Families with young kids in Winnetka have two chances each week to catch a free outdoor storytime at a neighborhood park, no registration required.

The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District and the Winnetka Park District are running "Stories in the Park" every Tuesday at Hubbard Woods Park (939 Green Bay Road) and every Thursday at Dwyer Park (856 Elm Street) at 10 a.m. through August. Each session lasts about 30 minutes and includes singing, dancing, and read-alouds.

The series is open to all ages but children must be accompanied by an adult. No drop-offs.

The two districts also partnered on the program last summer, according to the library's event archives. The outdoor sessions offer a walk-up alternative for families who don't regularly visit the library building. The library runs eight to ten storytimes per week across its locations, according to an Illinois Library Association profile published in May 2026, and the park series requires no sign-up.

Hubbard Woods Park sits adjacent to the Hubbard Woods Metra station in the center of the business district. Dwyer Park, on Elm Street, features a butterfly garden that was added to the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Gardens in 2024.

If rain cancels a session, the library posts updates on its events calendar at wnpld.org and the Park District posts at winpark.org/status-alerts.

The next sessions are Tuesday, June 30, at Hubbard Woods Park and Thursday, July 2, at Dwyer Park. The series wraps up Tuesday, August 18, and Thursday, August 20.