Playgrounds and outdoor fun

Which are your favorite playgrounds in Hyde Park? Leave us a comment and let us know why.

Here are mine:

• Bixler Playlot. We love it because we almost always see someone we know there. It's enclosed, so there's (almost) no danger of my little ones running into the road. There's a sprinkler/ splash pool in the summer, and a nice sand box animated by a revolving cast of donated/discarded toys. It's just opposite Medici, where the staff are kind enough to let kids use the toilets. And did you know? Ray Bixler was the principal of Ray Elementary in the 1940s, and he had a Masters from the University of Chicago.
• Washington Park is so beautiful, it's not to be missed. The landscaping is fantastic, with a necklace of ponds traversed by bridges and little parthways, thronged with waterfowl and butterflies in season. There is a waterfall with stepping stones downstream that any child would love. There is an outdoor swimming pool open between June and September (approx. Memorial Day to Labor Day, but exact dates vary), which is free. There are family swim times, and women only swim times. The park house offers high quality, very affordable dance classes (ballet, tap, hip hop) and other athletic activities offered through the Chicago Park District.
• Midway Plaisance: great for soccer and other ball games - I appreciate the fact that the steep slopes in the central section keep small children somewhat contained (or at least easy to keep an eye on). It has an ice-rink in winter, which is free if you have your own skates. Both AYSO and South Side Fire run their soccer programs on the Midway. 

offspring of student parent picking flowers in Washington Park

To be reviewed soon:

• Harold Washington Park
• Law School Reflecting Pool
• Butternut
• Nichols Park
• Jackson Park
• Florence Stout Park
• Botany Pond and the Main Quad