McCulloch Park: Giant Tree

Here is a report about the GIANT tree stump in McCulloch park. Can you hear the birds singing in the background? Such a peaceful spot in North Evanston.

McCulloch Park

We found a park that has its own twitter feed! @McPark is an amazing find in north Evanston near Ryan Field. The park is peaceful and a true neighborhood playground. It is sandwiched between two streets and area houses back up to the park from their backyards. While we were playing, we met a few friends who call this great place their neighborhood park. There is a basketball court that is filled with trikes for littler friends to play with. A nice open field makes for a great picnic spot or place to play frisbee. There are also plenty of benches and picnic tables. We also discovered the largest tree stump I think I may have ever seen. I would love to know the story behind how it came to find a home in the park. Was it from a tree in the park, or was it moved here?



You can view Rachael's park report from McCulloch park in Rachael reports:

Pictures and Reviews

Pictures and more detailed reviews will be coming soon! Thanks for following us on Twitter at @EvanstonPark

Day 2: Lovelace Park and Vera Megowen Park

We started the day in Wilmette for gymnastics, but with the amazingly warm weather, we were ready to finish the balance beam and get out to another Evanston park! Rachael wanted to ride her scooter, and we decided to stop for an afternoon of scooter stunts at Lovelace park. Lovelace Park is located in Northwest Evanston. The farthest corner before entering Wilmette. I have lived in Evanston for almost 15 years, and I think I only discovered this gem when I took a new route after grabbing a Starbucks at the Central and Crawford around the corner. Lovelace Park is amazing. It is a huge park with bumpy hills which we enjoyed rolling down and a few large hills that are popular for sledding. There is a large picnic shelter for groups as well. The park also has special programs for kids who want to fish. There are tennis courts, playgrounds, and lots of paths for beginners to scooter or bike along. There are restrooms available during the right season. Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip to Lovelace Park a little short because my sidekick had to go potty. We will probably head back for a more thorough review.

After Lovelace and some afternoon rest time, we took the scooter over to Vera Megowen Park on Hinman near South Boulevard. The highlight of this Southeast Evanston park is the giant spinner. It is the newer safer version of the old metal merry-go-round many of us chipped our teeth on as a kid. Other attractions include a climbing wall and some tall slides. Despite its smaller size, this is no tot lot. I recall Rachael being about 18 months when she "climbed" the rock wall and gashed her shins. Deep. Blood dripping down all the way home. Live and learn. There are smaller slides and areas for toddlers, but this park proves challenging to "chase" a toddler because it is hard to reach children when the get to the top of the giant slide which is beyond my reach as a 5'4" mom. If you have a fearless child who will want to explore everything, be ready for some stunt maneuvers to get to them. This park is a bit more perfect for children 5 and up. It is one of our favorites, and there are usually a good number of children to play with here. Great place to meet and make friends.

Park 1: Charles Eiden Park

Starting off our adventure with our neighborhood park. Weather was about 60 degrees. Went to the park about 5. This park has: giant climbing rock, large field, three traditional swings, one handicapped swing, two bucket swings, teeter totter, one 'tea cup' spinner, one pole spinner, two bouncers, about five slides, a rock wall. There are usually quite a few kids here, so a great park to make new friends. Within walking distance to Main/Chicago shopping area where you can grab coffee at Brothers K or lunch at Lucky Platter.

We have spent many many many days at this park, but some of our favorite memories include: wearing butterfly wings while playing at the Custer Street Fair, picnicking with our favorite neighborhood friends on many sunny days, and finally climbing the giant rock after many years of asking. No broken 'wings' from flying off the rock to date.

Feel free to post a comment about Eiden Park!

The Project Begins

Did you know there are 92 parks listed in the City of Evanston Parks and Activity Guide? We have decided we are going to try to visit every park this spring and summer and keep a journal to share with friends and family in this blog. Pictures, ratings, recommendations, and adventures await! Feel free to comment on the posts, recommend parks, join us for playdates, and share pictures.