Mary Bartelme is a great spot to kick back, relax and play with your kiddos and pups! 

I love the Mary Bartelme Park in the West Loop, it's our go-to park! Very clean and well kept. We can spend a good 2-3 hours there if I plan and pack accordingly. As soon as you walk into the north entrance you are greeted with beautiful stainless-steel gates. Great photo op if you want to get a cute picture of your little one.

There are 5 different entrances to the park, but you'll be able to see the gates from each entrance. The park itself has a lot to it. There's a gated playground, 3 different grassy areas, a gated dog park and a plaza. All within a 2.71 area park! No bathrooms so make sure to go before you get there. For any emergency potty breaks, there is Mariano's grocery store two blocks away on Halsted with a bathroom on the ground floor. We live close by, so we walk there with the stroller. If you drive, there's street pay-to-park. 

When I go with my 2-year-old we usually start off at the playground. Perfect for ages as young as 2 and I've seen kids as old as 9 playing there too. The playground is set up where there's a section for smaller kids and then a section for bigger kids on the other side of the playground. There are no swings in this park.

It's gated which is nice, it separates the playground from the rest of the park. There are a water fountain and tables for snack time. After the playground and our snack time, we head to the grassy area to run up and down the hill. Perfect for sledding on a snowy day! There's also a plaza area where toddlers can ride scooters, color with chalk or blow bubbles. Depending on what time you go it's filled with strollers and different families for daytime playtime. On the way out my daughter loves to stop and watch the dogs play from the outside of the fence. We go around 10 am which isn't too busy, and we are out of there around noon for nap time. This works out well because the older kids usually play later in the day!