Shabbona Park

Shabbona Park is an 18.83-acre public park located in the Dunning community of Chicago, Illinois. The park sits two blocks east of Oak Park Avenue with its northern border along Addison Street.

The park features a Georgian-style brick fieldhouse built in 1928, which contains an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, gymnasium, gymnastics center, woodcraft room, and clubroom available for rental. Outside, the park offers four baseball fields, a softball field, a combination football-soccer field, five tennis courts, two horseshoe pits, a playground, and a spray pool. There is also a nearly one-mile walking trail that can be used for cross-country skiing in winter.

Shabbona Park provides recreational opportunities for all ages. The fitness center allows patrons to work out, while the park hosts sports programs like badminton, basketball, dodgeball, floor hockey, softball, and volleyball. In summer, a popular six-week day camp is available for youth. The park also offers programs for toddlers and preschoolers to develop socialization skills.

The park is notable for its special recreation programs and facilities for people with disabilities, including training for Special Olympics. Throughout the year, Shabbona Park hosts family-friendly special events such as Halloween parties and outdoor movie screenings.

Established in the 1920s, Shabbona Park is named after Potawatomi chief Shabbona (ca. 1775-1859). The park became part of the Chicago Park District in 1934 when several independent park commissions were consolidated. Major features of the park were rehabilitated in the 1990s.