This Jefferson Park is named for Nancy Jefferson (nurse, educator, and civic leader) and not Thomas Jefferson (president, author of the Declaration of Independence, slaver owner) as Chicago's other Jefferson Parks are named. This playground at this park was last renovated in 2013 and features brightly colored and modern play structures as well as an interesting 'spinning button.' An above average selection of swings (toddler, adaptive, belt seat, and a tire swing) round out the playground elements. The play area is fenced from the street but not fully enclosed and features a few benches for seating. The play area is covered in wood chips and shaded by large, mature trees. This is a solid neighborhood playground.
The playground at Jacolik Park is a new and modern playground. The centerpiece of the play structure is a large rope/net climbing element with various climbing, overhead, and traverse elements connected to it. There is a solid set of swings (toddler, adaptive, belt seat, and hammock saucer swing) to round out the playground equipment.
In terms of amenities, this is pretty standard. The play area is fenced from the street but not fully enclosed and the play surface is wood chips. There are benches and a drinking fountain as well as a few trees (though the play area itself is bright and sunny most of the day). All in all, this is a standard neighborhood playground.
A small neighborhood park that borders the Chicago River and the CTA Brown Line, this park contains a grassy hill and a large sand play area with a small bridge. The playground features a smaller area designed for younger children and another area with monkey bars and climbing elements designed for older children. There is plenty of morning shade and several benches and picnic tables at this park making this a comfortable spot to watch trains while you play.
This playground, situated on the 63rd Street Beach, reflects it's location with a strong nautical theme. The entire play structure is shaped like a ship and is equipped with a steering wheel, tall mast, and even canons! This playground is fully integrated with the beach and is therefore not enclosed, in full sun, and the play surface is - of course - sand. This creates a unique play experience and offers some great views of Lake Michigan.
This playground - one of many located in Jackson Park - is located on 67th between East End and Ridgeland. It features a distinctive set of playground equipment that includes a larger structure for older children and a smaller structure for younger children. There is also a rope traverse feature and the standard set of swings. The play area is fully enclosed and the play surface is wood chips.
This small playground near the northwest corner of Jackson Park is named Chrysalis Playground according to Park District signage and has a small nature theme. There are decorative trees, a unique egg-shaped chair, and an "animal facts" spinning panel. There is also standard equipment like slides and climbing steps that seem designed for younger children. The play area is fully enclosed and somewhat shaded by large trees. The play surface is wood chips and while there aren't benches, the low perimeter wall provides some seating.
This playground - one of 7 in Jackson Park! - is located in the very northwest corner of the park near 56th and Stony Island and is called Dickerson Playlot according to Park District signage. It features a large play structure with a couple slides, a variety of monkey bars and other overhead elements, and some climbing features. There is also a standard set of swings in this somewhat shady and wood chipped play area. The partially enclosed play area is surrounded by grass and large trees and offers views of the nearby Metra Electric Line.
This playground - one of several in Jackson Park - is near 64th and Stony Island and is a standard Chicago Park playground. There is a single large play structure with a variety of play elements as well as a standard set of swings. The play area is fenced from the street but not fully enclosed and the play surface is wood chips. There are benches near the playground and the nearby fieldhouse should provide access to bathrooms and a drinking fountain (when open). All in all, this is a solid neighborhood playground.
This playground - one of many in Jackson Park - is located near 67th and Jeffery. It features a large play structure for older children that is accessible via a ramp carved into the terrain as well as a smaller structure for younger children. The playground equipment is standard for Chicago Parks and there is also a standard set of swings. The play area is fully enclosed and the surface is soft rubber.
The playground at Indian Road Park features the standard set of swings, two play structures, and a water feature. The swings (toddler, adaptive, and belt seat) are the standards found in many parks. The smaller of the two structures seems designed for younger children and features a two tubes and two different slides. The larger play structure is designed for older children and features a few different slides and climbing elements. Children can also access the highest platform via a ramp built into the landscaping and a long ramp that runs through the entire making it accessible to a wider range of children and interesting to all. There is also a suspended metal ring climber and low, standalone plank bridge near the larger structure. The water spray feature is a 'triple shower sprayer' that is located some distance away from the playground while still in the general area.
