Veteran Acres Park — Attraction in Crystal Lake

This park has everything. Two playgrounds one for the younger kids and one for the older kids, a small section with water spouts themed as plants that you can play around in if it is hot on a particular day. Keep in mind that they are only on if it is hot outside. There is also a bike and hiking trail that takes you around a big pond where you can sometimes see frogs, turtles, and sometimes deer out in the bushes. There is also tennis courts, a basketball court, and a small baseball field that people typically use for kickball. There is a huge hill with super flat open ground at the bottom which is great for sledding in the winter. There are even more hiking trails that go on pretty far towards the back of the flat ground. Don't worry there are restrooms right near the entrance of the park and there are picnic tables if you ever want to eat lunch when you are there. Overall this park has SO much to do and I've been going here for years and I'm still not sick of it, it's just such a great park and I highly recommend...

Veterans Acres is a great park. The parking lot is great, the tennis courts are great. The splash pad is great. It's just all-around great.

I've spent a lot of time walking around the pond and have seen many birds, frogs, fish and other critters. I don't get that at a lot of parks in Crystal Lake, so when I see it, it's refreshing to know it's in my back yard.

For those who play Pokémon Go, there are a few gyms and a multitude of Pokestops along the very scenic lake and along the splash pad.

The splash pad is open in the summer months and is a great place to bring kids. My nieces loved it and have asked several times when they come to visit again if we can go back!

The ball fields are clean and well-maintained. The parking lot is big enough to accommodate a few hundred people at any one time, but I've never seen it more than 3/4 full during a baseball game. This is good planning by the developers to make sure all...

What a gem with multiple activity options! The main parking area has access to a splash pad and playgrounds. There are numerous picnic and field areas around parking. If you are looking to hike, there are a multitude of hiking trail options leading to the nearby Sterne’s Woods area creating many miles of hiking options with prairie, woodland and pine forest covering.

We enjoyed our time here. Yes, most of the time you could hear background traffic but it was still great. Also, make sure you download a map of the trails. There are trailhead maps but NOT at every crossing so may be easy to get lost which is the only reason I...