Bowen Park — Attraction in Waukegan

Bowen park in Waukegan was super fun for everyone from 3 to 9 years old in my group.

Bowen is a nature themed playground that integrated "the forest" as the theme. It has a huge climbing structure (spiderwebs), giant slides (log rides), "fallen trees" to crawl thru and little slides too. There is even a spindle like spinning web and lots of climbing structure. There's a sandbox area with a pond motif and stepping stones along with a small slide and log for little ones. There is even a splash pad (oversized fungi mushrooms, etc design). There are just a few swings but an entire section are those fun disk like swings and then there are 2 baby and 2 regular ones.

The park itself was filled with huge trees offering plenty of shady spots and picnic tables. There are decent bathrooms (no AC or shelves) but flushable toilets and a sink nearby the playground. There is a single drinking fountain, but I'd suggest bringing a water bottle.

The park is huge and there were other things we didn't get a chance to visit like the walking trail, a big skatepark, pavilions (for rent it seemed), a theater where they showcase plays, the Waukegan history museum, several historical cottages, etc. If you're aiming for the playground park in the north entrance lot to be closest.

The location was south of the south end of Illinois State beach so perhaps worthy of a stop after or before a trip there if you're making an adventurous day long trip. Definitely worthy of a visit for kids up to 12/13 in my opinion. Best for...

Dear community , this park is probably one of the best parks you'll find in Waukegan . With plenty of trash cans around to dispose of , unfortunately there will always be some litter due to people who lack of common sense and manners , over all well maintained. Spacious playgrounds and parking. Restrooms are only open during season. Some wheelchair parking accessible . A perfect place to read , take a walk in the mini ' woods ' section , run or bike ride . Beautiful scapes a plus for an event or picnic . Skating section , basketball hoop, fields for football and baseball and the water park is definitely a plus . Let's not forget the bridge , a pretty cool experience dog friendly also ! In the summer it's occasionally busy , but everyone minding their own . With a little bit of everything for everyone , even adults , I'm pretty sure you'll find a spot here to make your mood right . As always , let's respect nature and wild life yet let's be prepared. With that said may you have a unforgettable experience in this beautiful...

It's a park that's neater than most. All kinds of stuff for kids on the front side and a bit of facilities for various activities.

But I'm outside of that age bracket most heavily catered towards, so...

So what's up with the backside of the park? It's where you go to get away from a lot and enjoy nature, as the woods around the streams are scenic and nice. I think the biggest perk to this park is that it has elevation and that's what makes it unique. Hiking most places with trails in Lake County, you'll be hard pressed to find anything other than flatland. There really isn't much climbing or terrain challenge. Here the ravines go up and down at least 70ft along the backside of the bluff. However half the good trails for hiking with hill climbs are deer trails and not official. (The star off is for that, just make two or three trails more official - not perfectly groomed with additional stairs or stuff like that, leave the terrain rough with it's challenges but clear some of the...