This week, we had the pleasure of visiting Timber Ridge Park, part of Skokie Park District. As I shared with you last week, my method of picking new parks to visit consists of pulling up pictures online, showing them to my daughter and letting her pick which ones she likes. This week I have two words for you: dinosaur slide.
Let's talk about the playground. I was in for a pleasant surprise this week. There were not one or two play structures, but three full size play structures! All three are pictured above with their recommended age ranges. First of all the 2 - 5 year old area is in the shade! I know not everyone goes to the park in the heat of the day, but when you do, there is a lot to be said for a shaded play area. In this area, in addition to the main structure, there were four baby/toddler swings, a couple of teeter-totters, spinning seats and the a fore mentioned dinosaur slide, which, of course, was a big hit with my daughter. I was really comfortable letting my daughter play in this area on her own. Each individual area has benches around the outside facing the playground. This is something I really look for in a park, because I want to be able to feel comfortable sitting down and watching my child play on her own.
The area for 2 - 12 year olds was a little bigger and had more climbing and balance elements, as expected. There were also a couple of free standing balance boards, another teeter-totter, a secondary climbing structure and six adult swings. This structure also incorporates things like monkey bars and a climbing net. My daughter is very good at letting me know when she needs help, so I was also comfortable sitting here and letting her play on her own. Parts of this area can be shaded as well, depending on the time of day.
The third area, recommended for 5 - 12 year olds, was across the park from the other two areas. I liked this because my daughter could easily access both of the areas for younger kids while not being so tempted by the area for older kids. However, I realize this may not be the same for all families, especially if you have both older and younger kids who want to play on opposite sides of the park. The one thing I can say is that the park is in a neighborhood, by a school, and I felt very comfortable with the environment. The actual playground structure in the 5 - 12 year old area is all very much dependent on climbing and balance. There are no real platforms for kids to rest on. But it does look like a lot of fun and my toddler agrees. I stepped back to take a couple of pictures and before I knew it, she was climbing to the top of the tallest area on her own. So, make sure you trust your kids' climbing ability and strength! There are also a merry-go-round and six adult swings in this area.
Additionally, Timber Ridge Park has a soccer field and large grassy area. There are a drinking fountain and restrooms as well. The park runs along the south and east sides of Dr. Bessie Rhodes School, which has a small parking lot and a few outdoor picnic tables that you can use when school is not in session. After all of our other park excursions, I finally decided to pack a small lunch, which we were perfectly comfortable eating on a bench. I highly recommend packing snacks to take with you! We easily spent a couple of hours at this park, and I wasn't concerned about needing to find a bathroom or being out in the sun too much. We went on a weekend mid-day. It started out as only a couple of families, but as it got later in the afternoon, more kids and families came to enjoy Timber Ridge Park.
Park Details:
- Timber Ridge Park is located at 9040 Lawndale Ave, Skokie, IL 60076.
- The park is open daily until 10 pm.
- A drinking fountain and indoor restrooms are available at the park.
- Street parking is available or you can park at Dr. Bessie Rhodes School when school is not in session.
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