Top 31 Best Playgrounds Chicago Has to Offer

Jesse Owens Park is a community park named after the legendary Olympic athlete featuring open green spaces, a playground, and sports facilities.

Yoli B said:  This cool olympic-themed playground in Chicago has tons of climbing and running spaces. The park even has a mock long jump pit, which was a favorite event of Jesse Owens.

A little south of the museum campus, overlooking Lake Michigan and a boating harbor, this playground has magnificent skyline views of downtown. You'll find futuristic-looking climbing walls, a roller slide, winding monkey bars, swings and a soft contoured surface. It's a short walk south of the 31st Street Beach (sandy shores/public swim).

Maggie Daley Park spans 20 acres, with a focus on imaginative play features unique structures inspired by nature, as well as a climbing wall, mini golf, and a skating ribbon.

This one-block Chicago park has a modern fountain plaza where kids can cool off in the mist, a children’s playground, a sunken dog park, a hilly and open lawn area for relaxing, and an enclosed seating area. The views of the nearby downtown skyline are spectacular, as is the all around family-friendly area.

Located in the Lincoln Park community, parents gather with their preschoolers at Oz Park to enjoy the park which celebrates "The Wizard of Oz" theme. “Dorothy’s Playlot” is filled with play equipment for the little ones to climb, swing, and run. In the "Emerald Garden", families can enjoy a leisurely afternoon among the beautiful flowers. Take a stroll through the park and you’ll be greeted by statues of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and everyone’s favorite, Dorothy & Toto. 

Mt. Greenwood Park has an interactive musical playground with plenty of structures to climb, swing, and make music on.

Yoli B said:  The mosaic surrounding the park reminded me of Antoni Gaudi's "Parque Guell" in Barcelona. Since my time in Spain was "pre-kid," Mt. Greenwood will have to serve as a substitute.

This ADA-accessible soft surface playground is small, but has all the bells and whistles that kids enjoy. The park has a shaded picnic area, kid-sized basketball court, water spray park and a fully shaded sand area complete with dump trucks and shovels.

Weisman Park is a family-friendly playground in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood featuring ADA-accessible equipment, a soft rubberized surface, and a whimsical water spray area adorned with a mosaic by artist Martha Crandall.

Kelly R said:  This was our favorite neighborhood playground in Chicago, and we went here all the time with our toddler. It's fully fenced in, the equipment is appropriate for younger kids, and there's a kid-sized train where I have spent many hours playing pretend! A water spray area within the park is on when the weather is nice, too.

This playground is a short walk from Wrigley Field and has North Side team pride written all over it - from the subtle blue and red colors to the large Cubs logo painted on the lawn. The playground has rubberized soft surfacing, swings, a separate tot playground, picnic tables for breaks, and a seasonal water play/spray area.

This small but fun Chicago playground has ADA-accessible play equipment and magnificent views of Lake Michigan. Schedule a play date here and and relax!

Fully enclosed park in middle of the hustle and bustle of Chicago.

Indian Boundary Park is a historic park in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood featuring a restored lagoon, tennis courts, a spray pool, and a Tudor Revival fieldhouse that serves as a cultural center offering arts and music classes.Named after an 1816 treaty boundary between the U.S. government and Native American tribes, the park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated Chicago Landmark.

Yoli B said:  Indian Boundary Playground in Chicago has a large wooden play structure equipped with slides, monkey bars, climbing platforms, a tightrope, and lots of swings. There are many tunnels and hidden passages in the play structure too! If the kids get bored (don't anticipate this) they can go over to the lagoon and feed the ducks or watch the turtles sunning.

Lockwood Park offers a variety of recreational amenities for families including baseball, basketball and tennis courts, a playground and picnic areas. The park also offers two outdoor pickleball courts overlaid on tennis courts.

Skokie Chabad said:  Even though this park is on a main street, it doesnt feel like it. It has great visibility for parents watching multiple kids in the playground area.

The play area at Harvester Park is huge, and a creative Route 66 zone puts it over the top as one of the best playgrounds in Chicagoland. Modeled after iconic Route 66 landmarks and roadside attractions, you'll find a Willis Tower structure with slides, in-ground trampolines, a Tow Mater replica and spring-mounted California surfboards.

Sunset Woods Park is renowned for its recently renovated Rocket Ship playground and nature-themed tot lot, offering inclusive play experiences for children of all ages and abilities.

Kristy Pepping said:  We used to go to this park when I was little and now my mom has been taking my kids. What I like about this park is there is a separate toddler playground where the littles ones can play safely, despite the park's overall large size. The main playground has a huge rocket ship climbing structure with tunnels and slides.