Free Preschooler Friendly Water Parks in Chicago

Preschoolers and water go together like peanut butter goes with jelly. Chicago’s many free interactive water playgrounds are a safe way for your preschooler to play in water and a great way to cool off the heat of a typical Chicago summer. Here are a few of the best neighborhood water playgrounds in Chicago. Admission is free, but don’t forget to pack an extra change of clothes, sunblock and a towel.

Riis Park

6100 W. Fullerton Ave. This large park on the far northwest side of Chicago is a popular hangout for neighborhood families. Its large interactive water playground attracts all ages. Water cannons, a tunnel slide and various sprayers are built in with a rubberized surface surrounding. Parents of preschoolers should note: the water playground can get crowded, especially in the afternoon. Also, keep watch for older children running through the playground or horsing around, which could pose a safety concern for younger children.

Wilson Park

4630 N. Milwaukee Ave. Also on the northwest side, this small park has large trees providing cooling shade to its little water playground. It doesn’t draw the large crowds of some of the others, which is great for a cautious preschooler or one who is easily overwhelmed in more crowded conditions. There is a standard playground adjacent to the water playground and bathrooms are located in the park field house building just steps away.

Unity Play Lot Park

2636 N. Kimball Ave. Located in the Logan Square neighborhood, this smaller 3/4 of an acre park provides an ideal outing for preschoolers. Park features include a large water sprinkler that shoots several feet into the air surrounded by a rubber surface for safe running and splashing. Bathrooms are located at the north end of the park. Large and small playground equipment offers a change of pace, if you manage to tear your preschooler away from the water.

Millennium Park

In downtown Chicago, Millennium Park is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Street to the South. A grand 24.5 acres, it opened in July 2004 and has become a lively hub for residents and visitors in Chicago. Preschoolers can splash around in the Crown Fountain, a unique set of 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool which display changing video images of various faces. Water tumbles from the tops of the towers and spouts from an opening in each tower, giving the illusion that the face on the screen is spitting water. Parents should note, although textured, the ground surface below the fountains is not padded, so parents should be watchful of falls.

Other Millennium Park features your preschooler will enjoy: the “Bean”, a giant reflective silver sculpture that tempts children to gaze into it and walk beneath it, and the Pritzker Pavilion, a venue for children’s concerts, performances, dance and free classical concerts. Daily and weekly free family programs take place July through September.