North Avenue Beach

Nothing beats a relaxing walk, swim, bicycle ride, work out, or just sit and stare at the 🌊💦 water when there is too much or not enough to do. Great beach, fun crowd around, and always easy to get around. You can venture north or south or just sit still and enjoy the beach ⛱️ and beautiful view of the City than never sleeps.

The beach itself is clean and pleasant, but the swimming rules make it frustrating if you’re an adult. The water barely goes past your waist, yet lifeguards in boats constantly blow whistles and won’t let anyone past halfway. It feels excessive, especially with green flags up and no real danger like rip tides. For little kids it’s fine—shallow and safe—but for anyone wanting an actual swim, it’s a waste of time and money. Instead of relaxing, you spend the visit getting yelled at for trying to enjoy the water. I’m giving this place 2 stars only because the setting is beautiful—otherwise, it would have been 1.

The beach has beautiful sand and clean, inviting water. However, swimming is limited, you’re not allowed to go far out, even though the water remains shallow. It’s a nice spot to relax, but the restrictions can be a bit disappointing for swimmers.

This man-made beach in Chicago is a perfect summer escape to relax and unwind. We visited on a pleasant day — the weather was beautiful and the vibe was just right. Plenty of volleyball nets add a fun, active touch for sports lovers. Great spot for a midday break in the heart of the city!

Nice beach on the lake. There are a lot of beach volleyball courts. Water looks blue and there is a public bathroom here as well as a JoJo shake bar and restaurant

The mixture of beauty and accessibility from downtown Chicago is unmatched here. there might be more scenic beaches in the city, but there are very few scenic beaches that are so close to where people live and work here, and the volleyball courts are much appreciated. For those who want enjoyment and athletic revelry, there is more than enough space for that here. For those who are more like me and prefer to wander away from the crowds and toward the historic here, there is more than enough space for that as well. The sand here is soft and pleasant, and there is a true delight to sinking into it while looking out at the horizon of Lake Michigan. there is genuinely something here for everyone, and it is a place booming with joy and pleasure.

Parking rate for 2+ hours is $28. The beach is always crowded in the summer, but that's to be expected. There is a great walking path with lots of benches for people watching! North Avenue beach has the best view of the Chicago skyline. The best shots are taken from the curving walkway.

Beautiful! A beach in a city that's actually a lake. We loved it. The water was COLD but refreshing and without all that saltiness of the ocean. It was clean and had restaurants and bars and restrooms also. Definitely recommend.

Gorgeous, centrally located beach not far from fantastic restaurants and bars. My only complaint is when there can be some disturbances from young people sometimes during the summer. It isn't all too common but it can escalate quickly and make the experience unpleasant for all who just want a nice day at the beach.

Chicago has 26 miles of beaches, yes you heard it right, 26 miles of beaches. when you hear Chicago, you imagine the Chicago skyline with the river, and tall buildings, downtown but it also has a fab beach just north of the Mag mile (Michigan Avenue). North Avenue Beach is one of the most popular swimming spots in Chicago. it is a great one for families. Looking onto the water at North Avenue, this beach has it all. To the right is the city view we all know and love, The sandy beach has volleyball courts (like 100s of courts), plenty of space for visitors to stretch out, and multiple things to do nearby. It is a nice spot perfect for relaxing, biking, and running. the beach features a unique and popular beach house which has something for everyone and is permanently docked along this popular beach view from here is amazing and it's other side of the Chicago skyline (opposite to what you see from the Museum campus). John Hancock building dominates this skyline The parking fee is too much though. For 2 hours or less- it was $21 2-4 Hours = $28 Time: 7 AM- 11 PM Daily

For sure this is one of the city's most popular beaches. It has the crowds to prove it. North Avenue Beach is what's along the shoreline in Lincoln Park. Has one of the biggest beach houses ever. The rest of the beach has plenty of fun options. A pretty big beach in area. It's also notable for what's on it. The beach house is shaped like an ocean liner. It has portholes and upper decks like a real boat. Lots of places to drink and eat. Castaways is the most popular place to do both. The first level has burgers and ice cream, and the rooftop has appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and more. Also there's plenty of equipment rentals on the beach. You can rent bicycles, chairs, jet skis, volleyball courts, and wakeboards. Also sign up for the yoga classes. There's other food options including hot dogs and more. A long history about it. In the late 1930s a landfill extension was added to this area, becoming an improvement over a previous beach in this site. Completion was one of the many projects funded by the Works Progress Administration. The beach house was designed to look like a lake ship. Because over the years it deteriorated, it was replaced with a new one. This one has more room for more stuff. Certainly there's a lot going on at this beach. It's always crowded. This is popular for swimming, but there's plenty of bars and restaurants to throw up some shots, and eat some junk or whatever.

Opening day for the beach! Oh, I have been waiting a while for this. Hot sun, warm sand and tepid waters. Yes, please. Sand castles, pin wheels and splash attacks. What I live for.

