Community Recreation

Community Recreation is the program administration division within the Chicago Park District.  Community Recreation focuses on the District’s core mission of providing high-quality leisure services to Chicago residents and visitors. The department's administrative arm oversees the programs at the parks through its Central, North, and South Region Offices.


Central Region Office
Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave., 312.746.5962

Farah Tunks, Region Director

Dedicated to Chicago's near south, near north and west side parks, the Central Region manages 201 parks for diverse neighborhoods, including Austin, Back of the Yards, Bucktown, Chinatown, Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Lawndale, Pilsen, South Loop, Streeterville, and Grant Park. Athletic opportunities abound in the Central Region with over three-dozen indoor and outdoor pools, fitness centers, interactive water playgrounds, ball fields, soccer fields, football fields, a golf course, and a miniature golf course. Arts and cultural programming reign strong in the Central Region with AlieyCamp and several of the Park District's Cultural Centers. In terms of green technology, the region has a solar panel and wind-powered turbine filtration system which is used to run the prairie river cleaning system at the Humboldt Park lagoon. In addition, three other lagoons and one artificial turf soccer field serve the residents of McKinley, Garfield, and Columbus Parks. Some of Chicago's most significant park landmarks are located in the region, including landscapes designed by Jens Jensen, such as Columbus Park, Douglas Park, Garfield Park, and Humboldt Park. The Central Region is also responsible for maintenance and upkeep of parks and playgrounds along Chicago's near south and near north lakefront communities and the city's shoreline from North Avenue south to 51st Street including Lakefront trails and Burnham Harbor. Also included in this region is the Museum Campus, Buckingham Fountain, the Garfield Park Conservatory, and Soldier Field.
 



North Region Office
Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave., 773.262.8658

Stacey Anti, Region Director

The North Region is responsible for overseeing 210+ parks and playgrounds for diverse communities from Rogers Park to Norwood Park as well as from North Ave Beach to Belmont/Cragin neighborhood. Our 80 staffed locations proudly offer seasonal sports, wellness, cultural programming, and special events. From ceramics to weaving and skate parks to interactive water playgrounds and Pumpkin Patches to Bunny events there's something for everyone at a park near you. The Region also features a multitude of athletic activities for Chicagoans of all ages - with its 23 pools, numerous water playgrounds, miles of sandy beaches and three harbors along the lakefront, two outdoor ice skating rinks, four gymnastics centers, knock out boxing centers, Kerry Wood Cubs Field, Clark Park WMS Boathouse, artificial soccer fields, nearly 200 baseball field, fitness centers, and the Park District's only indoor tennis/ice skating facility at McFetridge Sports Center. Unique cultural programming can be found at our historic cultural centers located at Berger, Lincoln, and Indian Boundary Parks.  Kilbourn Park's Organic Greenhouse and North Park Village Nature Center offer patrons unique nature-based programs.  Theatre on the Lake, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and Lincoln Park Conservatory are a few of the lakefront gems we invite you to check out.  In addition, golfers can grab their clubs and hit the links at Robert A. Black and Sidney R. Marovitz Golf Course, plus the Diversey Driving Range and miniature golf course.
 



South Region Office
Tarkington Park, 3344 W. 71st St., 312.747.7661

The South Region offers quality recreational and leisure opportunities at more than 100 parks and playgrounds, including four lakefront parks. Chicagoans from the historic neighborhoods of Chatham, Kenwood, Roseland, Hegewisch, South Shore, and Pullman, as well as the University of Chicago community in Hyde Park, partake in the many cultural, physical, and recreational opportunities offered by the South Region. The South Region proudly features nearly 200 ball diamonds, four outdoor ice rinks, four beaches, nineteen outdoor pools, twenty-two indoor pools, thirteen natatoriums, a 36-ft water slide, six racquetball and handball courts, and two gymnastic centers. In addition, the South Region has three state-of-the-art Little League stadiums, three golf courses, and golf driving ranges, five boxing centers, two artificial turf soccer fields, two art galleries, and five lagoons to serve the residents of Chicago. To provide culturally enriched programs and unique activities to the highly diverse communities this region serves, Marquette, Ridge, Hamilton, South Shore, Tuley and West Pullman Parks are designated cultural centers. Historic landmarks and feature attractions of the South Region include Grand Crossing Park, Marquette Park, South Shore Cultural Center, Jackson Park, Promontory Point, Calumet Park, the Darius Monument in Marquette Park, and the Fountain of Time sculpture and Adventure Rec, (a team-building obstacle course on Bynum Island), both in Washington Park.