3501 N. Kilbourn Ave.

The addition of expanded native-plant gardens are among the best, latest developments evolving the look and feel of the city's playgrounds. Among them, Kilbourn is the first in a large American metro area to have a public fruit-tree orchard (24 apple, pear, cherry, plum and paw-paw trees). It's also among the first to have a "teaching" greenhouse where adults and kids can learn year-round about gardening. The playground itself is cheery and well maintained. There's a fieldhouse, outdoor basketball and tennis courts, a gym, baseball field and new soccer field funded through Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program.