Beaches in Chicago

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Ohio Street Beach

There are 31 lakefront beaches in Chicago along the shore of Lake Michigan. The Chicago Lifeguard Service force is the largest of its kind in the nation, employing over 1000 guards in the summer. Chicago also has the most swimable/guarded waterfront of any single municipality in the world. While many patrons complain about the cleanliness of the water, Chicago actually boasts the cleanest urban waterfront in the United States, and second in the world onto to Stockholm; water is tested daily by the Chicago Park District for e. coli and other dangers.

1 63rd Street Beach
2 57th Street Beach
3 31st Street Beach (31)
4 12th Street Beach
5 Rainbow Beach
6 South Shore Beach
7 Hartigan Beach
8 Oak Street Beach
9 North Avenue Beach
10 Montrose Beach

[edit] 63rd Street Beach

The 63rd Street Beach is just outside of Jackson Park. It is home to the largest and oldest beach house in the City.

[edit] 57th Street Beach

The 57th Street Beach is in the city's Hyde Park area, this beach is across Lake Shore Drive from the Museum of Science and Industry. Recent renovations have made it much easier to access with a large underpass at the intersection of 57th street and Lake Shore Drive. 57th is home to one of the larger areas of deep swimming just north of Promontory Point.

[edit] 31st Street Beach (31)

The 31st Street Beach is located inside of Burnham Park. The beach is host every year to the Junior Lifeguard Chicago Area Tug-o-War. Lifeguards here cover most of the area from the beach north to McCormick Place.

[edit] 12th Street Beach

The 12th Street Beach is close to the Adler Planetarium and Northerly Island (formerly Meigs Field). 12th street is very small and hard to access by car.

[edit] Rainbow Beach

[edit] South Shore Beach

Inside of the old South Shore Country Club, the entrance is at the intersection of 71st and South Shore Drive. The Country club is a magnificent old building and it home to a ballroom, restaurant, golf course and tennis courts. The Beach also runs up against 67th street beach and Jackson Park

[edit] Hartigan Beach

[edit] Oak Street Beach

Oak Street beach, 1925

Oak Street Beach covers the area from the North Avenue 'Hook' Pier south to Ohio Street Beach (Illinois St. Beach, Olive Beach), about 1.5 miles. Oak Street is home to the largest area of deep water swimming in the city (1/2 mile over 10 ft), and is training grounds for hundreds of triathletes and distance swimmers. Until 2006 Oak was also the only place in the city where SCUBA divers could dive close to the shore. The North Ledge was once a hot spot for the cities Gay Community, and still is a second home to thousands of sunbathers, runners, skaters and bikers. At one point Oak Street was the cities most popular beach with its proximity to downtown and boasted tens of thousands of visitors each day.

[edit] North Avenue Beach

The North Avenue Beach is considered by many Chicago's premier beach, it has the largest lifeguard staff and is home to the most developed beach house. Technically from North Avenue to Diversy Harbor, North Avenue Beach is divided by semi-trademark Piers which hold the sand in place. The beach hosts international volleyball tournaments as well as millions of sun worshippers every year. North Avenue is also Center Stage for Chicago's Air and Water Show, which draws over a million people a day from Ohio to Diversy Streets along the lake front every day near the end of the summer. North Avenue Beach is the site of the annual AVP Chicago Open (2006 is known as the AVP McDonald's Chicago Open presented by Nautica).

[edit] Montrose Beach

Montrose Beach

Montrose beach is a large Northside beach. It is one of few beaches patrons may launch non-motorized watercraft, such as kayaks and catamarans into Lake Michigan. It also has one of only two dog beaches in the Chicago Park District, making it a popular beach for dog lovers. In the fenced off dog-friendly section at the north end of the beach leashless dogs are permitted once on the sand. There is also an "unofficial" dog beach at Belmont Harbor, which is not officially a Chicago Park District beach. Wave action deposited a small triangular patch of sand in a protected corner of Belmont Harbor sometime in the 1980s. This beach is completely fenced in, and patrons allowing their dog off leash may get ticketed. Montrose beach hosts the Junior Guard regional championships every summer.