Nice, clean park. My kid is 4 and he loved the slides and the table area that swayed. Ground is a…read moresoft material and not wood chips.

We looked at this park for accessibility for mobility challenged people. Know before you go! Here…read moreis what we found: - No handicap accessible parking spots (street parking only) - One handicap accessible water fountain - Terrain is wood chips, patio brick walkway - About 10 feet from main attraction to street Nice Park!!!

This is a rather large park out of the way from most of the busy traffic along the major streets…read morenearby. Woodland Park straddles the Niles-Park Ridge border and is another hidden gem of a neighborhood playground in the area. While most of the park space is devoted to soccer games, it has a sparkling new playground which was totally rebuilt in the summer of 2006. To get to this park from Dempster, you can take Parkside Ave. all the way to the parking lot near Glenview Ave. From Oakton, it's 2 blocks north on Western Ave. in Park Ridge. Lots of dead-end or cul-de-sac streets keep outsiders from finding this place. You can't get to it easily from Greenwood Ave. Besides soccer, there are tennis courts and a basketball court. The playground is in the middle of the park, next to a big hill, which is great for "wheee moments" riding in a wagon, bicycle or on skates. It's also fun to run up and down the hill, though I have seen many kids falling down while doing that. In the winter, you can sled down this hill - even do it on a flat sheet of cardboard - as I saw some kids improvise last winter. A very large weeping willow nearby gives it the added touch of beauty. The playground has a fancy climbing apparatus that resembles a funnel-shaped spider web of red, braided rope. It connects to a walking bridge and 2 slides. This looks dangerously scary at first but seems like most kids navigate it quite well, including my 3-year old. There is also a steep climbing wall for the kiddies. A smaller playground for little kids is at the other side of the playground, but it is not as exciting. The little sandbox has clean white sand. Early in the day or in the evening after soccer is over, the open fields of grass are great for running around and playing in what looks like a big backyard next to all the residential homes nearby.

This park is not bad, with swings, rope climbing, slides, and so on. It's a wood chip terrain. In…read moreaddition to the playground, there's a baseball field where a game was happening whilst we were here. I liked that they had a section that was more toddler-focused, which is great for my kiddo so she doesn't get too ambitious for her age right now. It's right next door to Franklin Elementary, so there's another playground that might be accessible if you come here as well. What might make this park better in my estimation is if the playground were fenced in. It's can be easy for a little kid to take off like a shot! For that reason, it's not my top park in the area, but I'd return to it if our friends wanted to visit. But there's lots of street parking.

Cute neighborhood park ... stopped between work to relax and regroup. Love the gigantic treesread more

This is a hidden gem for the city dwellers. Even though "Emily Oaks Nature Center" is surrounded…read moreby the residential area and one can hear the CTA trains passing back and forth, cloud and clear, it can still be considered as a mini "escape." In other words, it is a place to experience what mother nature has to offer, for both adults and kids. I would say the trail paths are kid-friendly and not too long for the little ones to explore. However, I think it is better to visit when daylight is available. Bike routes are separate from the walking path, so one doesn't have to watch out for bikers passing through. The Lakeview (or pond view) is serene. There are a few benches to sit down and enjoy the scenery. I see they have camp fires and other activities from time to time. I bet these are fun, as weather permits. In the beginning of the trail, a small scaled playground definitely can pull your kiddos away to release their energy. Parking is plenty and convenient. I think "Emily Oaks Nature Center" is going to be a re-visit for our family this summer.

If you can ignore the sounds of the Skokie Swift and passing traffic just outside the northern and…read morewestern boundaries of the nature preserve, Emily Oaks is a darling little slice of woods and lagoon tucked into a residential neighborhood of Skokie. They host camps here during the summer months, so you'll find chalk drawings on some of the paths and signs on some of the trees around that time, but it doesn't really detract from the atmosphere. (This is where my sibling and I learned to canoe and build campfires back in the day.) Chipmunks and geese abound; be sure to also check out the fish in the lagoon. They have shelters with picnic tables scattered throughout the preserve, so this is a peaceful place for a picnic lunch when camp's not in session. Just remember to leave the area as clean as you found it... and don't try starting any campfires without permission.

Great playground for toddlers and great splash pad! It's $15 for kids over two if you are not a…read moreresident so it can get pricey and I would make a day out of it in such case. We came on a Friday afternoon and not many kids were here.

