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Article by Elena Ferrarin
Communications Coordinator
Northbrook Park District
The Northbrook Park District’s classes and programs satisfy a full breadth of interests for people of all ages with hundreds of options from health and fitness to visual and performing arts — and everything in between.
Registration for winter and spring activities and programming opens November 18 for residents and November 25 for nonresidents.
Choices Galore
Youth sports programs offered in winter and spring include basketball, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, skateboarding and martial arts. Youth leagues include basketball, soccer (indoors and outdoors), and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse.
Adults can choose between pick-up soccer, pick-up basketball and softball leagues. Due to high demand, pickleball leagues for residents are based on a lottery closing November 16.
Tennis lessons are also available for youth and adults.
Performing arts classes include drama for children, adults and seniors, as well as ballet for children and tap dance for seniors.
The visual arts class lineup includes family ceramics, pinch pot workshops, painting, ceramics and wheel throwing for children and adults, and photography for adults.
General interest classes include chess, sewing and cooking for youth, and canasta and bridge for adults.
Seniors can enjoy humanities and educational programs, and social activities like movies, card games and gatherings for Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras. There are also a variety of low-impact wellness offerings like chair yoga, tai chi and Essentrics.
Fun on the Ice
The park district’s Sports Center is the place to be for all things hockey and ice skating, with lessons and classes for toddlers through high schoolers of all skill levels.
Upcoming special events at the Sports Center include Skate with Santa on December 10, and Cosmic Skating on December 5, January 9 and February 6.
The venue also hosts the annual Northbrook-on-Ice show in May, when young skaters enrolled in the winter skating school session get a chance to perform in the spotlight.
On Stage
“A Christmas Chaos” presented by Northbrook Community Theatre on December 13 and 14 will be the final performance for 2025. Due to the renovation of the future Northbrook Community Center, the performances will be held at the Northbrook Public Library opens in new tab.
In the spring, audiences can enjoy “High School Musical 2” and “Freaky Friday.”
Special Events
The park district’s special events include Light up the Night, the annual family dance where fathers, mothers and all caregivers are invited to come boogie with their children for a beautiful evening of lasting memories. This year, the event will be held on February 6 at Renaissance Chicago Hotel opens in new tab in Northbrook.
A new spring offering is Dodgeball Duos Night on March 14, when parents and children can pair up for a fun-filled evening of friendly dodgeball competition at Techny Prairie Activity Center.
Other popular family special events include Brunch with the Bunny on April 11 and Spring Tea on May 2.
Indoor Golf
During the chillier months, you can play golf on the best courses around the world without ever leaving Northbrook thanks to the state-of-the-art indoor golf simulator at the park district’s Heritage Oaks Golf Club.
Besides daily simulator rentals available to the community, the park district offers a golf simulator league (with tee yardages designated for men and women) running January 6 through March 1, and an indoor winter LPGA/USGA golf class for girls ages 8 to 14 in January and February.
Looking Ahead
The park district offers a wide variety of summer camps for ages 3 to 14 focusing on arts, sports, theater, ice skating, swimming, crafts, golf and much more. The community can meet camp staff and get more information at a Summer Camp Open House on January 15.
The park district also offers the popular Sunshine Preschool, which provides enriching early childhood education for ages 3 to 5. A Preschool Open House will take place January 11, with registration for the 2026-27 school year opening January 12.
For more information and to register, please call 847-291-2993.