Maggie Daley Park Play Garden337 E. Randolph St., Loop |
Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground1111 E. Schaumburg Rd., Schaumburg |
|---|---|
| Admission | |
| Free, but if you drive, you’ll pay about $40 for two hours in Millennium Lakeside Garage (only $13, though, if you reserve online). | In warm months, $3 for each nonresident child ages 2 to 12. Free parking, because of course there’s free parking in the suburbs. |
| Size | |
| Three acres | One acre |
| The draw | |
| With imaginative play structures like a giant bridge and ship, plus all the usual playground classics, this is the undisputed king of city parks. | At this swing-set-free playground, kids can explore forts, waterfalls, giant chimes, and nature-themed spaces that mimic a rock bluff, a cliff face, and other topographical features. |
| Where you’ll lose your kids | |
| The Slide Crater zone includes two multilevel towers to disappear into. | Slides carve through the rock bluff, meaning your child will disappear for what feels like hours but is actually only a few seconds. |
| Mess factor | |
| The only proper bathrooms in this massive park are in the lone field house. Otherwise, you’ll have to brave the portable toilets. | Your little ones will love the sand-and-water station. Your car interior won’t. |
| Heat relief | |
| The Watering Hole has animal-themed spray features for kids ages 2 to 5. | Kids can splash through a winding creek. |
| Possible peril | |
| Although the bone-breaking Tower Slide was taken down in 2021, other chutes remain for careening down at tooth-chipping speed. | A sort of high-stakes hopscotch happens when young’uns cross the creek by jumping boulder to boulder. |
| Meltdown trigger | |
| If your child is under 5, they’ll have to sit out certain activities — namely the Slide Crater and the Sea, a play loop with the ship. | Get ready to tell your kid it’s time to go home: In the warmer months, when nearing the 150-person capacity, the park limits play to one hour. |
| In proximity | |
| Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain is a safe stroll away, thanks to the Gehry-designed stainless steel footbridge over Columbus Drive. | The Vera Meineke Nature Center, a natural history museum with a turtle pond and a monarch butterfly station, is connected via a walking trail. |
Photography: (Maggie Daley) Courtesy of Chicago Park District; (Bison’s Bluff) Courtesy of Schaumburg Park District