Naperville parks make up more than 2,400 acres of the city, with 137 parks and facilities and provides more than 1,500 recreational, arts and environmental programs and special events annually. If you’re looking to rent apartments in Naperville, keep reading. Best of all, each park offers different things to do and see, meaning you can have a lifetime of adventure without ever stepping out of the city! Here are 6 of our favorite spots:
Knoch Knolls Park
With our nearby apartments for rent in Naperville, Knoch Knolls is a great place for families to explore. Knoch Knolls has a nature center as well as a number of outdoor recreation opportunities for every season. Knoch Knolls has a boat launch that is easily accessible to launch a small boat or kayak, as well as a nature-themed playground near the Nature Center that features a variety of play apparatus within a beautiful outdoor setting. The playground has features for kids ages 2 – 12, which makes it a great place for a family outing. Enjoy a picnic under the canopy of the Lower Grove Picnic Area, featuring 12 picnic tables, or open area of the Upper Grove Picnic Area, comprised of 6 picnic tables and a fire ring. The expanded 18-hole disc golf course was completed in 2014 with additional improvements to the course landscaping finishing the project in 2016. With its beautiful location along the West Branch of the DuPage River, it’s a popular spot for disc golfers. The course is free and available anytime the park is open, from sunrise to one hour after sunset. If needed, discs may be purchased from the nature center during its open hours. A 5.5-mile hiking trail just adds to the beauty of Knoch Knolls Park, and makes it a must-visit park in Naperville.
Nike Sports Complex
The Nike Sports Complex is one of the Naperville Park District’s biggest playgrounds. Speaking of size, the large climbing boulder in the middle of the playground is a big hit. The sports fields surrounding the playground are expansive and you can see people playing everything from sand volleyball, to tennis and cricket. Near the playground is a pavilion with bathrooms, picnic tables, and shade to serve as an escape from the intense sun. There is also a running track around the entire complex if you’re really trying to tire to the kids out. The parking lot for the park is off of Mill Street; the entrance to the baseball fields is off of Diehl Road.
Jaycees Park at the Riverwalk
As an ADA-accessible playground, there is a wide variety of play equipment accessible to kids of all abilities. There are Braille and sign language panels. Little ones really love the sand play area. There is also an abundance of slides (eight different ones) in addition to swings, climbers and standard playground equipment. This shady playground is close to all that downtown Naperville has to offer and features ample parking and a bit more serenity. Restrooms are nearby in the Warming House. You can sometimes hear concerts from the Millennium Carillon here. A walk along the River Walk is fun and can be a good chance to take in some nature. On a walk earlier this week along the River Walk, we saw ducks and ducklings, a heron, squirrels, chipmunks and a raccoon. It’s paved and very stroller-friendly. If your child is into Pokémon, this area is a happy hunting ground.
Knoch Park
Knoch Park is located just southwest of Downtown Naperville. It is home to Naperville’s yearly Ribfest. It features 6 baseball fields, 12 tennis courts, and 4 softball fields. You’ll find games being played at all times of the day by players of all ages. There are numerous adult and youth leagues for baseball, softball, and tennis. It’s conveniently located right on the edge of Downtown Naperville, which means it’s close to shopping, eating, and plenty to do after a ball game. With lots of space to walk dogs and enjoy a day outdoors, it’s a favorite among all in the area.
Springbrook Prairie
The 1,829-acre Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville is a birder’s paradise in addition to offering trails, picnicking areas, an off-leash dog area, and state-designated nature preserve and land and water reserve. It offers some of the best displays of summertime blooms. Springbrook Prairie hosts one of three regionally significant grassland bird communities in the state. It’s a home to meadowlarks, dickcissels, grasshopper sparrows, woodcocks and bobolinks as well as state-endangered northern harriers, short-eared owls, and Henslow’s sparrows. Restoration work along Springbrook added more-natural twists and turns to the waterway and created a wider, shallower bank along the stream. These changes have slowed the flow of water, improved aquatic habitat, and allowed the brook to more easily pour over its banks and into the preserve during heavy rains.
Greene Valley
The 1,388-acre Greene Valley Forest Preserve in Naperville is home to more than 540 native plant species, making it one of the county’s most botanically diverse sites. On all weekends May through October, its 190-foot-tall scenic overlook provides a bird’s-eye view of the landscape and the Chicago skyline. It’s a great spot to picnic or look for migratory birds. Greene Valley also offers 12 miles of marked trails, picnic shelters, an off-leash dog area, a model craft area, a youth-group campground and more. This is another wonderful spot to visit if you’re considering renting one of our apartments in Chicago.
See the Beauty of Naperville Parks for Yourself!
Naperville parks are spread all over the city. Whether you’re looking for a family day out, a secluded place to run, or a place to find your new favorite outdoor eating spot, Naperville parks do not disappoint. If you’re looking for an apartment and you love the outdoors, you are in luck! Visit our Chicago apartments to learn more.