Beaches in Chicago

THE 10 BEST Chicago Beaches

Beaches in Chicago

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11 places sorted by traveller favourites
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What travellers are saying

  • TV 🌊
    Bethlehem, PA85 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I didn’t expect this at all in the middle of Chicago. I’m still blown away. The water and the city was such a vibe.

    Must stop when you’re in Chicago. It was the highlight of my trip.

    Chairs are $20 for the day and we’ll worth it. I stayed at The Drake which is just a stones throw away so could easily head to my room to use the restroom.

    The Whispers restaurant on the beach has good food and drinks.
    Written 22 July 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jamie C
    3 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Clean beach with great views of the city. Pretty crowded on a hot day, but we still found a spot in the shade. You may want to get there early for a beach umbrella.
    Written 4 September 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Taylor B
    Chicago, IL8,483 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    My wife and I are very fortunate. We live in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, three blocks from North Avenue Beach, one of the city's most popular destinations for swimming, sun-bathing, biking, kayaking, jogging, roller blading, walking and other water activities. And don't forget sight-seeing. Located at 1600 North Lake Shore Drive, at North Avenue, North Avenue Beach offers a postcard picture view of Chicago's skyline, of Navy Pier and Lake Point Tower and the Drake Hotel and the Hancock building and the lakefront and Lake Michigan. The crown jewel of the beach is the ocean liner-inspired, 22,000-square-foot beach house that boasts restrooms, changing facilities, ATMs, beach retailers, private cabanas, rentals and the newly renovated Castaways Beach Club, a two-story restaurant and rooftop bar. Beach volleyball is a very popular activity. Established in 1934, North Avenue Beach is the hub for the annual Air & Water Show, a two-day event in mid-August that attracts over a million people to the lakefront. But plan accordingly. North Avenue Beach has a small parking lot with a pay gate. Plan on arriving early to land a spot or, better yet, take public transportation. The 22 Clark, 36 Broadway, 72 North, 73 Armitage, 151 Sheridan and 156 LaSalle CTA bus routes all offer access to North Avenue Beach.
    Written 28 June 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Taylor B
    Chicago, IL8,483 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Montrose Beach doesn't receive the acclaim and notoriety of its more celebrated neighbors to the south, North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach. But in Chicago's scheme of things, the patch of sand and surf at 4400 Du Sable Lake Shore Drive, at Montrose Avenue, in the Uptown/Lincoln Park neighborhood, on the Lake Michigan shoreline, is the city's largest public beach. It also is the site of a bird and butterfly sanctuary and the home of the Corinthian Yacht Club, which has 711 slips for boaters, large and small. Montrose Beach also offers some amenities that other city beaches don't provide, like wi-fi, a dog friendly beach, a non-motorized boat launch, restrooms, showers, jet ski rentals, fishing, volleyball and kayaking and canoeing rentals, kiteboarding and the Dock, a full-service restaurant and bar. Not to mention a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline. Of course, most visitors prefer Montrose Beach for swimming and sun-bathing. The beach is open from 6 to 11 daily while swimming is permitted from 11 to 7 when lifeguards are on duty during the beach season which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
    Written 10 August 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Eirnin M
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I had a great time and felt very relaxed here! After reading soooo many reviews of local beaches, I settled on this one because it was described as THE gay beach in the area. Someone online described the southern end as "raunchy," so I headed straight there, but there was certainly nothing straight about that end of the beach. It was relatively quiet on a weekday afternoon, but still a decent number of queer people hanging out in groups, couples, or by themselves. A lot of people wore relatively tiny swimsuits, and someone was playing popular queer club music via a speaker, but that's as "raunchy" as it got. That end of the beach is definitely an adults-only zone though, which I very much appreciated, because I don't like being around loud children at the beach. The north end seemed to have more families with children. The south end was also luckily pretty close to the building with bathrooms, concessions, and the bar/cafe. I spent a while relaxing in a comfortable chair in the shade at the bar and watching the ocean, it was great. The men's bathroom was unfortunately pretty nasty, but that's not a huge surprise at a public beach.
    Written 2 August 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • April N
    Phoenix, AZ127 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    ...the bathrooms are atrocious! Guess that's a good thing though as opposed to folks using the lake as a bathroom right? The lake water is clean. Beach was somewhat clean until people started leaving and not picking up their trash.

    Parking in the lot right in front of the beach is not free. It's $2 per hour. I thought parking was free adjacent the lot but as I was going to put more money on my sticker I saw at least 15 cars with tickets. So if you are paying to park I suggest you keep up with the time or pay for all day which is just as much as if you paid to park at North Ave. Beach in a lot.

    Plenty of shade and picnic areas. You can grill. There are also vendors selling tacos, corn (elotes), cotton candy, etc. Lifeguards on duty until about 7pm. Swim at your own risk after that.
    Written 12 July 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Smarie
    Nebraska461 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very impressed with the professionalism and diligence of the life guards. They appeared to be in total control of the beach and its visitors. I was proud to see a predominately young African Americans staff demonstrate such a high level of care and attention to the beach and their position as life guards. I will definitely return often to 63rd street beach in the future.
    Written 31 July 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • NBentley2014
    Covington, KY582 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful lakefront walking options, offering plenty of space for social distancing and amazing views of the Chicago skyline. Busy and buzzy with lots of walkers, cyclists and people enjoying the warm and comfortable early evening air.
    Written 25 August 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • j s
    South Bend, IN19 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    We saw the beach along Lakeshore Dr. and we had to get to it. We found Parking at 41st street beach a park and pay. Put our ticket in the window and explored this wonderful gem of a beach and park. We enjoyed our walk. Ant views were breathtaking.
    We came back to the car with our out of state plates and found our car broken into and all our luggage and personal items that we stored in the trunk were stolen. We reported this to the police and as the report was being filed another car was being broken into as I watched with dismay and fear for the people robbing them were scary and professional looking robbers. We called police and left. We won't forget the beach walk but can't get the robbery of things from our locked car out of our mind. It is a shame. Only a block away a group of kids were at a camp. It is soooo beautiful!!!!
    Written 30 July 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Kristal P
    1 contribution
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    First the water is black it’s not clear, Second they don’t let you take things that float like floatis you can only take beach balls, 3rd the bathrooms are nasty all the dirty paper are on the floor, the floor is filled with mud, Forth when I was swimming a pad floating around. TRUST ME DONT EVEN WASTE YOUR TIME.
    Written 4 July 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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