Portage Park

Portage Park is located in the Portage Park community.  Portage Park warmly welcomes patrons with a decorative gateway entrance at the corner of Irving Park Road and Central Avenue and an expanse of lush landscaping. Many Chicago residents choose Portage Park for their wedding ceremonies and special outdoor occasions because of its natural, scenic beauty. The 36.5-acre park is much more than a pretty picture—it’s the site for hundreds of valuable sports, early childhood recreation and cultural programs, as well as fantastic family special events.

Portage Park offers something for every kind of play—six tennis courts, a new soft-surface ADA accessible playground, a slab for in-line skating, a new dog friends area, a bike path, a nature walk, five baseball fields, two combination football/soccer fields and two fieldhouses, one housing a gymnasium and the other a cultural arts building.

In the heat of summer, Portage Park is the place to keep cool. Its Olympic-size pool features a large deck for sunning, misting sprays, an interactive water play area with slide and diving boards. The park also contains a smaller heated pool.

For youth, programming includes an exemplary after-school program, woodcraft, recreational tumbling and gymnastics, floor and roller hockey, music, and a wide range of sports each season. Adults can get involved with a walking or senior club, stay fit with an aerobics or conditioning class, or explore their creative side with lessons in piano, concert band, or woodworking.

The park features a boxing center where boxing programs are offered for ages 8 and older. The Chicago Park District’s boxing program has produced a number of professionals including Olympians Michael Bennett, David Diaz, Nate Jones and Leroy Murphy and former champion Montell Griffin. The Chicago Park District operates 20 citywide boxing centers.

In 2003, a 6,500-square-foot senior center was created in coordination with the City of Chicago Department of Aging.

In 2011 a 3,000 square-foot dog friendly area was developed at the north west corner of the park.