Hiawatha Park

Park Details

Main Address

8029 W. Forest Preserve Ave.
Chicago, IL 60634
United States

  • Tel: (312) 746-5559 | Main
Park Supervisor
Crystal Loza
Park Hours
Open
| 6:00 am-11:00 pm

Hiawatha Park

Description

Located within the Dunning community, Hiawatha Park totals 13.88 acres and features a large gymnasium, fitness center, and club rooms. Outdoors, the park offers four baseball fields, football/soccer field, soccer pitches and a playground for the young ones. Popular in summertime, the water spray feature offers children a place to play and cool down while having a blast!

Young park-goers can enjoy arts and crafts and also play a variety of seasonal sports including basketball, flag football, floor hockey, soccer, volleyball and dodgeball at the facility or partake in one of the youth leagues offered in house. In the summer, youth attend our popular day camp.

Teens in the neighborhood should check out the teen club activities as well as volleyball,basketball , soccer and the RIT program.

Adults participate in a range of activities, including fitness, men's basketball and pickleball. Parents gather at Hiawatha Park with their preschoolers for moms, pops and tots, family arts & crafts, Kiddie college, gym monkey's and various sports like basketball, soccer and floor hockey for preschool-age residents. In the summer Play Camp is offered for the preschool-aged residents.

The seniors in the community enjoy getting together weekly for BINGO and socializing at the senior citizen club.

The staff at Hiawatha Park invites everyone to come out and play year-round at the park!

History

Hiawatha Park was one of many parks created through a ten-year program providing additional recreational space for post-World War II Chicago.  Acquisition began in 1946 and in 1947, the Chicago Park District selected a 12-acre park site in the Dunning Community Area. Land acquisition moved slowly and was finally completed in 1955. Improvements began nearly a decade later, and Hiawatha Park opened to the public in 1958. The Park District installed a fieldhouse in subsequent years. Hiawatha Park honors an Onandaga Indian chief, who formed the League of Five Nations, the famed Iroquois confederation. Over the centuries, Hiawatha (ca. 1570) became an almost mystical figure for Native Americans, and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) further mythologized him in "The Song of Hiawatha." The park name was suggested by community residents, who wished to carry on the tradition of naming Chicago parks for Indian tribes, people, and places.

Additional Information

For directions using public transportation visit www.transitchicago.com.

Facilities at Hiawatha Park

10 facilities

Programs at Hiawatha Park

Most programs run from Tuesday, September 08 to Sunday, December 13 Online registration begins August 03, 2026 - 9:00 AM In-person registration begins August 8, 2026
Arts & Crafts at Hiawatha
Instruction
Decorative Arts
At least 3 years 6 months but less than 6
From September 10, 2026 to December 10, 2026
Each Thursday from 3:30pm to 4:15pm
Except the following dates:
Thursday, Nov 26, 2026
$25.00
Dodgeball at Hiawatha
Instruction
Sports - Dodgeball
At least 6 but less than 10
From September 9, 2026 to November 18, 2026
Each Wednesday from 3:30pm to 4:15pm
Except the following dates:
Wednesday, Nov 11, 2026
$25.00
Gym Monkeys at Hiawatha
Instruction
Recreation
At least 3 years 6 months but less than 6
From September 8, 2026 to December 8, 2026
Each Tuesday from 1:15pm to 2pm
$25.00