As a mom of four I love a fenced-in park that allows me the peace of mind that even if I can’t see them, the kids could not have gone far. The Early Explorers Playground at Hunt Club Park Community Center is just one of those perfectly contained playgrounds, and I bet you didn’t even know it was there!
You have probably been to the Hunt Club Park wither for the Aquatic Center of Community Center, to walk the paths or use the various courts. Maybe you didn’t even know there was a playground there. Tucked away beside the building, surrounded by a white fence is a perfect little park for active kids six and younger.
The Early Explorers program is closed to the public weekdays when it’s used by the preschool. But evenings (after 6:00 p.m.) and weekends this is a perfect shady park your young explorers that want the freedom to move and parents that want to keep them safely contained.
The park has one large continuous structure that offers climbing and slides of various heights for all abilities. It is still a preschool playground so even the tall spots are not that tall and are well protected. The majority of the playground is woodchips however the front half (facing the building) where some of the smaller slides ends, is turf. Making this a great weekend visit for a family that has multiple young children. early walkers can toddle around on turf while the bigger kids climb and play.
The park is rounded out with a swingset (no bucket swings), teeter-totter for four and a sandbox with raised sand tables as well. There is a covered picnic area as well as additional picnic tables in a small grassy area. Old-growth trees surrounded the park and there is a canopy over the main structure. We visited on a bright warm sunny Saturday morning and not only was it empty but it was not too hot. The main structure was mostly shaded and by afternoon the trees should shade the rest of the park.
Early Explorers Playground
Hunt Club Park Community Center, Gurnee Park District
920 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee, 60031
(847) 623-7788 | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Have you been to the Early Explorers Playground? What’s your favorite part?
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