Beaches in Chicago

Oak Street Beach

20s and up / 30s / 40s / Affluent

Party Earth Review It may be one of the smallest of Chicago’s lakefront beaches, but Oak Street Beach is also one of the most popular – and certainly the most upscale. Nestled in the shadow of the skyscrapers, ritzy apartment buildings, and designer stores of Lake Shore Drive, the beach doesn’t exactly channel the ... more

500–1550 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611

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North Avenue Beach

20s / 30s / Bars / Beer / Burgers / Free

Party Earth Review One of the most popular of Chicago’s 33 lakefront beaches, North Avenue Beach gets packed as soon as it opens on Memorial Day, as a wave of image-conscious 20-somethings peel off their heavy fleeces to reveal the results of their winter workouts. Besides surf and sun, the beach’s main draws are the nearly ... more

1600 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60614

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Lincoln Park

20s / 30s / 40s / Anything goes / Free

Party Earth Review Unlike its often status-conscious namesake neighborhood, Lincoln Park itself is a serene escape from the bustling city, providing access to a host of sandy beaches, cultural events, outdoor theater, water activities, and wide open spaces. Spanning nearly six miles, the park runs through the neighborhoods of Lincoln Park ... more

2045 Lincoln Park West
(address of Lincoln Park Cultural Center)
Chicago, IL 60610

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Chicago is a bitter, windy, and freezing cold city in the winter – so whenever the sun decides to poke its head out and warm up the icy waves of Lake Michigan, Chicagoans flock to the stellar beaches to get a little color, play some sports, and pretend they’re somewhere tropical.

When it comes to beaches in Chicago, there are really two that come to mind for great sand, sun, fun, and day drinking. The first is North Avenue Beach. Once Memorial Day rolls around, this desolate sandy landscape turns into a sea of buffed and bronzed twenty-somethings. The beach features nearly fifty volleyball courts and is also known for its massive restaurant and bar on a landlocked cruise ship called Castaways.

Another great Chicago beach is Oak Street Beach. Although it’s relatively small compared to some of the other thirty or so sandy escapes, Oak Street is by no means less popular, especially among the see-and-be-seen Chicago crowd. Although there are sports to be played here as well, Oak Street is more relaxing and the go-to spot for simply working on that tan.

There are tons of Chicago beaches to choose from and whenever the weather is warm you can’t really go wrong with any of them. So if you’re looking for some sand-filled sports, fun beach-side bars, or just a quiet place to read with some Vitamin D, then the beaches in Chicago between Memorial Day and Labor Day will serve you well.