From sledding and ice skating to enjoying walks outside, these seasonal, cold-weather activities in Oak Park and River Forest will help you celebrate the winter season.
Sledding hills
The Park District of Oak Park closed parts of Barrie Park at 1011 South Lombard Avenue at the end of May 2022 to add inclusive features to the playground and renovate a fence around the sledding hill, which reopened in November.
Oak Park also has sledding hills at Field Park at 932 Division Street and Taylor Park on West Division Street. Euclid Square, at 705 Fillmore Street, boasts very small hills.
“Barrie sled hill is a more advanced hill that serves mostly older children and their families, compared to the sled hills at Taylor Park and Euclid, which are much more appealing and appropriate for toddlers or those seeking a more gentle slope,” said Ann Marie Buczek, communication and community engagement manager at the Park District of Oak Park.
Barrie Park and Taylor Park both have a “sled library,” Buczek said, where people donate sleds that others can use while visiting the hills. “We are grateful to have a community that is always willing to share with, and support, one another,” she said.
In River Forest, with any small amount of snow, you can often find kids and adults alike sledding at Keystone Park on Central Avenue, said Karen Stille, River Forest Park District’s superintendent of recreation, who can see the “decent-sized hill” outside her office window.
“There’s a lot of activity once there’s snow,” Stille said. “It’s usually really packed out there.”
Ice skating
In Oak Park, at the Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex at 415 Lake Street, the Paul Hruby Ice Arena offers year-round skating – though it’s most popular this time of year.
“December through February is the busiest season,” said Kayla Lindgren, aquatic and rink manager for the Park District of Oak Park.
To get into the winter spirit, visit Paul Hruby Ice Arena on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for public skate sessions for $8 per person, or from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. any weekday for $5 noon skate. Ice skate rental is an additional $3. The ice rink offers youth and adult ice-skating classes and hockey leagues. For first-time hockey players registered for the rink’s Learn to Play classes, children ages 3 to 10 can rent gear for free through the USA Hockey One Goal Gear Program.
This “gives them the opportunity to give the game a try without having to make the financial commitment that comes with purchasing gear,” Lindgren said.
If you have your own skates and want to enjoy the winter weather, check out Taylor Park after a sledding trip, or visit Longfellow Park at 610 South Ridgeland Avenue. Because the park district doesn’t have refrigerant systems, the rinks are only open during extended periods of cold temperatures, and if they’re flying a green flag.
“These outdoor rinks are very labor-intensive to set up and maintain,” Buczek said. “We will often close them when a resurfacing is needed and typically conduct this work late at night to take advantage of the much colder temperatures, which helps us get them reopened as quickly as possible.”
In River Forest through February, Constitution Park at 7715 Greenfield Street offers daily hours for both hockey and free skating. If a green flag is flying over the rink, visit with your hockey stick and puck on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. or on the weekend from 12 to 3 and 6 to 9 p.m. Or bring your own skates for free skate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. or on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 6 p.m.
Other winter activities in Oak Park
Oak Park’s Winter Wildlife Walk on Jan. 14 will explore animals’ ecosystems at Chicago’s Columbus Park Lagoon. Participants meet at the front porch of Fox Center (624 South Oak Park Avenue) at 10 a.m. to board a bus to the lagoon, surrounded by prairie and woodlands.
Last year, the first time the park district offered this program, it was called Winter Bird Walk. But they revamped it for 2024.
“We saw more than just birds last year, so we changed the program name to reflect that,” said Hannah Szuch, Park District of Oak Park’s nature and adventure program supervisor.
For $11 for Oak Park residents and $14 for non-residents, the one-hour trip includes transportation and hot chocolate.
“We hope that participants will gain an appreciation for nature and realize that it’s around us, even when we live in urban areas like Oak Park,” Szuch said. “We also hope to teach some interesting information about our local wildlife that they can share with their friends and family.”
Toward the end of January, Oak Park celebrates Winter Fest at Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Avenue. The free pop-up event’s seventh year will include outdoor, winter-themed games. To warm up, gather around the fire pit or head inside the Nature Center for a nature game and craft.
“We know that during colder months, people tend to stay indoors,” Buczek said. “We wanted to provide our community an opportunity to get out in nature and engage with others.”
Trailside Museum in River Forest
In addition to offering a variety of hiking trails through Thatcher Woods, where you can enjoy a snowy winter scene, River Forest’s Trailside Museum at 738 Thatcher Avenue also provides various seasonal events.
On the morning of Jan. 20, observe birds visiting the museum’s feeders with bagels and coffee. Then head outside for a free bird walk with binoculars, guided by Chicago Bird Alliance’s John Elliott. Through March, local artist Judy Steed will have a glass mosaic exhibit at the museum. Attend the Winter Artist Showcase’s official opening on Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. to meet Steed and hear about her work.