Wicker Park

Dean Park is tucked away on a quiet stretch of Dean Street and features a nice and quiet playground and a water spray feature. The playground includes a standard play structure, the normal set of swings (toddler, adaptive, and belt seat), and a collection of climbing and traversing elements. The water spray feature is a small single pole water sprayer. The playground itself opens to a small grassy area and the entire park is enclosed and fenced from the street. The play surface is soft rubber and there area a few benches for seating as well a drinking fountain and some shady spots (especially in the morning). All in all, this is a standard Chicago playground in the best sense of the term.

Maplewood Park is a wonderful neighborhood park with a new fieldhouse, a large ball field, and a wonderful soft-surface playground. The playground has two main play structures - an accessible and large structure for older children and a smaller one for younger children - and a small set of swings. The non-play amenities are solid; there is a drinking fountain (with a water bottle filler!) and a few benches surrounding the play area. The new fieldhouse (opened in 2019) is a beautiful facility and provides access to bathrooms (when open). To me, this park is everything a neighborhood park should be; highly recommend.

Park 399 is a tiny neighborhood pocket park with a small playground and water spray feature. The playground equipment is somewhat dated - the current equipment has been in place since at least 2007 - but the play area seems well-maintained and well-loved. There are a few swings - toddler and belt seat - near the rear of the site and a single pole water spray feature near the entrance. The non-play amenities are decent - there is a drinking fountain and a few benches in the fully enclosed play area with a soft rubber surface. All in all, this is a fine neighborhood playground.

The playground at Walsh Park is a great playground that has two wonderful and unique structures. There is a huge play structure consisting of two towers that are connected by a fully enclosed rope net bridge. The climbing elements are all inside the towers and each tower has a large curving tube slide so while there is no chance of a high fall from the tall structures, it still takes courage to climb and cross them (for child and for parent!). The second structure is harder to describe but resembles a dome with rope netting on the exterior with a variety of climbing elements inside. This is slightly smaller but still a challenging elements for kids who like to climb. Finally, there are some swings (toddler, adaptive, and hammock-style saucer swings), a small curving climbing wall, and a unique pipe drum musical element. There is also a water spray feature in this playground! Small jets of water spout from the ground for a duration of time after a button is pressed. This water feature is quite integrated into the play area (i.e. hard to keep kids away) so probably good to plan accordingly. This playground is located at the eastern end of the 606 trail and despite it's central location actually seems quite removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. That being said, it's also a very popular playground that is used by school and camps groups so it can get crowded. The play area is not fully enclosed but it is fenced from the street. There are large, flat rocks set around the area as benches as well as two picnic tables for seating. The play area itself is bright and open though there are trees dotting the area for some shade and the play surface is wood chips. All in all, this is a great playground - especially for somewhat older children - and definitely a worthwhile destination.

The playground in Wicker Park is great. There are two large areas - one for older children and one for younger - as well as a small water spray feature. The area for older children features a large and sprawling play structure with a variety of climbing elements and slides. The area for younger children is quite small and features a small structure with two slides. The water spray feature are two misting bears that provide a gentle mist of water and are very cute. There are also two sets of swings with the standard Park District options. The other amenities of the park are also very solid. The playground is fully enclosed and the play surface is soft rubber. There are benches, picnic tables, and a drinking fountain in the play area and the nearby fieldhouse provides access to bathrooms (when open). There are even some trees that provide some shade throughout the day. All in all a great playground; highly recommend.