog home to remove her from a possible escalating dangerous situation. Better safe then sorry.) The one true pitfall of this park is that it does not have a water fountain or hose to satiate thirsty dogs. Overall, my dog has had plenty of super fun times at this park, and I truly think it is a gem to have a place like this in the midst of very urban city environment.

We come here at least once a day with our dog…read more Nice park for your dog to be able to run around in. Tons of room to run around. Usually at least 3-4 dogs there.

Good place to bring dogs in the West Loop. It actually is located in Mary Bartleme Park and is just…read moreone of its features. West Loop Dog Park is pretty simple. A fenced area. There's a fountain to get water. A few cool things here. It has a couple of kiddie pools for the dogs to splash around it. That's cool literally. Also has some poop bags on hand. The park is pretty clean and free of poop piles like at so many other dog parks. Chill place that's not that busy. It's a small part of the surrounding park. This area is well maintained it seems.

Not our favorite, but it does the trick on a hot day…read more This little park off of Peoria has pretty low paw traffic except for before and after the normal 9-5 work day. When it is populated with pups the owners are nice and responsible for the most part. There's no poop bags and as I mentioned, it is pretty tiny space but there's a kiddie pool to cool off in and parking is usually pretty easy to find. There's better places in town, but if you're within walking distance it's a pretty good choice.

Wiggly Field was pretty clean. There were a couple couple of piles left by either oblivious or…read moreinconsiderate dog guardians but overall much cleaner than other dog parks I've visited. They have a time out zone for training or cool down periods, which is very thoughtful. I also appreciated the fresh running water that is available from several sources and all the trees. All of the surfaces are hard, but I'm not sure what else you'd do that would be better.

The location is great and the park set up is great, however, owners here with the worst behaved…read moredogs also tend to be the most negligent owners. Our dog was bit here on two separate occasions and once enough to draw blood- we will no longer be returning after seeing the risk and lack of trained pups.

Came here on a Saturday morning and there was a variety of big and lil dogs playing around. There…read moreare 2 double gated entrances on either side of park. It is cement and dirt. A few benches and picnic tables present for seating but some owners allow their dogs to jump up on them. I didn't see any available poop bags but there are trash cans. It's a decent park, a little walk from Michigan ave and any close parking.

This place is great. It's a big enough place for my dog to run around and is really close to my…read moreapartment. My dog loves coming here and mingling with all of the other dogs. There are a ton of regulars that come here and for the most part are very friendly. My dog begs me every day to come to the park and already has the route memorized. We have been going there for a month.

We brought our dog here for a first time swim. Our guy is not friendly and very nervous of new…read morepeople- Laurie handled him perfectly, and he enjoyed his swim with her. I love that they make sure the dogs are prepared before they allow them to swim alone. They set them up to be safe and successful. Making an appointment was super easy. I left a message, and they called back shortly after. The second time, I left a message with times that would work, and Laurie called back to confirm what she had.

I'm deeply disappointed by my recent experience with Doggy Paddle, despite the fact that there are…read morethings they do well. The instructors who actually swim with the dogs are consistently lovely, kind, and attentive (Julian especially), and the facilities are clean and well maintained. Unfortunately, the customer service and administrative processes completely undermine those positives. Last August, after my friend's dog Maverick passed away, she contacted Doggy Paddle to transfer his remaining swims to me as a goodwill gesture in his memory (he swam there regularly for several years). Doggy Paddle accepted the transfer -- they requested and received my dog's vet records the same day. However, I never received any confirmation via email or text showing how many swims were transferred, what type they were, or when they expired. There is also no online portal or way for customers to check their balance or expiration dates. Over the following months, Doggy Paddle emailed me multiple times asking for a fecal test, which reasonably implied the swims were active. At no point did anyone mention an expiration date or warn that the swims were nearing expiration. When I attempted to schedule a swim this month, I was told the transferred swims had expired and that I needed to purchase a new package. Apparently, the swims my friend had purchased had expired one year after purchase, on January 1, 2026. When I called to discuss this, they acknowledged there had been no communication on their part to confirm the package was transferred or to share terms/conditions, but repeatedly stated that it was my responsibility to ask or my friend's responsibility to tell me the expiration date, and that expiration dates do not reset upon transfer. They refused to make any exception or accommodation and said there was "nothing they could do." Sorry, but asking my grieving friend when her passed dog's swim packages expired wasn't a priority. This should have been on Doggy Paddle to communicate to the customer at time of transfer. They'd already earned the money from the previous sale; they lost nothing by extending the expiration date a little longer. I requested that they extend the expiration by four weeks and we'd come swim during that time, and they said no. Scheduling itself is also unnecessarily frustrating. You can only book via text or email, which often becomes a long back-and-forth, and there is no transparency about available times -- you can't see a schedule, only ask and wait for someone to tell you what's open. Holding customers to expiration policies that were never disclosed, combined with limited scheduling access and no account visibility, is extremely frustrating. The lack of empathy given the context -- a transfer following a dog's death -- made the experience even more disappointing. It's unfortunate, because the staff and facility are unique in Chicago. My dog loves swimming and we relied on Doggy Paddle during rehab, but I will not go again. This was a senseless policy to hold the line on given the circumstances.

I came out to Scoville Park in Oak Park for movie night. It's a great park area to come and enjoy…read morenature. Relaxing and calm atmosphere. Great place to come walk with your family or just by yourself. The energy from people was also nice. Nice seating area for you to sit and read a book. There is meter street parking in the area. The Oak Park library is right next to the park and also a lot of restaurants in the area. Nice area and place to come and chill.

A bit overcast on this beautiful April afternoon but still a lovely day in Oak Park's cheery…read moreScoville Park! If you are considering a move to the village you might want to take a walk through the park to get a sense of the beauty and joyful energy of Oak Park. Tennis courts, playground, walking path and a HILL, the best part! First weekend in June is the annual Day in our Village in Scoville Park with tons of great community organizations hosting booths, food vendors, and an awesome music stage. Such a sweet park. So tidy. Beautiful!