Skokie Lagoons is huge! Biking, hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing- it has it all. I had no idea…read morethis place existed, but I'm so glad to have been introduced to it. Was here recently to rent kayaks and it was great. Chicago Kayak and Canoe rental company sets up camp, and it was very busy with school groups and families on a recent beautiful September 2016 Chicago weekend. Kayaking the Lagoons you're bound to see cranes, heron, a few other people kayaking, and get lost in nature. From time to time there is algae on the water and it can be smelly. We went right into a cove of algae where nobody else was going, and it felt like something out of the movie Adaptation. I was jealous of all the fishing going on, and hope to be back for that. It's only 5 miles from Chicago Botanic Gardens, so if you park here you can bike on in for free, and have an easy short ride. A lot of people reviewing Skokie Lagoons complain about the trash, and how people leave lunch garbage and bottles laying around. To me that's not a reflection of the place itself- do your part- pick up some trash before you leave, or pull a bottle or two out of the water. Or just stay away, because I'll be back, and the less people the better!

Great place for hiking. Not too crowded and not far from home for me. Lol. Will definitely visit…read moreagain.

My son and I took a class. It was fun and we learned a lot. Johnny was very knowledgable.read more

We scheduled a birthday party for our 11 year old son and Johnny put on a great event! We had 12…read moreboys and each caught 8 fish and some even caught +20! He really knows what he's doing and brought all the gear plus taught the boys important lessons on how to properly fish. Highly recommend for any others looking for a different idea for a birthday party. Many kids walked away with a new love of fishing.

I don't live in the suburbs, and I don't even wish I did, but every so often you discover one of…read morethese amazing places . . . The Cermak Family Aquatic Center is awesome. A holy-grail destination for summer days with kids. They have a lazy river full of innertubes, and giant 2.5 foot deep pool with a play structure and various splashing items, plus a splash pad, and a junk food concession. It is neither a real swimming pool nor a water park. Not a real swimming pool because the deepest part of the pool is 2.5 feet deep. Not a water park because there's no actual waterslide, though there is a slide ... into the water -- if you grasp the distinction I'm making. But as a consequence this means that you can feel much more comfortable giving even young kids a decent amount of freedom (obviously not too much! be safe!) and generating the kind of wet, chlorinated, hot, happy, exhausted summer day that you may have grown up with as a kid. Chicago is a big city of rich amenities, so there are not a ton of things that I say are clearly worth a 45 minute drive from my house, but this is one of them.

Located inside Forest Preserve District of Cook County; Cermak Woods. Free parking for customers…read more Wonderful recreational area to enjoy with your family and friends. This is a well designed water recreational area. It has been changed, upgraded and redesigned throughout the years, but still here providing a great relaxing service to this community and visitors. You can grab a towel at the nearby Marshalls, and sunscreen as well. Plenty of grocery stores and restaurants nearby if you would like to enjoy a picnic with your family as well. Enjoy this wonderful experience.

Just talking about the 9 hole par 3 golf course:…read more Walk up, pay 16 bucks or something, and go play 9 holes on a short little course. No reservations. No driver. Longest hole is 185 or so. Great spot to take brand new players and kids. No time pressure, no dress code. No one will bristle at golf etiquette mistakes. But you'll probably only be hitting irons. Driving range attached. It's about as low stakes as you can get for 9 holes. Greens aren't great but a pretty decent place to learn to putt. Slow, nothing tricky, breaks the way you think it will. Bunkers are patches of sand with some tall grass weeds, but the greens are pretty big and you're usually hitting a 7 iron so it's fine. All I all I like it but it's not a place I'd score, which again makes it great for learners.

Definitely a decent minigolf course for the price. A few greens definitely could use some help and…read morea little bit of vacuuming on the greens. Besides that it was fun! Had a terrible group in front of us that wouldn't let us pass so keep that in mind as well.

A mom-of-two's (a toddler and preschooler) straight-forward review -…read more Pros: 1) The playground is vast with various activities that applies to younger and older children - climbing ropes, bridge, rock climbing wall, various slides, zip line, monkey bars, etc. My younger daughter is 2.5 years old and love walking across the bridge. There are ropes to hold to but the little daredevil in her would just run across so it is important to be watchful of the child and be sure they won't trip and fall through the ropes. 2) The whole playground has a rubbery ground so it is very comfortable and safe. 3) There is a splash pad in between the toddler and older children sections. I am uncertain when it actually turns on. We have been twice, once at 9 AM and a second time at 3:30 PM. It was on in the afternoon and several kids were running in and out of the splash pad. It's a great option to have when it's hot and sunny out. 4) There are six tennis courts nearby and this works out perfectly for our preschooler to squeeze in a tennis session with her daddy before or after the playgrounds. Cons: 1) Not a con at all - But the playground is so vast that I can barely capture the whole frame in one picture!

Such a great park to play at. Lots of tree cover which is great for the hot summer daysread more