Ray Bradbury Park

Great park for history. You blink you miss it. When I went it was filled with lots of trash (so sad). Took about 5 minutes to walk through the whole park.

Gorgeous park! Beautiful scenic views showing how gorgeous the natural landscape around Waukegans lakefront ravines are. Splendid area to relax and enjoy some of natures majesty! Love this park it’s one of Waukegans many hidden gems!

When I was a kid this park didn’t actually have a name. We called it «little park» and it just had some playground equipment. Further down South Park Avenue to the north are the steps to Powell Park a much bigger and fancier park. Powell, Bradbury, and Washington Parks are all located along the same Ravine. The Ravines were much more connected in Ray Bradbury’s Day. My grandma lived in the neighborhood his grandparents lived in and I lived not far away. Having grown up in Waukegan and having played in those ravines and gone to the Carnegie Library he describes, Bradbury’s books always come alive for me.

This park is a must-​visit for any fan of Ray Bradbury. This is it, the ravine from «Dandelion Wine» and «Farewell Summer,» that infamous shallow of darkness where The Lonely One lurked and a young Ray Bradbury fell in love with a Waukegan of old.
I came to Waukegan on a pilgrimage to see the ravine and the various locales that made Green Town so special to the author. I was so thrilled to find this place so well-​kept and landscaped. The old staircase still exists on the opposite side of the ravine, appropriately labeled «Dandelion Trail.» It’s not a staircase for the elderly or clumsy, but I’m so happy it has been left as it was. I took many pictures of it and imagined Douglas Spaulding picking his way over the stone, on his way to a great adventure.
The stone inscribed with a tribute to Ray made me cry. I also loved the time table for him at the start of the trail.
If I could ask for one thing, it would be for someone to install a trashcan at the entrance or next to the sidewalk bordering the park. Some litter had blown up into the grass and I looked for a place to toss it, but there was no where to dispose of it. Unless I missed one somewhere else, this would be one way to help keep it pristine.

The great Science Fiction writer Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan in 1920. His writings include Fahrenheit 451, and of course The Martian Chronicles.
Several of his novels are semi-​autobiographical. In stories such as Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer he reinvented Waukegan as Green Town. He wrote about a park, drawn from childhood memories, in Dandelion Wine.
In 1990 the park, located a few blocks from his boyhood home, was rededicated as Ray Bradbury Park. Bradbury himself, was on hand to do the ribbon cutting.
The park is not large, but it has a neat stairway that drops down into a deep ravine. It is easy to imagine Bradbury as a child, exploring this magical place. It obviously left a lasting impression on the great writer.
Go pick up a copy of Dandelion Wine, wait for a nice sunny day and let Mr. Bradbury take you on an adventure as you explore his park. You never know what you may discover!