Dorothy's Playground at Oz Park

“Great playground that is fenced and worry free. Parking is relatively easy despite being on a man street.”

“The playground at Oz Park is a unique and wonderful space. Oz Park is named in honor of Lyman Frank Baum, the author of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and features statues of characters from the universe. According to the Chicago Park district website, the name of this playground - "Dorothy's Playlot" - references both the main character from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" but also Dorothy Melamerson, a retired school teacher who donated money to park improvements. The massive play structure is one of a few wooden play structures within the Chicago Park District and while it features slides and swings, the massive, meandering, multi-level wooden structure is clearly the main feature of this space. It contains stairs and bridges and outlooks that children can explore independently (some of the spaces are quite small for some adult bodies). The play area is completely enclosed and heavily shaded by large trees. There are some benches and a small picnic table within the play area and additional picnic tables and a drinking fountain just outside one of the entrances. The play surface seems to be a soft rubber covered by artificial turf. This playground is truly a destination playground; highly recommend.”

“When googling parks I found this one and liked what I saw. I’m not a local this was a one time thing. Super fun! My son enjoyed playing here. He loves climbing and there was so much to climb. Different size slides, a tire swing was fun. Dorothy & Toto are very near the playground. If you want to see the Tin man he is located on the corner and the Scarecrow is inside the garden in front of the playground. Didn’t see and didn’t look for the Lion. There are benches for the parents to sit. I also saw picnic tables. There’s a Target on the corner of Webster & Larrabee St. As a mom I need this kind of information.”