Located in Lange Park within Rosemont's gated community, this is the most fun outdoor splash pad in…read morethe area as far as I'm concerned! Just a week after our expensive outing to Park Ridge's Centennial Park, this place is a lot more fun for a lot less. First off, there's a multitude of water nozzles, fountains and other creative fun things for kids of all ages or for silly grownups like myself. There's the always popular fill-n-tilt buckets, a run-through "car wash", a sprinkler-arrayed rainbow, a fire hydrant, railroad crossing, and a pair of pivoting long-range water guns with animal heads. We came on the day of the town's annual free picnic, so it was open for everyone. However, on a regular day it costs $4 for residents and $6 for non-residents. However, parents or guardians of the kids get in free, so the $20 overpriced trip to Centennial costs only $12 here, or only $8 if our friend from town comes with us. Not all the fountains are on at the same time. Every few minutes, different ones go on while others turn off. Kids gather around certain favorite ones and wait for them to fire up. The play area is made of a high-traction, padded surface that resembles pressed loops of rubber. A little rough on the feet but I saw nobody slipping and falling (or falling unintentionally). The Stunt Baby had so much fun that he lay down on a towel, lips blue and chattering from the chilly water. Minutes later he was right back in the thick of the action again. My older son "won the bucket game" 11 times - taking a direct hit with the water bucket each of those times. In all, it's a great place to have a safe and fun afternoon. Check out the pictures.

I wasn't familiar with Wildwood Nature Center until the last few months but it is a cool spot. I'm…read moredoing an afternoon class at the park district with my daughter, as a way to introduce her to nature and some different animals. During class the kids play indoors at the various stations they have set up for about half an hour, then have a story, and then we wander through the forest preserve to see what we see. This first time we saw geese which she was interested in, and then we wandered through some of the rest of the park. When we went to the building with the animals and my baby got to see a whole bunch wildlife. There were turtles, a bunny, a couple ferrets, some gerbils, a prairie dog... and she even got to touch a snake, which I hope she enjoyed because she's never getting one.

So many animals for the kids to look at and a craft table. The staff is friendly and am def coming…read moreback again to celebrate the kids bdays

I really like this park. The only thing that would make it a 5 star instead of 4 star park would be…read moreif the playground was fenced in, but that's the cry of a toddler parent who's kiddo likes to take off in every direction. And it's got a pirate theme! There's a toddler play structure (or one that's more toddler friendly, anyway) and a bigger kid play section. There's a climbing structure and new fangled monkey bars. There is a covered area with a half dozen so picnic tables. There's also a great splash pad right next to the playground (can't wait to take my kiddo there!). The splash pad has an admission charge, or if you have a Park Ridge pool pass you can gain entrance using that. There's a nice amphitheater here as well. They have summer concerts or movies in the park that take place here. Last week they had a family concert and I'm hoping to take my kiddo to the next one. This is also a historic site; the Park Ridge Historical Society is located here, too. Parking is pretty good though with some of the popular activities they host here I'll bet it pays to be early.

First time at Prospect Park. Adding in my review because reviews were limited when I was browsing…read morefor splash pads in the area. I give it 4 stars because here's why: -easy access of parking: there's a parking lot and easy to enter. -entrance fee: $5 per person for Park Ridge residents and $8 for non-Park Ridge residents -plenty of chairs for the littles and lounge chair for adults, including under umbrellas for shade -relatively small so you don't necessarily have to "follow" your child everywhere, however this also says about the price you're paying -bathroom is not such great quality for a park that charges; same as Chicago beach quality that is free Prior to going to the park, I read there are too many kids on the slide. I didn't quite understand until I got there. There's a very short and small water slide. There are many kids who want to ride it and no one to monitor it. I stood to watch my child and signaled when to come down (which I didn't mind). However, other kids were piling on and on, on top of each other, but it wasn't my job to tell them what to do. The slide is also rather fast but the landing area is short so many kids go to the concrete area and could easily get hurt. I wish the splash pad and playground would connect better instead of a long walk, but I could see the reason because splash pad requires pay whereas playground doesn't. It was worth a visit. It was clean and well maintained.

Absolutely beautiful!!! I needed a place to relax after my…read moreflight into Chicago. While I waited on my daughter's flight to come in (about 5 hours later). Next trip I'll be planning a picnic either when we land or before we fly out. What a beautiful and well maintained space. Filled with so much information and respect for America's heroes. Can't wait to come back!

Built in 1975, this memorial honors the men and women of Des Plaines who have served our country in…read morethe armed forces from the Civil War to the present day. This was a collaborative effort by the city, local VFW and local American Legion Post. The pavilion hosts numerous events including the annual Memorial Day services, the Live at the Lake summer entertainment series, Concert Band performances, the summer Movies in the Park and the annual Fall Fest. They were selling Christmas tress while I was there. The restroom facilities are also co-located here. The Pavilion is well maintained and consist of a bandshell and a walk way that has a plaque detailing every war from the Civil War to the Afghanistan War. Inside the bandshell you will find plaques with the name of the Des Plaines veteran that lost their life and which war it occurred. The center of the bandshell has the seal of all 5 of the US armed forces. There is a flag pole and a brick walkway leading from the bandshell and ends in a small circle. Because the pavilion provides somewhat protection from the elements, homeless people seek refuge here. This is a small, but fitting tribute to the honorable veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.