This small park features several modern playground elements sited in several areas. These areas include a small structure for young children with a few belt seat swings; a large, multifaceted climbing structure in another area; a hammock saucer swing, toddler swings, and a spinning seat in another, and a curved slide set into a hill with natural rock elements and a small water spray feature. There are several benches and the surrounding neighborhood is quiet making this a comfortable and interesting playground to visit.
Set in a quiet corner of Peterson Park, this playground offers some interesting play elements for a range of children. There are two main play structures, a few standalone elements, and the standard set of Chicago Park swings. The larger play structure is designed for older children and features a few different slides and climbing elements (a few elements like the rail slide and the platform bridge and quite challenging and younger children may require supervision). The smaller structure is for younger children and provides climbing elements and interactive panels suitable for younger children. There are two unique rope/net climbing elements as well: one arched climber with ropes and another spinning cylinder. Lastly, there are the standard swings: toddler, adaptive with a harness, and flat seat swings.
The playground is set into the park and away from the nearest roads and opens directly into the rest of Peterson Park. The play area is quite shaded by large trees and the play surface is wood chips. There are benches and picnic tables nearby as well as a drinking fountain and the nearby fieldhouse provides access to bathrooms (when open). All in all, this is a great playground and a few unique play elements and solid amenities to keep everyone comfortable; highly recommend.
The playground at Paschen Park is a great neighborhood playground. This playground offers a separate area for smaller children (including a sand area) and a large area for older children featuring a large play structure with several climbing and traversing elements. The main surface is wood chips and there are a few benches scattered around the play area. The playground is shaded by large trees and is adjacent to a large grassy area.
This playground - one of two in Oriole Park - is located in the northwest corner of the park and is designed to look like a ship. There are ship bow ladders and a large mast in the somewhat large and sprawling play structure. There is a standard set of Chicago Park swings and a few standalone elements.
The setting is traditional with grass and large mature trees surrounding the playground with a wood chip surface. There are a few benches in the immediate area; the fieldhouse and the other playground are located near the other side of the park. All in all, this is a great playground in a large park; highly recommend.
This playground - one of two in Oriole Park - is near the southeast corner of the park and features a large play structure and a small water spray area. The playground consists of a set of swings; a large sprawling play structure with a few slides, climbing elements, and a monkey bars; and a few standalone climbing elements. The water spray area is just to the north of the playground and features a single pole mister. The playground is fenced from the street but not fully enclosed and the play surface is wood chips. Although there are lots of big trees and shady spots in Oriole Park, this playground is bright and sunny. There is plenty of seating around the playground and the nearby fieldhouse (and Chicago Public Library!) should provide access to bathrooms (when open). All in all, this is a great neighborhood playground; highly recommend.
This playground features a large, wood-chipped area and 16 (!) swings. This playground also features several standalone elements for older children (two different kinds of monkey bars, a few different slides, and a climbing net) and an area for younger children. This area is bright and sunny and has a water feature flanked by two shaded areas with benches.
The playground in Norwood Park features a large play structure for older children as well as a bunch of swings. The equipment, surface of wood chips, and scattered benches and picnic table make this a standard playground.
North Mayfair park contains a small playground with lots of shade and seating. The main play structure is good sized and features lots of slides and climbing elements. There is the the standard set of swings (toddler, adaptive, and belt seat) and a little play house area. The park itself is tucked away on a quiet side street and is shaded by large trees. The play area is fenced from the street but not fully enclosed and the surface is wood chips. There are plenty of benches as well as two picnic tables with built in shade roofs. All in all, this is a great neighborhood playground.
Monument Park is a small neighborhood park with a playground featuring decent shade trees and wood chips underfoot. Standard playground equipment with a train play structure suitable for the location adjacent to the Metra tracks. The play area is fenced but not fully enclosed and there are a few benches for seating.
Renovated in 2013, this small playground features a swing set and a set of modern climbing elements. The swing set includes the standard swings: toddler, adaptive, and belt seat. The rest of the playground isn't a traditional play structure but is instead a collection of climbing elements made of metal and rope and a single curved slide. The play area is fully enclosed and features a soft rubber surface that is mounded and sculpted so that the surface itself is a play element. There are a number of nice amenities in this park as well including benches, a drinking fountain, and picnic tables under a large shade umbrella.
This playground is on the western edge of Mather Park and features an area for younger children, a large climbing structure for older children, and a water feature. There are a number of benches within the play area that is shaded by several large trees making this a comfortable spot for everybody.
Matanky Park is a small neighborhood park that features a decent playground with a variety of playground equipment. There is a large play structure for older children, a few connected elements, and a single toddler swing and a single belt seat swing. The play area is wood chips though there is a corner sandbox. There are benches built into the perimeter of the enclosed and heavily shaded play space.
Lunt Park is a tiny neighborhood pocket park with a large playground and a decent selection of swings. The play structure features a few slides and climbing elements and the swing options include toddler, adaptive, belt seat, and tire swings. The fully enclosed play area has a few benches and a drinking fountain and the main play surface is wood chips. All in all, this is a great little neighborhood playground.
The Loyola Park playground is a large playground directly next to the Loyola Park Beach on the shores of Lake Michigan. It features a large play structure for older children and a smaller structure for younger children. Unique elements of this playground include a large, metal fish suitable for climbing, an array of musical instruments, and a parent/child swing. The play surface is wood chips though the sandy beach is steps away. There are a few benches nearby and a few trees for shade though the location is quite sunny most of the day. This is a unique playground with great views of Lake Michigan.
