Maywood Park Racetrack in Melrose Park, Illinois

Maywood Park Racetrack is located on North Avenue in Melrose Park, IL, about 30 minutes from Schaumburg and only 15 minutes west of Chicago. Maywood Park Racetrack is truly an Illinois classic and a definite plus to add on you're to do list on your next visit to the windy city.

This racetrack is home to many firsts for the state of Illinois. Maywood Park is the first to receive a harness racing license in 1946, first racetrack in the Chicago area to be dedicated solely to standard bred racing, the first to host a Breeders Crown event, and is acknowledged as one of the fastest and safest half mile racing tracks in North America.

I've never bet on horse racing, seen horse racing up close, or even watched horse racing at all. I knew nothing about how it worked or what the exact process was. My work hosted a faculty dinner at the Maywood Park Racetrack a few weeks ago and we were lucky enough to have a staff member explain the types of wagers and how to bet. However, the explanation was very quick due to the live races happening every 15 minutes or so.

My family had suggested for me to bet on my favorite name or the number that has been popping up for them over the last week. I chose to bet by name. Needless to say, I lost. A co-worker actually took the time to look at the horse driver's statistics and won twice.

When going to the window to bet, make sure that you do it within plenty of time from the bell ringing that calls all bets to stop. A co-worker was quite disgruntled when he went up to bet and the staff person was too busy talking to another employee. By the time she was finished and asked my co-worker his wager, the bell rang and she said he couldn't bet.

Maywood Park Racetrack also hosts parties with buffet options, boxed lunches, meat, and fruit trays. For our event, we had an array of sweets, fried chicken, rigatoni, salads, and breads. The food was very good and the staff did a wonderful job of keeping the food hot and filled.

Another fun party option that our faculty took advantage of, a human horse race. In this event, one person sits in the horse racing cart as the driver and two other people act as the horses. Several other people can also be set up in this fashion and they do one lap around the racetrack.

I highly recommend visiting the Maywood Park Racetrack. It is a great place to go for your first live horse racing experience or a fun night out for the family.