My husband and I went to Willow Stream Park on a Tuesday evening. The weather was nice and we…read morewanted to take advantage of it. We went with a friend and walked around the walking path. There are also basketball courts, soccer and football fields, baseball fields, a frisbee golf course, and a swimming pool available at Willow Stream Park. I highly recommend Willow Stream Park for a great place to enjoy a walk!

Huge park with all the amenities you could ever think of like swimming pool, picnic shelter,…read moreplaygrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, bike path, volleyball courts, baseball diamonds,soccer fields, and ice skating rink. The parking is large and plentiful as well in this park so it can easily accomodate lots of events at the same time. My favorite feature of this park is the disc golf course. It's enormous, well kept, and features a variety of different shots -- without the fear of hitting buildings or roads unlike some of the smaller courses. Definitely worth a visit to enjoy some activities if you live in the area.

Entertaining for all ages! Took my step daughter (5/6 year old) and husband here one summer…read moreafternoon. Clean, updated and a blast for all 3!

I was trying to find a new good playground to go with 2 year old, and I did!…read moreThis's a wonderful place for kids all ages! Like this playground!

Parks like Busch Grove make me proud to be from Buffalo Grove…read more First, the park serves largely as a nature preserve. Trees, grasses, streams, and a pond are home to ducks, beavers, muskrats, and a colorful assortment of wildflowers. An asphalt trail circles through the preserve and on any sunny day you see families biking and rollerblading. To the side of the trail are signs highlighting various plants and animals you may see on your walk. On the east end, near Buffalo Grove Road, there is a skate park and roller/ice hockey rink. The hockey rink is busy year round and the skate park is very popular as soon as it warms up. Finally, the park is easily accessible from Willow Stream Park via the overpass over McHenry Road. Kids can safely get from the pool at Willow Stream to the skate park in Busch Grove.

How can you not love Lake Arlington?! The lake is beautiful,…read morethe treats at the Boat House are great, and the vibe is perfect. 10/10

I have been to Lake Arlington a few times since moving to the area…read more This place is absolutely fantastic and very simple so no complaints. There is always parking, which is also great. What's even better is the boathouse that has some food and snack options as well as the rental options. The pricing on the food is absolutely fair If not super generous and the pricing on the kayaks paddle boats, etc. is also very fair. This is a great place to come to whether it's warm or cold. The walk is very scenic as are the houses. I have always found lots of families here which is fantastic. This place is truly an asset to the community. I'm so glad that it's here.

Horrible place. The forest preserve across the street is always open, yet this place is closed on a…read moresaturday, with no repairs going on, on a beautiful day. Our tax money is being used to pay these employees NOT to do their jobs. Lake County Forest Preserves are ALWAYS open.

Although Potawatomi Woods is not huge by comparison to other local preserves, it has a nice charm…read moreto it. This location has all the basic features such as areas to fish or boat, as well as paths for walking, hiking, and bicycling. There's also a grove available for picnics. Parking typically isn't too difficult and people are generally spread out fairly well across the woods, so you can enjoy a casual stroll without worrying about feeling crowded. These woods have a good variety of natural features that make it a great place to take pictures of the fall colors. If you have the right lenses, there's a nice variety of birds that can be photographed -- or possibly deer, rabbits, and other wildlife. Overall, it's amazing to have such a beautiful area in the middle of the busy suburbs. Definitely worth a visit if you live in this area and want to enjoy some natural beauty.

The Buffle Creek Forest Preserve is a good place for an easy walk. The day we were there we had no…read moreissue with parking, but it was not crowded. It is mainly an open prairie with low growing plants and few trees. The walking path winds through wide-open restored prairies and some creeks. I can imagine in the summer it get hot since there is very little covering to offer shade.

Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve offers a nice place for a relaxing 1.9 mile hike. There is an option…read moreto go farther by following the various offshoot paths. Parking is very limited off of Old Hicks Road but there are not many people going onto the path so you should be fine. There is a varied turf combination of paved and gravel. The path is pretty even, smooth, well kept and good for all ages We saw what seemed to be a grasshopper migration (9/21/25). We stopped counting after 25! However we did count 7 furry caterpillars crossing the path. There were many species of prairie willow, berry trees, cat tails and a few wild mushrooms too. Lake County is offering a hiking challenge over the next couple months and it's a fun way to see all that Lake County Forest Preserves has to offer!

A sensational park, trail, nature reserve that has been a gem for decades. As a kid, we would often…read morevisit the forest preserve to fish, go on the playgrounds, bike the extensive well-connected trails, walk..so much memories here. Great spot to host a cookout or party with their rental shelters too. Happy to see it still functioning for many folks after all these years. Wish Charleston, SC had preserves like this!

There was a wedding reception (dinner and dancing) held in Shelter A and B of this forest preserve…read more As a former Illinois resident I thought the wedding party would be uncomfortable, given this time of year. But I was wrong! Both the weather and surroundings were beautiful; I heard they sprayed for insects beforehand as well. Many picture opportunities. Open enough to enjoy the rest of reserve and share the good vibes with passersby. Some bees came out but only when we were already packing up. Maybe more available parking spaces would've been nice. Other than that, it was a good time.

The new tennis courts are AMAZING! The pavement is perfect, the nets are tight, the lights are…read morefunctioning well at night!!! Oh yea and for someone that has allergies these courts do not have much pollen flying around, hence no allergy attacks, score! Oh yea, they did add a beautiful new entrance that is handicap accessible. There is a very nice playground. Clean bathrooms. Concessions are open during kid's baseball games... and there are two baseball fields here. The Parking lot is huge. The inside facilities do have some fitness classes, and during the summer I do believe that they have a day camp here still. BG Park District, you did very well with this one!

Has a quick wooden area (portage trail) loop walk with shade. A one-eyed red tailed hawk, another…read morehawk, an owl and a coyote are viewed in a cage enclosure. The visitor center is clean nicely maintained and has more live critters, reptiles and amphibians on glass enclosures. I imagine kids would enjoy seeing the animals. Medium parking and best of all, it's free. Donations accepted.

I recently took a hike in this area and passed by this Nature Center several times during the hike…read moreand decided to stop in. I was pleasantly surprised at how many different things there were to do here, but indoors and outdoors. Outdoors I was able to see a variety of animals including a coyote, owl, hawk, eagle, kestrel, and fox. Though they were caged, I got to see them fairly up close and hear the different sounds that they make. Indoors, there were various interactive exhibits as well as live turtles and various educational displays. Overall this is definitely worth a visit if you're hiking in the area and want to see a nicely maintained and educational display that helps to explain some of the wildlife nearby.

This is a small park tucked in a nice neighborhood in Wheeling. It has a small basketball court,…read moreplayground, gazeebo, and picnic area. A great, safe spot to play in the neighborhood.

Nice small park with playgrounds, gazebo, walking path and baskeball courts. It is enclosed within…read morea residential neighborhood so you do not have to worry as much about high amounts of traffic passing by. The grounds are neatly kept and the equipment is in good condition.