What do little girls (and boys) love more than ponies? Not much.
As part of our family’s Memorial Day weekend celebration, we visited Arlington Park, the beautiful horse racing palace in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. One of the deciding factors was the free Ralph’s World concert. Yes, we are official Ralph groupies, but that’s a post for another day.
Arlington Park is not what most people expect when they think of a racetrack. It’s a gorgeous facility that is a love letter to the sport of horse racing — well-manicured, clean, and as my 4-year-old said, not stinky. Arlington bends over backwards to attract families and maintain a family-friendly atmosphere, on no day more so than its weekly Family Day promotion, every Sunday from May 30 through Sept. 5. Every week there’s a different theme, but one constant is the free pony rides and a petting zoo from noon until 4 p.m. Then there are very special family days like the one we attended with a free concert, face painting and more. One to put on your calendar is Aug. 8, when another chambanamoms.com fave Justin Roberts will be playing a free concert.
Arlington Park is extremely family-friendly in the sense that you can bring almost anything into the facility. So while they do market “healthy” food options for kids (and adults) in addition to the typical burgers and nachos fare, you can bypass purchasing their food all together since they allow you to bring in pretty much whatever you want. So although the slurpee machine was calling our kids’ name, we kept them occupied with all the snacks, food and drinks we had packed ahead of time. Patrons also can bring in their own picnic equipment (chairs, tables, blankets) but there are plenty of picnic tables available.
There’s also no restriction on strollers, and believe me you’ll need one for the little ones. The walk from the parking lot to the front gate to the picnic area where the family-friendly events are held is quite a trek. Not that that bothered our children – they spent most of the time running around the vast picnic areas and walkways.
And then there’s the actual racing. Kids can get up close to the horses and jockeys by heading to the paddock, where the horses are walked, groomed and saddled before they race. The jockeys also come through the paddock in between races, and we saw one give an autograph to a little girl on his way back to the jockey room. The kids enjoyed heading to the rail to get a close-up view of the horses as they sped past.
Entrance to Arlington Park is free for anyone 17 and under. For adults, general admission is $8, but $6 if you pay online in advance. The Park is accessible by train, if you’re adventurous. Or here’s some directions if you want to drive (parking is free).