Beaches in Chicago

A city in the Midwest isn't the first place you'd think of for a beach day. Chicago isn't a beach paradise, but it does have 26 miles of free lakefront and 22 public swimming beaches on Lake Michigan, all run by the Chicago Park District. You won't see surfing or snorkeling. You will see volleyball, kids in the sand, people working on their tans and a skyline behind you that no other beach town can match. The water is fresh, not salt, and it stays cold well into June.

When you can swim

Swim season runs from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day. Beaches are open 6am to 11pm, but swimming is only allowed from 11am to 7pm, when lifeguards are on duty. Outside those dates you can still walk the sand, but there are no lifeguards and the Park District says swimming is prohibited. Take that seriously. Lake Michigan gets rip currents and big waves, and the city's own safety advice is to swim only where a lifeguard is watching.

Check the flag before you go

Every beach flies a colored flag. Green means swim. Yellow means a swim advisory, so you can go in but should take care. Red means no swimming, because of waves, lightning or bad water. The Park District updates conditions around 11am for weather and surf and around 1:30pm for water quality, and posts them on its beaches page. Water quality advisories usually follow heavy rain, when runoff raises bacteria levels, so after a big storm, check before you pack the car.

The rules

Beach entry is free. There's no smoking and no alcohol on the beaches, so leave the cooler of beer at home. You can buy a drink from a licensed concession like Castaways at North Avenue. Dogs aren't allowed on swimming beaches, and you can get a ticket. Don't feed the gulls either. Their droppings are one reason beaches get swim advisories.

Parking is the other catch. Lots at the busiest beaches cost money, and in 2026 the Park District put automated gates on lots including Foster, Rainbow, 63rd Street and North Avenue. NBC Chicago reported rates of about $4 for the first hour, up to $24 for a full day. On a hot Saturday you'll spend longer looking for a spot than you will on the bus.

The best beaches for visitors

These are the easiest to reach from downtown. I've started at the Museum Campus, worked north up the lakefront, then gone back south for two South Side beaches. All have lifeguards in season.

12th Street Beach

Just south of the Adler Planetarium on the Museum Campus, at 1200 S. Linn White Dr. It's small and quieter than the North Side beaches, and it's the obvious add-on to a museum day. There's a beach house with food and restrooms. The 146 bus gets you to the Museum Campus. From there it's a short walk past the Adler. See our pages on the Adler and Field Museum.

Ohio Street Beach

If you're staying on the Magnificent Mile, this is the closest, at 600 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., just north of Navy Pier. It faces north, which is unusual, and open-water swimmers love it because you can swim half a mile to the Oak Street curve without leaving the seawall. There's not much in the way of facilities, which keeps the crowds down. The Red Line to Grand, then a 20-minute walk east, or the 65 Grand or 66 Chicago buses.

Oak Street Beach

At 1000 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., on the edge of the Gold Coast, Oak Street is where you go to see and be seen. It has chair and volleyball rentals, a café and restrooms, and the skyline view straight down Lake Shore Drive is the best of any beach in the city. A pedestrian tunnel at Oak Street and Michigan Avenue takes you under the drive. Look for Jeff Zimmermann's 260-foot mural, "You Know What You Should Do," along the underpass wall. Red Line to Clark/Division, or the 151 Sheridan bus.

North Avenue Beach

This is the party beach and the busiest one in town, at 1600 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. in Lincoln Park. The beach house looks like a blue and white ocean liner and has ice cream and burgers on the ground floor and Castaways on the upper deck, with food, drinks and cabanas. There are volleyball courts for rent, bike, kayak and jet ski rentals, and beach yoga. It's also the center of the Chicago Air and Water Show in August. Get there before noon on weekends. Take the 22 Clark or 36 Broadway bus to Clark and North, then walk east through the park.

Montrose Beach

About 20 minutes north of downtown at 4400 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., Montrose has a harbor, a boat launch, kayak rentals and food stands. South of the swimming area is a dune and bird sanctuary that fills with migrating birds in spring and fall. The 78 Montrose bus serves it, or it's a longer walk from the Wilson or Lawrence Red Line stops.

At the north end is the Montrose Dog Beach, Chicago's first legal off-leash beach. Visitors can use it, but every dog needs a Dog Friendly Area tag from a participating Chicago vet, which means an appointment and proof of vaccinations. There's no day pass, so sort it out before your trip if you want to bring the dog.

Foster Beach

A family beach at 5200 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., at the north end of Lincoln Park, with a beach house, food, bike rentals and a gated pay lot. It's calmer than North Avenue. The 147 and 151 buses stop nearby, or it's a walk from the Berwyn Red Line stop.

Loyola Beach

In Rogers Park at Greenleaf Avenue, near the city's northern edge. It's a neighborhood beach with a walking path that runs almost two-thirds of a mile along the lake. No beach is easier to reach by L. Get off the Red Line at Loyola or Morse and walk east. There's no distance swimming here.

63rd Street Beach

On the South Side in Jackson Park, at 6300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. The Classical Revival beach house dates from 1919 and has open balconies over the water and a splash fountain in the courtyard. There's a bike rental, a boat launch and a gated pay lot. Pair it with a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry, about a mile north along the lakefront. The 6 Jackson Park Express bus from downtown stops nearby.

Rainbow Beach

Further south in South Shore, at 3111 E. 77th St., Rainbow Beach covers 61 acres with a fieldhouse, a dune area and one of the oldest community gardens in the city. It's named for the Army's 42nd "Rainbow" Division from World War I. It's a local's beach and rarely packed. Take the 6 Jackson Park Express, 71, 75 or 79 bus.

Getting there without a car

The CTA bus is usually the best choice. The Red Line runs parallel to the lake on the North Side, and it's a 10 to 20 minute walk east from most stations. Divvy bikes are all over the lakefront, and the Lakefront Trail connects most of the beaches on this list.

For more ways to cool off, see ways to beat the heat in Chicago and our summer picnic guide.

Photo by @hicagoenergy