Chicago's bocce scene runs north of the city, where Highwood operates one of the country's largest public bocce facilities with more than a dozen courts. Within the city itself you can play at Pinstripes' bocce-and-bowling venues, at Lincoln Square Lanes, and at Italian-American community courts in Stone Park and Berwyn. League play, drop-in nights, and casual park games all happen between April and October.
Bocce travels well between cultures and continents, and few American cities have a deeper Italian-American bocce tradition than the Chicago suburbs. According to Encyclopedia Britannica's entry on bocce, the modern game grew out of Italian village culture and traveled with immigrant communities to North and South America. In Highwood, that lineage shows up in a bocce park that draws families, retirees, and tournament teams from the entire metro.
Key Takeaways
- Highwood Bocce Courts, 25 miles north of downtown, offers 16-plus public courts, weekly leagues, and tournaments from May through October.
- Pinstripes runs indoor and outdoor bocce lanes at Lincoln Park, Oak Brook, and Northbrook, a strong year-round option for groups.
- Lincoln Square Lanes on the city's north side runs casual bocce nights inside its Western Avenue venue, useful in any weather.
- The Italian American Veterans Memorial in Stone Park anchors the historic suburban bocce community west of the city.
- A 107mm 4-ball set is the right size for most Chicago courts. Pick a high-contrast colorway you can read under park lights.
Highwood: the bocce capital of the Midwest
Highwood is a small town in Lake County, Illinois, about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago. Its bocce park sits behind the city hall complex on Waukegan Avenue and operates throughout the warm months. The complex has more than a dozen full-length courts, a clubhouse, and lighting for evening play, which is unusual at this scale anywhere in the United States.
The park is open to drop-in players during the day. League play runs weeknight evenings from late spring into early fall. The annual Highwood Bocce Tournament draws teams from across the region and has been a regional fixture for decades, tied closely to the town's Italian-American heritage. Highwood's downtown also hosts a popular Italian food festival each summer that lines up with peak bocce season.
Plan for parking near the courts to fill up by 6 p.m. on weeknights during league season. If you are visiting from the city, head up early, eat dinner on the same block, and walk over. Highwood's courts use a sand-and-shell mix, faster than backyard grass and slower than indoor crushed stone.
City of Chicago: bocce inside the lakeside neighborhoods
Within Chicago city limits the bocce scene is smaller and runs mostly through restaurants, breweries, and league nights at converted venues. Pinstripes maintains polished bocce courts at its Lincoln Park, Oak Brook, and Northbrook locations. You can reserve a court online for a couple of hours, and most groups pair bocce with bowling and bistro food. The Lincoln Park location is the closest to downtown and the easiest to reach on the L.
Lincoln Square Lanes, on the north side, has an indoor bocce setup that runs casual league play and pickup games during the cooler months. It is one of the few city options for play between November and April without booking a private venue. The Lanes has hosted bocce socials for years and welcomes new players who show up with a set.
Smaller public courts come and go at Chicago Park District properties. Berger Park on the north lakefront has had bocce strips off and on, and you will sometimes see chalk-marked games at parks along the Italian-American corridor of Grand Avenue. None are tournament-grade, but they work for a 4-ball set on a Sunday afternoon. Coverage in The New York Times over the years has tracked how casual bocce nights have spread from Italian-American neighborhoods into mainstream urban park culture, and Chicago fits that pattern.
Suburban courts beyond Highwood
The Italian American Veterans Memorial in Stone Park, west of the city, anchors a second bocce circle. The site has full-length courts and hosts community tournaments around Columbus Day and the parish feast days. According to coverage of Italian-American cultural life in Smithsonian Magazine, community centers like these have been the backbone of regional bocce in the United States since the early 20th century.
South of Stone Park, the village of Berwyn has hosted bocce events at its public parks for many years, and several restaurant patios in the suburbs have built private courts for league play. North of Highwood, in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, private clubs and HOAs sometimes maintain courts that open to friends and guests by invitation.
Leagues, tournaments, and drop-in nights
If you want to join a league, the Highwood leagues are the most accessible to the public. Teams form in April, play runs from May through August, and the season culminates in the late-summer tournament. Cost is modest, and most teams take open players when they have a roster gap.
Pinstripes runs corporate and friend-group leagues year-round at all three Chicagoland locations. These are casual and food-focused, more about a Wednesday-night outing than competitive play. For competitive bocce, the Federazione Italiana Bocce (FIB) sets the rules most US tournament organizers follow, and the Britannica entry on the sport covers the basic point-scoring and court geometry every league assumes you already know.
If you are brand new, do not wait for a league. The single best move is to bring your own 4-ball set to Highwood on a Saturday afternoon and play casually until a regular waves you over. Bocce communities are welcoming once you show up with the right equipment.
