6205 N. Sheridan Road

Northsiders living near this traffic-heavy section of Sheridan Road don't have much public waterfront to call their own. That's what makes this right-on-the-lake park such a gem. Berger has four beautiful, converted-mansion buildings on its grounds-side-by-side cultural centers, a restaurant called the Waterfront Cafe and a coach house, (now used as a theater)-and a newly rehabbed ADA-accessible playground. With the water just a few feet away, the soft-surface playground's pirate ship looks as if it just came ashore. There are bathrooms in the cultural center and snacks at the cafe.