The amenities of this site are quite nice. The play area is not fully enclosed but it is fenced from the street. The play surface is soft rubber and the whole area gets good shade in the afternoon. There are a few benches, a large grassy area, and access to bathrooms via the fieldhouse (when open). All in all, this is a very solid neighborhood playground and a good destination on the northwest side.
The playground at Indian Boundary Park is unlike most other playgrounds in Chicago and is an amazing place space. The structure is one of the few wooden playgrounds in Chicago (the other being Dorothy's Playground in Oz Park) and presents a sprawling and labyrinthine structure for kids to explore. This site can be crowded and it might be difficult to keep track of your child, but this is still a great playground to explore. The water spray area isn't as interesting or picturesque but is still an welcome amenity to the park.
The non-play amenities of the park are also great. There are picnic tables near the playground that perfect for a snack or a picnic in the park. There is a lagoon with animals, a fieldhouse with bathrooms and drinking fountains, and a nature play area.
So in many ways, this is a wonderful park. It is, of course, also problematic. The park is called "Indian Boundary" because of the line created by an 1816 treaty between the United States and Native American tribes and both the playground and the park building feature Native American themes and images that are problematic.
So what to do with a great park and playground with some potentially difficult questions? I do not know, but one answer for our family has been to engage! We have enjoyed the park, lagoon, and playground and we talk to our children about this history and these issues.
The playground at Independence Park has it all. There is a play structure for younger children that is accessible via ramp as well as a small playhouse and spinning saucer. There are two zip lines - one with a molded plastic seat with harness and the other with a circular seat. For older kids, there is a huge single mast climbing net that is connected to two other large play structures that each have other elements and large slides. And there are swings: toddler, belt seat, molded seat with harness, and hammock style saucer swings. The play area is not enclosed and the soft rubber play surface gets full sun throughout the day,. However, there are benches and drinking fountains near the play area as well as a picnic table for some comfort. There is also a water spray feature in the park - though it is a basic four sprayer feature located north of the pool off Irving Park so it's not directly adjacent to the play ground. All in all, this is a great playground and a worthy destination playground.
The playground at Hurley Park is a modern and clean playground featuring an area for young children, an area for older children, and the standard variety of swings. The surface is soft rubber and there are several benches as well as a natural area on the west side of park marked as a "bird and butterfly" sanctuary with large trees.
This playground - one of 5 in Humboldt Park! - is located off California on the eastern edge of the park and is a gem. There is a small, traditional play structure for younger children and then a massive collection of unconventional climbing elements for older children. There is also the standard swing set: toddler, adaptive, and belt seat. The play area is fully enclosed and features a soft rubber surface. There are benches and two picnic tables as well as a drinking fountain. This is a great playground; highly recommend.
This playground - one of five in Humboldt Park - is located on the southern edge of the park next to the Humboldt Park Pool. This playground features very modern equipment: a large curving climbing wall, a wavy black belt bridge, and a standalone 'rail slide.' These very non-traditional elements are balanced by the traditional set of swings (toddler, adaptive, and belt seat) and a standard (if not boring) water spray feature. The amenities are also traditional: an enclosed play area with a wood chip surface and a few benches scatter about. Additional shade and seating would improve this playground, but it is adequate as is.
This playground - one of 5 in Humboldt Park - is located on the west side of the park near Division and Kedzie. This playground is a great play area surrounded by trees and features a swing set, a small play structure for younger children, and a large, sprawling play structure for older children with a variety of slides, climbing elements, and monkey bars.
The amenities are also quite nice. The play area is fenced from the street (though not fully enclosed) and nicely surrounded by mature trees. Inside the play area are a few benches and even a picnic table for seating. The play surface is soft rubber and the larger play structure is somewhat accessible by a ramp.
