With an expansive collection of picturesque lakes, green fields and sturdy trees, this is one of the gems of the Chicago Park district. You can find just about any outdoor activity you'd like, including a swath of baseball diamonds, indoor swimming, basketball and the city's only public cricket field.

A casual stroll across the park will reveal numerous fishermen lazily tossing bait and tackle into small lakes all afternoon. The design of the park, completed in the late 1800s by the father of American landscaping, Frederick Law Olmsted, incorporates lagoons with footbridges and wooded islands to fashion an incredibly relaxing urban oasis. It isn't Lincoln Park, but that's kind of the point.

Centerstage Reviewer: Patrick Sisson