What to bring: gear that holds up at Chicago courts
Most Chicago-area public courts (Highwood included) play with 107mm balls. That is the standard recreational diameter and the size that pairs well with a sand-and-shell or crushed-stone surface. Pick a high-visibility colorway so you can read the score from across the court at dusk. Below are four picks that travel well to public courts.
1. 107 mm Red/White/Green Marble 4-Ball Set
Best for: Highwood regulars, Italian-American family games, and anyone who wants their set to nod at the heritage behind the sport.
This 107mm marble set carries the colors of the Italian flag, a fitting choice for Chicago's bocce scene given its roots in the region's Italian community. The four-ball count is right for two-player matches, and you can pair two of these sets if you want a full eight-ball game. The Red/White/Green Marble set is a great Highwood starter.
2. 107 mm Green/White Marble 4-Ball Set
Best for: Pinstripes outings and friend groups who want a clean two-team color contrast.
Green and white pair cleanly under the bistro lighting at indoor venues like Pinstripes and Lincoln Square Lanes. The 107mm regulation diameter rolls true on Pinstripes' polished surface and on Highwood's outdoor courts alike. The Green/White Marble 4-Ball Set is one of the more visible options on darker surfaces.
3. 107 mm Red/White Marble 4-Ball Set
Best for: A second set paired with a green or blue 4-ball for tournament-style eight-ball play.
If you already own a green or blue marble set, this red and white pairing gives you a clean color contrast for full eight-ball matches. The marble pattern is easier to identify by team in lower light than a solid color set. The Red/White Marble set is a common second-set pick for league nights at Highwood.
4. EPCO 107mm Tournament Set, Rustic Green/Blue with Bag
Best for: Players who want USA-made EPCO quality for Highwood tournament play, with a carrying bag included.
EPCO is the standard tournament brand in North American bocce and the maker most often used on regulation US courts. The rustic green and blue colorway looks understated outdoors, and the included green and maroon bag travels easily on the Metra ride up to Highwood. The full EPCO 107mm Tournament Set covers casual and tournament play in one purchase.
Court etiquette and quick tips for new players
Most Chicago-area courts are public and lightly supervised. Sweep loose sand back into the court before you leave, pack out your trash, and let waiting groups know how many ends you plan to play. Highwood regulars are friendly to beginners who show that level of basic court care.
If you are picking up the sport for the first time, focus on rolling rather than throwing. Bocce balls are heavy enough that a high arc damages clay surfaces. According to coverage in Outside Magazine on backyard ball sports, a low and flat delivery is the form that holds up over an afternoon and keeps shoulders happy. Read the surface, walk the length of the court before you play, and notice where the high spots sit.
Finally, bring water. Chicago summers can hit ninety degrees in July and August, and the Highwood courts have limited shade. Match days are long, and you will play better in the afternoon if you hydrate from the start.
Why buy from BuyBocceBalls
We carry the broadest range of regulation 107mm sets in North America and ship from Florida, so an order placed Monday morning arrives in Chicago by midweek for most ZIP codes. Our catalog includes traditional marble colorways, modern solid colors, EPCO tournament sets, and replacement parts for league teams.
If you are not sure which size or set fits your court, browse the full BuyBocceBalls collection or read our guide to 107mm, 110mm, and 114mm sizes. The team has played and tested the catalog firsthand, and we can talk through your court surface and player ages before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I play bocce in Chicago without joining a league?
The Highwood Bocce Courts are open to drop-in players during the day from May through October, and Pinstripes locations at Lincoln Park, Oak Brook, and Northbrook take walk-in and online reservations year-round. Casual public-park games also happen at city parks along Grand Avenue and on the north lakefront.
How far is Highwood from downtown Chicago?
Highwood is roughly 25 miles north of downtown, about 45 minutes by car or one hour on the Metra Union Pacific North line. The bocce courts are a short walk from the Highwood Metra station, which makes a train trip practical for a Saturday afternoon visit.
Do I need my own bocce set to play at public courts?
You do at most Chicago-area public courts. Highwood does not loan out sets, and city parks rarely keep equipment on site. Bring a regulation 107mm 4-ball or 8-ball set in a carrying bag. League teams typically share a set among rostered players.
Is bocce played indoors in Chicago during winter?
Yes. Pinstripes has indoor bocce lanes at its Northbrook and Oak Brook locations, Lincoln Square Lanes runs indoor casual play, and a handful of suburban Italian-American clubs maintain indoor courts that open to members and guests. Outdoor seasons typically run April through October.
What size bocce balls do Chicago courts use?
Most Chicago-area public courts (Highwood included) play with 107mm balls, the recreational standard in the United States. Tournament-level FIB-rules play sometimes uses 110mm or 114mm volo balls, but for almost every casual game in the metro, 107mm is the right size.
