The Parks of Chicago
“A Magnificent Summer” celebrates summer along The Magnificent Mile, including the abundance of beautiful City parks surrounded by an urban landscape. With 552 parks covering more than 7,300 acres, the City of Chicago has more parkland than any other city in the United States. Now that’s something to celebrate! Check out the parks in The Magnificent Mile neighborhood.
Millennium Park
Located from 100 S. to 150 N. Michigan Avenue
The 24.5 acre Millennium Park is home to some of the finest architecture, landscaping, and sculptures in all of Chicago. Millennium Park’s prominent attractions include: the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa, and the Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor. The park was established in 1998 to replace the unsightly train tracks that lined the lakefront and further the advancement of Chicago’s Grant Park.
Seneca Park/Eli Schulman Playground
Located at 228 E. Chicago Avenue
A short distance from The Magnificent Mile, Seneca Park features a lawn with shaded walkways and a playlot. The park showcases two recent sculptures by well recognized artists: Ben, a bronze horse by sculptor Debra Butterfield, and Farmer’s Dream, an abstract piece by sculptor Richard Hunt. Eli Schulman Playground, named for a famous Chicago humanitarian, features two separate play places to accommodate kids of all ages and is the perfect venue to picnic with the family.
Oak Street Beach
Located at 1000 N. Lake Shore Drive
There are some things that other parks just can’t offer. Oak Street Beach has been a popular tourist and resident destination since its inception in the 1890’s. Featuring a bike trail, sand volleyball courts, and one of the best beaches you will find in the Great Lakes area, the Oak Street Beach has long been the spot for summer relaxation. Originally constructed as part of a breakwater by the Lincoln Park Commission, the Oak Street Beach is as much function as it is fashion; the beach helps prevent the erosion of Chicago’s famous Lake Shore Drive.
Grant Park
Located from 1200 S. to 100 S. Michigan Avenue
Sometimes referred to as Chicago’s “front porch,” Grant Park is the location of some of the City’s most prized attractions. One of the city’s more picturesque venues, it was also the site chosen for President Obama’s victory speech on November 4, 2008. Grant Park is the site of Chicago’s three most prominent museums: the Art Institute, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium. The park is also the home of the famous Buckingham fountain. Designated in 1835 as a “public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings”, Grant Park has long been a greenspace of importance in Chicago.
Washington Square Park
Located at 901 N. Clark Street
Washington Square, nicknamed Bughouse Square, originally donated to the city in 1842, has a history full of cultural significance. In the early 20th century, the square became a spot where orators, artists, writers, and political radicals gathered to share their ideologies with anyone who would listen. In recent times the park has seen a number of improvements including the installation of a reconstructed historical fountain, period lighting, fencing, and new plantings.
Olive Park
Located at 628 N. Lake Shore Drive
Named after Milton L. Olive, a Vietnam War veteran, Olive Park is a small lakeside park North of Chicago’s Navy Pier. Olive Park provides a small lakeside vista unlike any other found in the City of Big Shoulders. Perfect for a late night stroll the park has perhaps the most undisturbed view of Lake Michigan because the land it is built on juts out towards the Great Lake. Olive had the park named for him after giving up his life to save three of his fellow servicemen in battle. The park features a bronze plaque bearing Olive’s likeness and his Congressional Medal of Honor citation. The park serves as a reminder of Olive’s bravery and the traditions of the US armed forces.
Burnham Park
Located at 425 E. McFetridge Drive
In the mid-1890s, Chicago’s famous architect Daniel H. Burnham began work on a park and boulevard that would join Jackson Park and downtown. Burnham Park became an epicenter of culture, and the home of the second Chicago world’s fair. Recently the park has seen a green revival thanks to the replacement of 60 acres of asphalt in favor of a museum campus. The greening of Burnham Park is likely to be continued through future years as the city plans to replace Meigs Field with natural features.
DuSable Park
Located at 401 N. Lake Shore Drive
Not yet fully completed, but named for the first Non- Native American settler in Chicago, DuSable Park will feature a statue provided by the Art Institute of Chicago commemorating the notable impact made by one of Chicago’s preeminent settlers. To provide parkland for the new CityfrontCenter, the Chicago Dock and Canal Trust donated more than three acres of property east of Lake Shore Drive to the Chicago Park District. The new lake front park will provide residents and visitors alike a breathtaking view of what Chicago has become in the hundred of years since DuSable first encountered it.
Mariano Park
Located at 1031 N. State Street
The park of many names, Mariano Park has been affectionately known as: Green Bay Triangle, Rehm Arbor, Arbor Rest, and finally Mariano Park. Originally named after a trail that started in Green Bay and wound past the popular triangular shaped park, the park has since been dedicated to the memory of Louis Mariano. Mariano, a former editor and reporter for the Chicago Daily News spent years at a restaurant across form the park gathering stories and entertaining patrons. Mariano also founded the annual science fair at nearby Ogden School. The park which bears his name now features a small fountain, benches, and a Prairie-style pavilion designed by Birch Burdette Long in 1900.
Erie Park/Park 511
Located at 630 N. Kingsbury Street
One of Chicago’s newest parks, this park at the intersection of Erie and the Chicago River is already a vibrant example of how architecture and landscaping can co-exist. Currently under development, the park will soon feature a dog friendly area North of Erie Street and West of Larrabee Street. At the parks entrance one of the finest examples of modern architecture in the City marks the beginning of the oasis. Commissioned by the city in 1989 the design contains elements inspired by other prominent architectural works in Chicago. Parts of the famous Wrigley building, 333 N. Michigan Avenue, and even the Getty Tomb located in Graceland cemetery are memorialized by this fantastic piece.
Lake Shore Park
Located at 808 N. Lake Shore Drive
Known for the extensive amount of recreational opportunities it offers, Lake Shore Park is one of the premier parks on Chicago’s North Side. Tennis courts, baseball fields, and a Field House built in 1963 are just of a few of the features Chicagoans love about this historic park. Built on a Lake Michigan sand dune, the lake side park had been owned by a couple different Chicago area entities before being given to the Chicago Park District in 1934. Lake Shore Park is also know for it’s beautiful gardens that were started with the help of Maria Pappas, the Botanic Gardens and SOAR. The gardens are supported by the Park District, SOAR and individual contributions and are maintained by volunteers.
Goudy Park
Located at Astor & Goethe
Named after prominent 19th century lawyer and Lincoln Park Board council, William C. Goudy, this Gold Coast Park features a children’s playground and wrought iron fences to complement the foliage. In an area of Chicago known for its lush gardens and beautiful displays of Romanesque architecture, this quaint city park fits in marvelously.
Gateway Park
Located at Navy Pier, 550 E. Grand Avenue
Just west of the Pier’s entrance, the majestic fountain is the sure highlight of this downtown Chicago park. With a wide array of different water patterns and heights, it would be easy to forget about the incredible surroundings of the 19 acre park. Mosaic benches and breathtaking sculptures line the rest of the pathways and perfectly complement the line of trees on either side.
Connors Park
Located at 871 N. Wabash Avenue
One of the oldest parks in the City of Chicago, this triangle shaped parkway suffered from mistaken identity in the many years that followed its creation. Often confused with Mariano Park this quaint park was mistakenly labeled Rehm Arbor instead of Arbor Rest for quite some time. The parks current namesake is that of William Connors, long active in local politics, Connors rose from bailiff to state senator, at one point acting as senate minority leader.