Central Park

If you haven’t made it out to Oak Brook’s Central Park during the holiday light show, you’re genuinely missing one of the better kept secrets in the western suburbs — the paved walking path winds past the pond and the whole thing is set to music, which sounds cheesy until you’re actually there. Come warmer months, it’s just a solid neighborhood park with clean restrooms, good parking, and picnic tables that actually get used. The pond draws geese and the occasional heron, so bring the kids with something to throw at the ducks. It stays quiet enough that you can hear yourself think, which is rarer than it should be for a park this close to the mall corridor.