Lincoln Park's northern most playground - called St. Andrews Playground according to the Chicago Park District website - was renovated in 2015 and features distinctive equipment. There are several large play structures: one for older children featuring an array of slides and climbing apparatuses that is connected to several traversable elements, there is also a smaller structure for younger children, and a large swing set with the standard variety of swings. There is also a water feature in this playground that is situated next to some benches and a picnic table. The play area is fully enclosed and receives some shade from nearby trees. The main play surface is wood chips though there is also a large and grassy perimeter. This is a solid playground option with lots of amenities if you don't mind the commotion of nearby DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Bill Hersh Playground is a huge, sprawling, and accessible playground with lots of amenities. This playground - located in Lincoln Park and near the Margate Park fieldhouse - features a huge play area with two large play structures, two sets of swings, and a few standalone elements. Both play structures are accessible via ramps and have lot of connected platforms and bridges.
Inside the fully enclosed play area are benches, picnic tables, and a drinking fountain. The surface is soft rubber. There is access to the bathroom via the Margate Park fieldhouse (when open) and access to the Lake via a pedestrian underpass under DLSD. There are two downsides to this park: it's quite close to DuSable Lake Shore Drive so there is a lot of road noise and there isn't much shade so it's bright and sunny on sunny days.
Even with these downsides, this playground is a great place to gather and play. Highly recommend.
This playground - one of 10 in Lincoln Park! - sits near the end of Lawrence Avenue by N Simonds Drive and the Lakefront walking and biking trails. It features a variety of net climbing elements including a large new climber with a slide, an offset vertical climbing net, and a large circular platform with metal pods climbing nets. There are also a few swings - toddler, belt seat, and a hammock style saucer swing. The playground opens directly to the rest of the park and the play surface is wood chips. There are a few benches but no other amenities directly near the park. There are also a few trees but the playground itself is bright and sunny.
This playground - one of 10 in Lincoln Park - is located just east of DuSable Lake Shore Drive and north of Montrose. It features a sprawling set of playground equipment with a variety of slides and climbing elements (including some rope/net climbing structures). There is also a solid selection of swings - toddler, adaptive, belt seat, and saucer - and a few standalone elements.
The play area is fully enclosed and the play surface is wood chips. Although the playground itself is bright and sunny, some nearby trees provide shade and a small park comfort station provides additional shade as well as access to bathrooms (when open). All in all, this is a solid lakefront playground.
Set back a bit from Sacramento Ave, the Lerner Park playground provides several large play structures in a relatively quiet location. There is a large climbing structure for older children, a play boat and smaller area for younger children, and a variety of swings. The main play surface is wood chips and there is a sand play area as well. There are a few benches and picnic tables in the somewhat shaded play area.
This small playground is on the western side of Leone Beach Park and just north of the much larger Loyola Park (which also features a playground). This playground features a large play structure for older children and a smaller structure for younger children in addition to the standard variety of swings. There is also a unique single mast climbing net structure. The play surface is wood chips and the area is mostly enclosed. There are a few benches and large trees in the immediate area.
This playground - one of four in Legion Park - features a variety of swings and a single, large play structure with lots of elements. The swings - toddler, adaptive, molded bucket, a black 'hammock swing', and a standalone tire swing - are solid offerings within the city of Chicago. There is a single play structure (i.e. not dedicated areas for younger and older children) that is quite large and offers three different slides and several climbing options. Attached to the structure are a few traversable elements and a set of monkey bars. The play area is not enclosed at all but instead opens to the greenery of Legion Park. There are a few benches and a drinking fountain in the area. There are a few trees that give shade throughout the day though the playground itself tends to be bright and sunny.
This playground - one of four in Legion Park - contains somewhat unusual and unique elements. Rather than a traditional plastic play structure, this playground is a collection of interesting standalone elements: a combination rope/net bridge and tunnel with a slide, a set of hammock style saucer swings, a 'triple saucer swing' that quite unusual, and a single mast rope/net climbing structure. The play area is not enclosed and instead opens directly into Legion Park. There are a few benches in the area and though there are many large trees in the area, this playground is bright and sunny (especially in the morning).
This playground - one of four in Legion Park - is located on the east side of the park near Hollywood Avenue. It includes some old-school playground equipment - swings and a metal merry-go-round - as well as more modern equipment including some rope and metal traversing elements and a few slides. The play area is not enclosed at all but instead opens up unto a large grassy area with paths for walking and biking. The play surface is wood chips and although there are large trees in the area, this playground tends to be bright and sunny. There are a few benches and a drinking fountain nearby.
This playground - one of four in Legion Park - is the largest and features some interesting elements. There are two areas - one for younger children and one for older children - with age-appropriate equipment in each area. The area for younger children includes toddler swings, a small play structure, and a few standalone elements. The area for older children includes a much larger structure with several climbing elements and a large curved slide. There are also a few other traversing elements and some swings (belt seat and a large saucer swing) in this area.
Like the other playgrounds in Legion Park, the play area opens directly into the park and isn't enclosed or fenced at all. There are a few benches and a drinking fountain nearby. The play area is quite large and the surface is wood chips.