Gompers (Samuel) Park — Attraction in Jefferson Township

Ever since I was a kid I always thought this was a gorgeous park. A huge park. It took moving nearby to really realize just how big it is. 39 acres. That's 1,698,640 sq. ft..or 29.5 🏈 fields. That's a lot of green space spread across and down Foster Avenue and spanning the Chicago River. The "natural area" is 6.2 acres of some hilly, some wet, some woodland habitats. A fishing lagoon with pier access. Fed by prairie stream water. It does have River Rescue and stewardship opportunities. I love the footbridge over the river. The fishing area is back by Carmen. No canoe launch here - that's at River Park. Places to hike, walk, enjoy nature. Paths with stone. Plenty of room for sports. Baseball/softball, 🏀, tennis, a🏈, basketball and a roller hockey rink. Gym in the Fieldhouse. Playground. Picnic grove. All that plus a full range of services & programs. Pre-school. Ballet. Arts & Crafts. Gymnastics include tiny tot tumbling. Conditioning and stretching for seniors. So much to enjoy. Folks do some sledding in winter. Just getting out and finding out what they have to offer was the best thing I did. When it rains everyone knows part of the park at Foster & Pulaski near the Samuel Gompers monument floods. Otherwise there is no downside here. A great park to be...

We love Gompers Park! On the South side of Foster (at Keeler) you have "Little Gomps" with tennis courts, a baseball diamond a lagoon and a wetland area. These water areas are especially beautiful and great for dog walking or an evening stroll. There are plenty of benches and places to sit around the water's edge as well. There are no indoor facilities or washrooms in Little Gomps. On the North side of Foster is "Big Gomps", with a typical Chicago park fieldhouse (including washrooms) and an outdoor swimming pool for use in the summer. There is also a wonderful recently rebuilt playground and two main baseball diamonds. At the west end (at Kostner Ave), you can jump on the North Branch Trail for a ride, run, or stroll. This is the beginning of the route that will take you all the way to Chicago Botanic...

Great city park, lots of space, picnic area, bike path, swimming pool, three baseball diamonds, two with lights, a full spectrum of youth baseball and softball leagues, playground, sledding after a good snow fall, one parking lot at the picnic area and another by Little Gompers, decent not great street parking in between, a great summer camp program, and a fieldhouse. The baseball fields all flood after significant rain fall as it is designed to do to control Chicago river flooding in the area. Starting 2018, avoid the little Gompers baseball field as it never fully dries out after their latest attempt to control the...