In 1892, the Hotel Moraine first opened its door to guests on a 15-acre lake front site. The hotel consisted of three large Georgian style buildings containing 200 rooms. The grounds once sported a swimming pool, stone bridge crossing the ravine and beautiful gardens. The hotel closed in May of 1970. A few remnants of the structures and the gardens can be found on the property. There were plans to build a 35-story apartment building on the site before the City of Highland Park bought the property and made it into a public park. The City deeded the property to the Park District in 1998. Plans are now under way to create a formal sculpture park at this site.

Dog Beach

A portion of the Moraine Beach is designated as a fenced, off-leash exercise beach for dogs, April 1 through October 31. A picture permit card is required to exercise dogs in this area.