Splish Splash: Places to Get Drenched

Hooray, it’s summertime in Chicago. Time to dust off those sunglasses, dig out that sunscreen, and plan your best summer ever!

When the mercury starts climbing, Chicago’s littlest residents seek out water. Lucky for them, our city offers myriad ways to get WET for FREE! From beaches to amazing water playgrounds, OnthegoChicago.com has scoured the city for the best places to play. Bust out those bathing suits, friends, and splash your way into summer fun.

1. Weisman Park (901 W. Oakdale Ave.) – This recently renovated park is a hidden gem. It’s tucked away on a quiet corner and has a great set of sprinklers that your kids will love running through.  Don’t forget a few buckets.

2. Foster Ave. Beach (5200 N. Lakeshore) – Foster Avenue Beach is a great family beach. It is easy to get to (right off the Foster Ave. exit on Lake Shore Dr.), has plenty of parking ($1 and hour), bathrooms, stroller-mats, and a lifeguard.

3. River Park (5100 N. Francisco Ave.) – River Park is huge and has an amazing spray pool. Your  kids will love darting around the sprinklers and splashing to their hearts’ content. After running around the spray pool, you can go for a swim in the pool or head over to the giant playground.

4. Holstein Park (2200 Oakley Ave.) – Holstein Park is a great space in Wicker Park with a kiddie pool and spray playground.  The equipment is primarily geared towards toddlers and younger children.

5. North Avenue Beach (1600 N. Lake Shore Dr.) – North Avenue Beach has an ocean liner inspired beach house with bathrooms, a restaurant on the top deck, bike rentals, and a concession stand. The beach is expansive and has lifeguards, but can get a bit crowded on the weekends.

6. Welles Park (2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.) – Welles Park has a huge grassy area, two playgrounds, and nice water features/sprinkler.  They also host concerts in the park most Tuesdays during the summer. We love frolicking in the playground, splashing around in the water, and then finishing the evening with a picnic and concert at the gazebo.

Have a fabuloso summer!

About onthegoChicago…

Want to get all the scoop on what’s happening in Chicago for the pint-sized crowd? Then join OnthegoChicago.com, our city’s most comprehensive and searchable website for families.  It’s the only ad-free membership site dedicated to helping you find where the FREE family fun is hiding in your neighborhood.

Plus, onthegoChicago.com members have access to member exclusive HOT summer savings including…

• 15% toys (including summertime essentials like scooters, sand toys, kites, sidewalk chalk and more) at Building Blocks Toy Stores on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Buy on get one free ice cream at Little Beans Café
• 15% off picnic blankets, sunscreen and other summertime “urba essentials” at Urba Baby on Mondays

See for yourself why Parents Magazine named onthegoChicago.com the Best Local Site in the Nation. Click here to watch the 2-minute site tutorial.

As a member of the Families in the Loop community, get a yearly membership for only $39.90 a year ($10 off the standard price)! Simply enter FITL in the Coupon Code box on the join page.