Chicago's best beaches
Check out our ratings for sand, water, food and everything else that makes for a great beach
(Sun-Times)
PHOTO GALLERY
Chicago's beaches
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable established his trading post here in 1772, attracted, in part, by the water. Today, throngs (and thongs) gather along the city's lakefront every summer for the sand and the sun.
Chicago's beaches have a checkered past. A Sun-Times review in 1985, for example, found lakefront facilities a mess: Shower houses were coated with algae scum, broken and backed-up toilets were common, and garbage-strewn sand was the rule.
But millions have been poured into the lakefront in recent years, with new or renovated beach houses, garbage-eating sand-sweepers and greater attention to ridding graffiti and trash.
Today, the city's beaches are part of "the glory of Chicago," said Erma Tranter, president of the Friends of the Parks, a watchdog group.
Water quality remains a problem at some beaches, as the Chicago Park District battles E. coli bacteria from garbage, gull feces, rainwater runoff and discharges.
Two years ago, 63rd Street Beach was one of the six most-polluted beaches in the the nation, according to the National Resources Defense Council, which releases a new report today on beach water quality.
In response to E. coli problems, the park district has added more than 2,000 lidded garbage cans, increased trash pickups and uses dogs to scare away gulls, said Ellen Sargent of the district's natural resources department. Starting in August, the district will begin a pilot program using sand-sweepers that dig deeper, to expose sand to more air and sun in an effort to kill bacteria.
A Chicago Sun-Times reporter slathered on the sunscreen and checked out each of Chicago's string of lakefront beaches, from Calumet on the South Side to Juneway Terrace on the North Side. While some are better than others -- we devised a rating system using sand cleanliness, trash, bathroom quality, amenities like food concessions and parking, and water quality based on last year's Defense Council findings -- we found the overall condition of the city's beaches a far cry from the bad old days of the 1970s and '80s. We ranked them on a scale of one to five suns.
Chicago's Best Beaches:
Parking: Paid lot
Oak Street Beach may have the reputation for the gold and the beautiful, but the cool vibe thrives at North, centered around a blue and white beachhouse designed to resemble an ocean liner. Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” wafted down from the upstairs restaurant as volleyballers hooted and children splashed on a sandbar a few feet off the shoreline. Upsides include a bike rental and repair shop, a newsstand with sunscreen and bathing suits, and root beer floats ($3.75) for the kids downstairs and alcoholic drinks — an “Effen Lemonade” with vodka ($7) — up top.
Downsides include limited pay parking and some gang graffiti in the bathrooms. Still, on a July day, you can’t help but hum along with Nash: “It’s gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.”
7100 S. Lakefront (71st St. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Free lot
The archway of its entrance, the Chicago Police Department horse stables, the colorful parkway garden and the surrounding golf course makes a visit to the South Shore beach seem like a trip to a resort. Indeed, the magnificent 1916 centerpiece building was constructed as the South Shore Country Club. From the free parking lot, visitors stroll past bird houses filled with frantically chirping purple martins before arriving at a beach with a few stray gull feathers but largely trashless.
Bathrooms were clean, equipped and graffiti free. Because of its cove-like construction, South Shore kicks up some healthy waves.
We’d prefer better food — beach visitors have to walk to a trailer on the edge of the parking lot, and the grub is hot dogs and their ilk though the burgers are cooked on an outdoor grill on hot days. Better to bring your own: eight grills in a grassy space overlooks the lake.
7032 N. Lakefront (Touhy Ave. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Metered parking
A refreshing breeze blows as a man practices his trumpet in the shade of a tree. Some Loyola college kids toss a frisbee and a couple examine the ecology-themed art works painted on a sea wall. The bathrooms could use a painting, and WHAT IS THAT SMELL? But Leone, on the north end of Loyola Park, has metered parking, eats by the famous vegetarian chefs of the Heartland Cafe and a playground.
1000 N. Lake Shore Drive (Oak St. at Lake Michigan)
Accessible Beach Walk
Parking: Limited street parking
Kinda crowded, but with bodies like these, who’s complaining? Sand is remarkably trash-free, given the heavy use, and the Hancock Building looms impressively overhead. No other beach has palm trees — and no other beach has bathrooms with such ferocious flies. There’s no designated beach parking, and visitors need to look out for the maniacs on bicycles. In case of collision, you can get a massage ($20 for 15 minutes) or a $9 marguerita.
6400 S. Lakefront (63rd St. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Free lot
Yes, there are water-quality questions here, and a dead bird on the sand was rather revolting. But the 63rd Street Beach House, a classic Revival style pavilion built in 1919 and rehabbed by the park district in 2000, is an underdeveloped gem. The view from the open-air balconies includes the tip of Promontory Point. Even on days when a swim ban is in effect, kids can cool off in a delightful water fountain. Hungry? There are a dozen grills (though only one picnic table) and an ethnic food concession.
