Chicago's best playgrounds

Sure, the playground you love and visit most will be the one closest to home, but isn't it nice to know wherever you travel with kids in the city, you'll be near a spiffy public playground to sweeten the outing? There are more than 500 playgrounds in Chicago. What's your favorite?

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Oz Park

2021 N. Burling St.

Step into this Lincoln Park oasis and be transported to the magical land of Oz. Though the wood-climbing "Dorothy's Playlot" section is smaller than Indian Boundary's and is limited to kids 5 and under, Oz Park's tree-shaded wheelchair-accessible playground has aged well. Check out Chicago artist John Kearney's statues of Dorothy and Toto, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow on permanent display throughout the park and be sure to amble through the undulating beauty of Oz's Emerald Garden of native flowers and grasses. Oz Park has baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, walking paths and a gym.