List of beaches in Chicago
Leisure, such as fishing, swimming, hunting, walking and boating, was much more prevalent throughout the river sections of the waterfront system early in the 19th century before industrial uses altered the landscape.
[2] Today, the entire 28 miles (45 km) Chicago lakefront shoreline is reclaimed land, and primarily used for public parks.
[1] Recreational development on the city lakefront became a priority due to the influence of Aaron Montgomery Ward.
His belief that the public's access to the Lake left its impression on the development of Jackson, Burnham, Grant and Lincoln Parks.
Formerly named Pratt Boulevard Beach, it was renamed for local neighborhood activist Tobey Prinz by the Chicago Park District in 2014.
[9] Hamilton Beach is currently closed due to a dredging project scheduled for completion in late 2014.
More recently, hard frozen waves that formed during the winter of 2015 carried much of the sand away, isolating the beach again.
There is a boardwalk ramp, to allow stroller or wheelchair access closer to the shoreline as well as a modern playground for children.
[16] Located at the 5800 North block where Lake Shore Drive ends at a curve that feeds into Sheridan Road (near Hollywood Avenue and North Lake Shore Drive; 41°59′11.51″N 87°39′9.38″W / 41.9865306°N 87.6526056°W / 41.9865306; -87.6526056 ) in Edgewater, this crescent-shaped beach serves two groups.
[17] The northern half of the beach has shallow water which makes it kid-friendly and there is a long boardwalk ramp to allow closer access to the shoreline for strollers and wheelchairs near the Ardmore Avenue entrance.
The original beach house for the site, like the existing ones at Montrose and North Avenues, was designed by E.V Buchsbaum.
Technically running from North Avenue to Diversey Harbor in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, North Avenue Beach is characterized by its piers which hold the sand in place and create a scalloped shoreline, terminating in a Cape Cod-like hook.
Chicago Park District lines the beach with poles for individuals and leagues to hang volleyball nets.
These nets and this portion of the lakefront bike/running/blading path attract large numbers of people on weekends and weeknights.
North Avenue is also center stage for the Chicago Air & Water Show, which draws over a million people a day from Ohio to Diversey along the lakefront.
The beach house resembles an ocean liner[23] and contains bike and sports equipment rental, a bar and restaurant (Castaways), concession stand, a lifeguard station, and restrooms.
Oak Street is home to the largest area of deep water swimming in the city (1/2 mile (800 m) over 10 ft (3 m)).
Until 2006 Oak Street Beach 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 city's gay community, and still is a second home to thousands of sunbathers, runners, skaters and bikers.
At one point Oak Street was the city's most popular beach with its proximity to downtown and boasted tens of thousands of visitors each day.
It faces north, rather than the usual east, because it formed on its own in a bay created by the Jardine Water Purification Plant which juts out into the Lake.
Due to its unusual orientation, Ohio Street Beach serves as an ideal training site for open water swimming.
One can swim north 0.5 miles (800 m) to the Oak Street curve without ever being more than a few feet from the seawall and shallow water.
The 12th Street Beach is just south of the Adler Planetarium on Northerly Island (formerly the site of Meigs Field).
The 57th Street Beach is in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood, across Lake Shore Drive from the Museum of Science and Industry.
Two large pedestrian underpasses at the intersection of 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive give access.
The Country Club is a magnificent old building and it is home to a ballroom, restaurant, golf course and tennis courts.
Black families that were economically dependent on the nearby South Chicago steel mills had avoided the public hostility of the lifeguards and white bathers.
Demographic shifts and racial climate change of the 1960s led to a July 7 and 8, 1961 “freedom wade-in” at Rainbow Beach staged by an interracial coalition of demonstrators, including members of the NAACP Youth Council.
Forming part of Chicago's city limit, the park reaches to the border between Illinois and Indiana.
