Little Lake County Playground Tour Stop #1: Bowen Park {Waukegan}

Little Trike Media Events

Little Lake County Playground Tour

Little Lake County Playground Tour.

We’re getting totally tubular down 40-foot tube slides, using our spidey sense on the spider climber, and splish splashin’ on the splash pad!  Folks, the Little Lake County Playground Tour 2014 makes its first stop at Bowen Park in Waukegan!   Don’t know much about Bowen Park?  Check out our Playground Profile on this spectacular Lake County gem.

bowen park, waukegan
© L. Thomas | littlelakecounty.com | 2014

Have you got your FREE tickets yet?  No camping out overnight to wait in line for our fans.  Just visit Eventbrite to register, and you’ll be too cool for school. For the next few weeks anyway…

Our friends from the Waukegan Park District will be joining the party. In October 2013, the Waukegan Park District received the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.  Not too shabby, guys!  They’ll be bringing their Arts Van to provide an art project so your kids can let their creative juices flow.  If these creative juices flow all over their clothing, the Arts Van also provides coverups!

Image courtesy of the Waukegan Park District

Why we’ve even got your morning snack covered.  Our generous sponsor,  Whole Foods Market Deerfield,  will provide  yummy Quack’n Bites crackers from their 365 Everyday Value® product line (while supplies last.)  Yum!

Don’t forget to pack swimsuits and towels if your kids want to enjoy the free splash pad. There’s plenty of benches and shade, so you don’t have to roast while they splash.  In the toddler play area, known as the Forest Meadow, you’ll find a sandpit for little ones on the upper level of the park. Bring buckets and shovels if you are so inclined.

Bowen Park Splash Pad
Photo Source Waukegan Park District Website,

As if you needed more incentive to come on down, approach one of the Little Lake County roadies and request “VIP Status” at Tour Stop #1 in Bowen Park.  Your child will receive a Little Lake County All-Access to Fun Pass.  Validate these “backstage passes” at all four Tour Stops, and be entered into a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview.  Our limited supply of All-Access Passes is available ONLY at Bowen Park on Wednesday,  July 23rd, and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to guests who request VIP Status.  You must attend ALL four Tour Stops to be eligible for the prize drawing. 

After a morning filled with fun at our Little Lake County Tour Stop and Playdate, why not stick around for a picnic?  Or you can visit some of our reader-recommended eateries nearby like Papa Marcos Pita, Louie’s Restaurant, or Quonset Pizza.

It’s an exciting time for Waukegan which is hitting a critical mass of change. You’ll see improvements around every corner due to unprecedented cooperation between the many award-winning organizations within the city.  Waukegan’s Main Street, part of a national network of Main Street communities throughout the U.S., is dedicated to promoting business and community events in Waukegan’s downtown.  Partnering with the Waukegan Arts Council, and the City of Waukegan, Waukegan Main Street sponsors the ArtWauk initiative which offers free admission to downtown art galleries each month.  The next ArtWauk is this Saturday, July 19th.  The Waukegan Public Library is a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Science and the Upstart Innovation Award for its excellence in community programs. These institutions, along with the nationally known Genesee Theatre and 3 Brothers Theatre (which also offers a Theatre for Kids) are just a few examples of the exciting resources that Waukegan has to offer.

Little Lake County Playground Tour Stop #1: Bowen Park {Waukegan}
Wednesday, July 23
9:30am-11:30 am

Bowen Park, Waukegan

Bowen Park
1800 North Sheridan Road, Waukegan
Amenities: Outlook tower with 4o ft. tube slides, Spider Climber, overlook platform, spinner, dish swings, splash pad, toddler play area, fitness/exercise trail, Log Climber, small amphitheater, nearby picnic area
Shade: Full to moderate, many mature trees
Restrooms: Yes! Real toilets can be found right by the parking lot as well as the nearby Craft Cottage
Ground cover: Mixed – mostly wood chips with rubberized turf on hillside and toddler area
Good for: All ages.  The toddler play area gives the little ones a quiet space to explore while older children will go wild over the tall play structures. Keep in mind the multiple levels and hillside construction of the playground do interfere with sightlines when trying to keep track of multiple children at one time.

little lake county playground tour
About Loralie 133 Articles
When Loralie isn’t out exploring with her two pint-sized adventurers you’ll often find her in front of her computer plotting to take over the world (or at least Lake County.) She appreciates good friends, good food, expensive shoes and parents who make two lanes in the drop-off/pick-up line at school. Her spirit animal is The Hobbit. She invites you to join her on her quest for unique distractions, diversions and deliciousness in this county we call home. She is the Features Editor and Marketing Director at Little Lake County.

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