Slides in a skyscraper, sinkhole trampolines, a music barn and a sand pit for budding archaeologists… Harvester Park is one of our all time favorite places to play near Chicago. We loved this Burr Ridge playground even before its recent transformation. Add in an inventive Route 66 theme, and now we cannot get enough of it! (Oh, and it is totally free to play there.) We want to share our experiences and some tips for visiting one of the best playgrounds in the Chicago area: the Route 66 playground at Harvester Park.
Get Your Kicks in Burr Ridge
Route 66 is perhaps the most storied road in U.S. history. Stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, it helped define what U.S. Highway system when it was laid out almost 100 years ago. From John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath to Pixar’s Cars, the “Mother Road” has been a symbol of hope and adventure. In 2023, Harvester Park reopened with a tribute to the legacy of Route 66: a brand new playground featuring notable landmarks along the famous road’s 2400 miles.
Now, you do not need to know all that history to appreciate the Harvester Park playground. It is also just great fun!
“It winds from Chicago to L.A…”
The playground is anchored by an impressive structure: an elaborate replica of the Sear… err, Willis Tower with interior climbing sections and some speedy tube slides. For younger kids who may be intimidated by the slides (we get it, they are fast!) there are valves and switches to play with in the “basement” of the tower.
The slide tower represents Chicago, and on the other end of Route 66, there are springy “surf boards” where kids can bounce around in the Santa Monica “waves”. In between, there are rocks and caves calling to mind the Meramec Caverns of Missouri, colorful sculptures standing-in for Cadillac Ranch of Amarillo, Texas and a truck who looks an awful lot like Radiator Springs’ resident tow truck.
Our kids especially love the rotating Wigwam Village climber and in-ground trampolines representing a stunning string of sink holes in New Mexico. There are countless clever details we are not relating here, but we hope you will go discover them for yourselves. Do not miss the zip line!
More to Harvester Park Than the Route 66 Playground
In addition to the thrilling Route 66 area, the Harvester Park playground has another huge and innovative area. A sculptured “tree” house is in the center of this space. If you peek out of this charming tree, you are sure to see kids busy with industrious play all around you.
There is a sand play area where kids can excavate archaeological treasures bordered by play structures just for lifting and moving sand. In warmer months, water elements also come alive in this space.
Nearby kids can climb into another structure featuring a roller slide or visit the music barn. Our family has made a lot of music in this open-sided building banging the drums, symbols, cow bells and other elements our kids have discovered.
Harvester Park is much larger than even this playground space with playing fields and more natural areas. We encourage you to explore it all, but that is beyond the scope of today’s article.
Crowd Tips: Visit the Route 66 Playground in the Winter!
Harvester Park sounds awesome, right? Lots of people seem to think so, because it can get crowded in fair weather. Even on school days, lots of toddlers and their parents and caregivers gather here.
On the other hand, we have had the park to ourselves on cold days or mornings when rain was in the forecast. Harvester Park is large and handles the crowds well. But, if you want a little elbow room, visit Harvester Park on cooler days.
If you do not frequent playgrounds in colder months (we know Chicago winters can be rough), we also want to point out that Harvester Park has two ice rinks. One is a large rink and the other is a small one just for young kids! This was our favorite spot the winter our kids first got ice skates. They got to try out their skates and then switch to the slides when their ankles grew sore.
A Word on Sight-Lines at Harvester Park
There are so many awesome elements to the Harvester Park playground. Unfortunately, the same impressive structures that make it a blast for kids can make it hard for adults to keep an eye on those kids.
The older portion of the park is divided from the Route 66 playground by a kind of berm with climbers and bridges incorporated into it. Add some great landscaping and a skyscraper, and it is almost impossible to see one side of the playground from the other. Plus, it is challenging to see inside that skyscraper tower from the ground.
We suggest having a conversation with kids ahead of time about your expectations for the visit. We also suggest picking a spot—maybe on that berm bridge—to meet-up if anyone gets lost or nervous. If you are visiting with younger kids, you might want to bring an extra adult for back-up. We have seen excited kids run in every direction at this park.
Bathrooms, Parking and More Logistics
Harvester Park is located at 15W400 Harvester Drive in Burr Ridge. Its location next to I-55 is nice for folks traveling in from Chicago and surrounding suburbs, but it also makes for some funny twists in the roads leading to it. Google Maps always gets us there.
Harvester Park has a large parking lot that is also used by the Community Center located there. We have never had trouble finding a spot in the lot, but we tend to go early on days when we expect heavy crowds.
Between the parking lot and the playground is a covered picnic area and a small building with the bathrooms.
As a family with young kids, we do think it is worth reminding you that there are sprayers and other water-play elements at the park. If you are visiting during warmer months when the water is on, you may want to carry a change of clothes for your kiddos. There is a kind of play stream with dams and other play features that kids cannot seem to resist.
Thank you for reading all about our favorite Route 66 playground at Harvester Park outside Chicago.
This playground is great for kids who love the Disney Pixar Cars franchise, history buffs and families looking for some free fun around Chicago. We hope you will get a chance to check it out!
For our favorite deal on children’s museums in the Chicago area, check-out: Best Deal in Children’s Museums: Chicago Area’s CLIMB Network. And, even better than a bargain membership is the thirty plus days you can visit Brookfield Zoo Chicago for FREE this winter: Visit Brookfield Zoo Chicago for Free This Winter. We hope you will take some time to browse our site and please consider subscribing to our free newsletter. Thanks again for reading!
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