Humboldt Park
Humboldt Park
4
What people are saying
One of Chicago's oldest and most vibrant parks
Nov 2018
Drive along North Avenue between Western and Pulaski any day of the week and you are awed by the sight of Humboldt Park, its size and greenery and historic buildings and community gatherings. One of Chicago's 77 designated community areas, it is located on the West Side in a largely Puerto Rican neighborhood that is noted for its dynamic social and ethnic demographic change over the last 50 years. The 207-acre park is the centerpiece of the community. Named for Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and geographer, the park features three major historical buildings--the Boat House, the Field House and the Historic Stables. The park was laid out in 1869. Over the years, the neighborhood was home to Scandinavians, then European Jews, then Polish, then Puerto Ricans, African Americans, Mexicans and other Latinos. In 1980, Puerto Ricans were the largest ethnic group in Humboldt Park. In 2001, they founded the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. In 2009, they moved the museum into the historic Humboldt Park stables and receptory. It is the only museum of its kind in the United States. Originally completed in 1895, the stables and receptory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Chicago Landmark. The building's design highlights the Germanic character of the neighborhood in the 1890s and is a fanciful creation of various roofs, finials, brick and half-timbering. The park is bordered by North Avenue to the North, Western Avenue to the East, Pulaski Road to the West and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to the South.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

4.0
24 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
10
Average
5
Poor
0
Terrible
0

cincyfoodsnob
292 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
Went here for a walk in nature on Sunday and it's beautiful. A lot to offer as far as walking trails, places to fish and things to see. I like that they have places to dispose of used fishing line as well. Lots of great little benches to sit along the way.
Written May 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,710 contributions
Nov 2018
Drive along North Avenue between Western and Pulaski any day of the week and you are awed by the sight of Humboldt Park, its size and greenery and historic buildings and community gatherings. One of Chicago's 77 designated community areas, it is located on the West Side in a largely Puerto Rican neighborhood that is noted for its dynamic social and ethnic demographic change over the last 50 years. The 207-acre park is the centerpiece of the community. Named for Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and geographer, the park features three major historical buildings--the Boat House, the Field House and the Historic Stables. The park was laid out in 1869. Over the years, the neighborhood was home to Scandinavians, then European Jews, then Polish, then Puerto Ricans, African Americans, Mexicans and other Latinos. In 1980, Puerto Ricans were the largest ethnic group in Humboldt Park. In 2001, they founded the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. In 2009, they moved the museum into the historic Humboldt Park stables and receptory. It is the only museum of its kind in the United States. Originally completed in 1895, the stables and receptory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Chicago Landmark. The building's design highlights the Germanic character of the neighborhood in the 1890s and is a fanciful creation of various roofs, finials, brick and half-timbering. The park is bordered by North Avenue to the North, Western Avenue to the East, Pulaski Road to the West and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to the South.
Written November 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Midwest Mark
Chicago, IL1,503 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
I have lived within a mile of Humboldt Park for several years, and regularly enjoy runs in and around it, as well as driving through it on Humboldt Boulevard several times a week. My wife and I got married in the park four years ago.

I've seen the park improve over the years, with better playgrounds and sports fields installed to support our community. Seeing families picnic on the lawns, play in the lake, boat, fish, bike, run, and just laze about always makes me smile.
Written November 16, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julie B
Clinton, IA148 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
My boyfriend is Puerto Rican, and grew up in Humboldt Park neighborhood. He has taken me there a few times, and it a great park with runners, walkers, families and people playing tennis/basketball/baseball. I am afraid of dogs, and I was happy to see no loose animals running around. It is also very clean with many trash cans around the park. My boyfriend is full of stories of the park from his childhood and he also runs there in the summer. We plan on spending time at the park, getting some treats from Roeser's Bakery and people watching.
Written April 10, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

brmusicman
Chicago, IL3,035 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
We have a tradition with neighbors to spend one day a month exploring a new neighborhood in Chicago. It was Humboldt Park's turn, and the main attraction on a lovely late summer/early fall day was Humboldt Park itself! Definitely worth exploring. The park is HUGE and had several beautiful pavilions and vistas. It was a great place to walk, catch-up, and see Chicago in-action.

Spend some time in the field house; it's architecture is beautiful and there's some neat features inside. The pavilion is also gorgeous, with nice views of the water and families having fun in the park. There are several statues throughout the park, including one of the namesake (a German who made important contributions to science). We also enjoyed reading some online history about the park and its surrounding neighborhood--it's played big roles in the history of Chicago's significant Polish and Puerto Rican communities. The crowd in the park during our visit was diverse--great to see families out enjoying a great city's parks on a beautiful day.
Written February 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rolf A
Chicago, IL460 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
The park was designed by William Baron Jenny with contributions by Jens Jensen and named for the famed German naturalists who in his lifetime published over 800 articles, pamphlets, books in several languages and was singularly important in the Louisiana Purchase. Fine statue of him by Felix Gorling stands near the boat house.
Written May 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Amal S
Brisbane, Australia213 contributions
Nov 2016
Large park with ponds and other built environment. Wildlife such as birds, squirrel, etc are commonly seen around. A bike rental station is also there in the park.
Written November 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joyce R
Washington DC, DC11 contributions
Oct 2015 • Family
Humbolt Park is a beautiful city park. It's great to ride bikes through and very peaceful (when there isn't an event going on). It's undergoing habitat restoration and feels like an open prairie in the middle of the city. The Chicago Park District has a really great audio walking tour you can download from their website—highly recommend it.
Written March 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jan K
Algonquin, IL259 contributions
Oct 2015
I grew up and played in this park as a child. During the 50's the Polish constitution day parade was held on the main drive of the park. at one portion of the park is a National Guard complex where the Chicago High school ROTC drill teams of the 60's would march for city wide competitions.Would not walk in this park alone any more the time have change and so have the people who live there.
Written December 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DaddyCub
Chicago, IL44 contributions
Dec 2015 • Family
We found ourselves in the city with some time to kill. After we visited some nearby personal landmarks, we stopped over here to see it and to grab a few geocaches. We parked by the boathouse, which was very impressive, but you didn't have to go too far to see signs of inattention. Still, it was very good to see a wide variety of people using and enjoying the park.
Written December 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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