400 N. Lake Shore Drive (Ohio St. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: garage
A beach chair/umbrella rental combo is $20 — but you won’t need it for long. Part of the Navy Pier orbit, this is Chicago’s shadiest beach — Lake Shore Drive high-rises block the afternoon sun. Lots of swimmers here, including distance paddlers working out for the next triathlon. Valet parking at Lake Point Tower is a $20 sting for two to four hours, and there were too many beer bottles near the back of the beach. But the yachts moored offshore and the views of LSD say Chicago.
2873 E. 75th Street (75th St. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Free lot
Chicago’s beaches have some extraordinary buildings, including Rainbow’s newer beachhouse honored in 2002 by the American Institute of Architects Chicago which cited the structure’s “sense of play.’’ Shade is provided by the building’s translucent, corrugated fiberglass disks. Some graffiti in the stalls and a few cigarette butts in the sand but concessions offer a $4.50 porkchop sandwich combo. Oink out!
9900-9600 S. Lakefront (Ave. G at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Free lot
Located in an industrial part of Chicago on the city’s far South Side. Beachgoers can expect to hear the rumble of freight trains and the views are of steel mills. Some trash on beach, but bathrooms were clean and there’s a playground. At least there’s something to eat: Mexican fare is served up in its concessions.
3100 S. Lakefront
Parking: Free lot
A busy place — bikers, skateboarders and beachgoers vie for the same parking spots. Beach needs better sweeping (or more considerate users.) Neat lakeside playground for kids and Connie’s Pizza ($4) for eats.
4400 N. Lake Shore Drive (Montrose Ave. at Lake Michigan)
Big beach, but there are a lot of sharp shells in the sand, some trash in the dunes and empty water bottles littered the locker area. The food concession was closed and a food wagon near the park’s bait shop offered standard stuff. Gets points for kayak rentals.
5200 N. Lake Shore Drive (Foster Avenue at Lake Michigan)
Parking: lot
Dullsville. Some graffiti on bathroom stalls and mirrors, and no grills in sight. Bike rentals though: $8.75 an hour. And lots of parking.
1200 S. Lakefront (12th St. at Lake Michigan)
As a swimming spot, 12th Street Beach isn’t much. An ugly, sagging snow fence separates the beach from the Charter One Pavilion music venue. Inside the men’s room, there were candy wrappers and discarded clothing on the floor, and the toilets needed cleaning. Breyer’s ice Cream — $3 for a cone or cup — was a nice touch. From here, you can truly judge the Soldier Field re-do — looks pretty cool, actually.
Northerly Island is still a barren place, but on nights when there is a concert at Charter One, the place becomes a party with folks enjoying the music for free.
Last week, fistfights among teen fans of O.A.R. forced police to shut the beach but the Chicago Park District and regulars called the disturbance unusual.
2401 N. Lake Shore Drive (Fullerton at Lake Shore Drive)
Parking: none
Technically, part of North Ave. beach but without the excitement. Beaches are wide and clean, giving visitors some elbow room, which offsets its sad bathrooms and lack of food choices.
5800 N. Lake Shore Drive (Hollywood Ave. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: none
Services are limited at this spot that serves nearby highrise resident. Mens room bathroom had broken stalls and a food trailer was closed. It’s cove-like beach makes for some water-quality problems, but its sand was some of the cleanest looking we found.
5915 N. Sheridan Rd. (Thorndale Ave. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: street parking
Good luck on finding parking here. A gap-tooth spot between a 15-story residential building on one side and a synagogue on the other, the beach’s only food is from a vendor with a push cart. Sand is gravelly.
1031 W. Albion Ave.
There are a number of small beaches, including Hartigan, Albion, Columbia, Loyola and Pratt beaches bunched in Rogers Park, from about Loyola to Pratt. Street parking is the rule, though there is a garage on the Loyola campus.
Sand is cleanish looking with some shells. Friends of the Parks plan would link these stepchildren.
7400 N. Lakefront (Jarvis Ave. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Limited street parking
Neighborhood beach with a few benches. Rocky sand.
7432 N. Lakefront (Fargo Ave. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Limited street parking.
Could be Chicago’s smallest beach, a circular swipe of rockey sand and boulders.
7800 N. Lakefront (N. Eastlake Terr. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Limited street parking
The flowers in the park are nice, but the weeds growing in the sand are not. Somebody missing their pants? There’s a pair on the beach, here.
5700 S. Lakefront (57th St. at Lake Michigan)
Limited street parking
Parking is on the wrong side of Lake Shore Drive — and Museum of Science and Industry visitors take the closest spots. It isn’t worth the walk, anyway, but if you go, watch out for that discarded brandy bottle at the foot of the steps. Beach has a seaweed situation, no grills and trash in the tallgrass.
7600 N. Lakefront (N. Eastlake Terr. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Limited street parking
It’s got water and a beach treacherous with rocks, asphalt chunks, and a few shards of broken glass. It does have a playground though. And on the day of our visit, there were eight people on the beach — none swimming — and a very bored lifeguard. So, look at it this way: Under these conditions, drownings are unlikely.
7705 N. Eastlake Terrace (N. Eastlake Terr. at Lake Michigan)
Parking: Limited street parking
It’s got water.
