River-edge walking paths, kayaking, birding, and fishing are all great ways to experience health and wellness along Bubbly Creek. In fact, Bubbly Creek is considered one of best spots in the Chicago River for fishing. Dale Bowman, Outdoors Writer for the Chicago Sun-Times describes said: “it’s a wonderful fishing area, I mean Bubbly Creek, you can get all kind of species in that area around the turning basin. The reason that’s a good fishing spot, on the park side of it, the water gets deep. So right here you have water that comes up against land, and fish love shallow water next to deep, and any changes in contours.”

Three parks, an art center and a maritime museum are all nearby.

• Canal Origins Park at 2701 S. Ashland Avenue commemorates the creation of the Illinois & Michigan Canal as it connected the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River. The nearly three-acre park alive with native prairie plants includes historical interpretation signage and sculpture depicting pre-settlement conditions and life on the canal after it was completed in 1848.
• The Chicago Park District owns more than 8,800 acres of green space, making it the largest municipal park manager in the nation. The Chicago Park District’s more than 600 parks offer thousands of sports and physical activities as well as cultural and environmental programs for youth, adults, and seniors.
• Eleanor Street Boat House at Park No.571 at 2828 S. Eleanor Street totals 4.35 acres and contains a two-building boathouse facility, designed by acclaimed Chicago architect Jeanie Gang, with a seating area, rowing training, boat storage and community program space.  The boathouse is home to five rowing programs and has a public boat launch for paddle craft.
• Canalport Riverwalk Park at 2900 S. Ashland Avenue is a scenic 5.14 acre park located in the Lower West Side community just west of Canal Origins Park.
• Bridgeport Art Center at 1200 W. 35th Street is a multi-disciplinary creative home for artists, designers, and professionals working across various art forms, media and vocations. The center features three curated galleries, artist studios, the Fashion Design Center, Chicago Ceramic Center, the Skyline Loft and the Sculpture Garden Gallery.
• Chicago Maritime Museum at 1200 W. 35th Street ​is located on the River Level of the Bridgeport Art Center offers visitors a chronological walk through local maritime history. The 10,000-square-foot museum serves as a window into Chicago’s maritime history.
• The South Branch Park Advisory Council (PAC) is a nonprofit community organization dedicated to inclusive usage and stewardship of the parks along the South Branch of the Chicago River. In 2017, the South Branch PAC developed a Framework Plan in 2019 as a vision to connect all of the parks and communities in the broader area of the South Branch.