This is the place to be in summer if you are 25 in Chicago! Crowded and lively! But, these young people need to learn the importance of beach umbrellas!

I'm an early riser, and love being on the water. So when I visit friends in Chicago, I make sure to wake up early, grab a cup of coffee, and watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan. After winding through Lincoln Park, I love reaching the shore and seeing the other people beginning their morning the same way. Whether running, biking, or just sitting on the beach to take in the morning, reconnecting with nature and others first thing is always a great start to the day. My shoes almost always come off just to feel the sand between my toes, and I'll usually wade into some shallow water as the sun starts to creep over the horizon. It's around this time that I'll start to notice the gulls running across the sand or bobbing on some gentle waves as they take in the morning as well. By the time the sun is up over the horizon and shining on the lake, I'm usually done with my coffee, and I start to head back to the city in a world that feels like it has opened its eyes and done some early morning stretches for the day. Whether you're a visitor to the city of a denizen of Chicago, starting the day at North Avenue Beach is a guaranteed shortcut to a great morning!

I haven't been to the North Avenue Beach in the summertime yet, but I have had a wonderful visit right before winter started. The view is so surreal that you cannot really believe this is a lake, not an actual beach! Whether you are here for a walk or a jog, by yourself or in good company, I am 100% certain that you will have a memorable time here. I'm looking forward to visiting the North Avenue Beach myself this summer!

Most beautiful view of the magnificent downtown we are all so proud of ... I ride my bike most summer evenings and take a rest break to sink in the view and vibe. Love my city !!

Coming from a soccer tournament in Rockford, with two teenage boys who are exhausted we land in Chicago. Looking at our options, the thought of swimming sounds amazing, so we Uber to North Avenue Beach. Don't let the bathrooms turn you off, this beach is super clean and a lot of fun. There are tons of beach volleyball courts, jet ski and paddle board rentals, a restaurant, and guys selling ice cream. A few things to note- you can only swim by the lifeguard stand and you can't go past the lifeguards in the rowboats. It will look like you can swim to the barricade but don't try it unless you want to get chased down by the lifeguard in the rowboat. Your safety is pretty much guaranteed because you can't go deeper than neck high . The water is bracing, but the boys and I had a great time. The thing that I loved was swimming and seeing the skyline of Chicago. It was surreal! You can, however, walk a little distance to Concrete Beach, where the lifeguards wear jeans and shoes and the waves are stronger and you enter the water from a ladder on the beach. I imagine this is not the kid/non-swimmer beach. We loved it because it wasn't on the tourist things to do and being from the East Coast made us feel at home.

I have been to North Ave Beach on many occasions at different times of the year. This had always been one of my favorite beaches. I use to take my dogs there, play beach volleyball (many years ago), go biking or just hanging out watching people. I went there today (01/30/19) w/my wife on what was one of the coldest day in several decades. The Polar Vortex that gripped much of the nation and produced the coldest weather to hit Chicago in a couple of decades produced such a beautiful landscape on the lakefront. Parts of the lake were freezing. The warmer areas of the water had steam raising off of the water as the water was slowly freezing. I was very surprised to see so many people out and about in spite of all the schools and businesses being closed due to the extreme weather. I love coming out to the lakefront regardless of the weather to see the natural beauty that occurs at different times of the year. Chicago is fortunate to have Lake Michigan with its miles of parks and trails where people run, bike, roller blade, have picnics and just hang out on a nice summer day, but nothing can compare to the cold clear arctic air and seeing the pristine beauty that is the Chicago lakefront.

Today on December 26, 2019 it was a warm day in Chicago 61 degrees and broke a record! I love walking up from Oak Street Beach to the Steamship at North Avenue Beach. Today Lake Michigan has ZERO waves even though the lake level of Lake Michigan continues to be above the shoreline. I want to REMIND PEOPLE- Many bars and restaurants that serve nearby alcohol! DO NOT BE THE NEXT DROWNING VICTIM- SEE: the attached picture-Lake Michigan can be "unfortunate and unforgiving." See Today's FRESH FLOWERS which someone left on the railing of a ladder near the beach... BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY AND ALIVE- for 2020 PS-CLICK ON THE PHOTOS-THE FLOWERS SHOULD SHOW UP-TIED TO THE LADDER

Coming here is like the best of both worlds for me, I get the beach without having to leave the city. It's perfect!!! Parking is relatively easy but not at all cheap. $19.00 is the minimum so stay all day and get your $$$$ worth. I didn't stay all day but I came because I don't live here so spending it once I'm okay with. Whether you want to lay out, go for a run, or take a bunch of pictures this is a good place to come AND if you're just visiting the Chicago area it's a great place for a downtown skyline photo just make sure you do it once during the day and again at sunset. It's totally worth it!!!