All in all, this is a solid playground with amenities to make it a comfortable place for the whole family; highly recommend.
This playground - one of 5 in Humboldt Park - is located in the northeast corner of the park just north of the Humboldt Park lagoon. This playground is also somewhat not traditional - there aren't standard toddler or belt seat swings or even a slide in the entire sprawling playground! Instead, there are a few non-traditional swings (one tire swing and a few saucer swings), a rope net climbing structure, a collection of rope net traverse elements, and an area with spinning elements. The centerpiece of this playground is a large water spray feature.
With the somewhat non-traditional elements are some solid amenities. There are a few benches and trees for seating and shade. The play area is fenced from the surrounding park and set away from cars and traffic creating a surprisingly quiet play experience in the busy city. And the play surface is the classic wood chips.
It's a solid playground; highly recommend.
This playground - one of 5 in Humboldt Park - is located on the very north side of the park near the intersection of North Ave and Richmond. The centerpiece is a tall, tower-like two story play structure with an internal ladder and a long curved slide. There are a few other standalone elements, a set of monkey bars, and the standard Chicago Park swings: toddler, adaptive, and belt seat swings. Despite the solid play elements, the other amenities are somewhat basic: a wood chip play surface without much shade and no benches for seating (a low perimeter wall provides some informal seating and, somewhat strangely, there is a single picnic table just outside the enclosed play area). Despite the somewhat basic amenities, this is a solid playground.
Humbert Park features a basic, no-frills playground with a large play structure, the standard set of swings, and small circle-seat zipline. Additional amenities like a drinking fountain, picnic tables, or even some grass would certainly improve the park (at least for the adults) but the play structures are nice and provide lots of climbing and sliding options. The play area is fenced from the street but not fully enclosed. The play surface is wood chips and a few large trees provide a decent amount of shade throughout the day and there are a few benches for seating.
This small park is packed with great playground equipment! There are three main play structures in this park: a sprawling traditional play structure with a firetruck theme on one side, a somewhat taller structure with a corkscrew slide, and an interesting rocketship climbing element. Additionally, there are a few standalone elements as well as a set of swings in this packed play space. Half of the park is wood chips and half is soft rubber and large trees and neighboring buildings provide bits of shade throughout the day. The play area is fenced from the street but not fully enclosed and there are a few benches. All in all, great playground with interesting equipment; highly recommend.
This playground features a play structure with a few slides, a large rope/net climbing structure, and a 'bloqx' (a geometric shape with climbing holds) as well as the standard set of Park District swings. The play area opens to the rest of the park and the nearby streets and sadly lacks benches (though low perimeter walls provide some informal seating). The surface is wood chips and some nearby trees provide some shade especially in the morning.
Hoyne Park has a few athletic fields and a classic playground. The playground is a huge and sprawling structure that never gets too high off the ground but offers a lot of different slides, climbing elements, and monkey bar variations. Complementing the structure is a set of standard Chicago Park swings. The setting is quite nice; the park is on a quiet residential street and bordered by a train embankment creating a pleasant sense of place. Additional amenities - like benches or picnic tables - would improve the park. There is a fieldhouse at this site but it did not appear open. All in all, this is a solid neighborhood playground.
This small playground features a large net climbing structure with a rope bridge leading to a curving slide, a hammock saucer swing, and a large spinning conical climber. The play area is somewhat enclosed and is the play surface is wood chips. There are a few benches near the playground and provides unobstructed views of Lake Michigan.
Houston Park is a small neighborhood park with a great playground. Divided into two sections, this playground contains two play structures with a variety of slides and climbing elements as well as the standard set of Chicago Park swings. The setting is lovely with large tree providing some shade a beautiful mural anchoring the southside of the park. The non-play amenities are standard; there are some benches, a drinking fountain, and the main play surface is wood chips. All in all, this is a great park and playground; highly recommend.