It was always weird to me that beaches existed along a lake. When I think of a beach, I think of waves on waves and sandy shorelines that stretch for miles and miles. Well, North Ave Beach got sand but maybe not past a mile. Either way, this spot is a clean one to enjoy a man made beach, but don't expect to get any surfing, body boarding, or body surfing done here. If you can look past all that, there's still plenty to do here and you'll find plenty of people hanging around in the summer time. This spot's great for chilling, soaking up the sun, beach volley ball, and even has a bar in that kinda tacky looking boat structure on land. Quite the formula to get overrun with bros which it typically does in the summer. In addition, there's also paddle boarding and jet ski rentals. If you end up paddle boarding, you'll want to scope out the lake conditions first. Being apart of Lake Michigan, it's basically the equivalent of being out in open ocean. You can get some gnarly currents, choppy waters, and wakes from passing boats which can make for a really unpleasant paddle boarding session. They do a pretty good job of keeping this spot cleaned and maintained with all of the people that visit during the summer. Anyways, can't beat that backdrop of the Chicago skyline though... That's all I got on this one. 'Til next time, cheers! 119/365

I been coming to North Beach Avenue year after year and it doesn't get old "Best Hangouts" "Beach Front" Friendly How to describe the City of Chicago "Outstanding for its beauty that surrounds a great city" Beach Front, Downtown, Buckingham Fountain, Lincoln Park Zoo, Belmont Rocks and the story continues until than my Folks !!!!' A Must Visit Chicago Rocks.....5/5 Starts.

What a beach! Volleyball, Castaways, and great water to play in. Probably the top views in all of Chicago are just south of Castaways. -Yale Reardon

Great city beach. Make sure you have good sand/water shoes/socks, cuz the sand is HOT! The water is cold, so if you're not used to that it takes a minute to acclimate. It was so refreshing and calming, though! Make sure you are ready to pay for parking. It was $21 for 2 hours or less. That's not listed anywhere that I could see, and it was a little bit of a shock when we got there.

I liked this beach because it is the first one I've seen and I came during May, it was worth it. The swimsuit and towels you do not need but during this time of year a camera and a jacket is recommended.

One of the first places I went when I visited Chicago. And honestly, it is the place I kept coming back to. Perfect view of the skyline. I went in the spring time when it was still kinda cold. Not very crowded at all. I am also a photographer and if you like to capture skylines, this is definitely your spot!

Probably the best beach to see and be seen in Chicago . There is a lot of beautiful people here. There are ton of amenities just google it and rows and rows of volleyball ball courts most of them taken. Two restaurants Cast Aways (casual bar food menu) and The Shore club (really swanky with bougie prices). Assorted other eateries and dessert places all on the first floor of the main building that looks like a boat. It also makes a good base to go walking, because you can check out other beaches north and south (Fullerton and Oak Street Beach) nearby. So why only 4 stars. Well on weekends especially it can get really - CROWDED. Like today.

One of the prettiest beaches in Chicago (as well as the most crowded!) This is where you would find me every summer in high school, taking the bus down to North Ave Beach with a few friends to go soak up some sun and get out of the Chicago summer heat. Now I split my time amongst the other beaches, but this will always be a favorite of mine. If you're traveling to Chicago for the first time, I definitely recommend stopping by North Avenue Beach. It's a gorgeous beach with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop so every photo comes out amazing. There is a ton of things to do near the beach. You're able to rent jetskis nearby, get some drinks and enjoy some food all without leaving the area. The only downside is how crowded this beach is, which may make you nervous leaving some personal items behind. I definitely recommend purchasing a waterproof pouch so you can always have your very important items on you and the less important items left on the beach.

Full disclosure: I do not live near the beach. I only know what I and others I know seek in a beach. From what I can tell North Ave Beach is kinda awesome. You can sit and drink in Castaways in your cute heels. You can get some sun in your bikini. Or play in the sand with your kids-one family made a 8 foot sand pit with fancy walls complete with feathers while I was there! Some people run, ride bikes and rollerblade and others take advantage of water sports and get their paddle board on! I was also told they do yoga on the boards in the morning. A few folks swam out to the wooden barriers for swimmers and stood atop for tai chi while I ate my brown bag lunch. Basically you can make this beach what you want. I dig that.

Best Beach in Chi! I've been coming to North Ave over 20 years. Saturdays in summer are best for lots of fun and excitement, Sundays more chill day. Xo

A beach in a city? YES PLEASE! Before you put on that screen screen, there's a few things to note: 1) North Avenue Beach is a beach more for summer activities and sun bathing. Even on a hot day, keep in mind Lake Michigan is COLD. This is not your Santa Monica beach. It's still the Midwest! 2) There's a fun boardwalk but it's always very crowded with bikers, runners, kids, etc. 3) The volleyball courts go fast, but if you can snag one, you'll bound for a great day!

The beaches in Chicago officially opened this weekend! My friends and I decided to take full advantage of the sunny weather and made a day of going to the North Avenue Beach. I've been here before but the more recent reviews scared me. Nothing to be scared of! We found a nice shady spot on the beach and enjoyed our time. It's an amazing beach for people watching as there are all kinds of characters around. A guy with an 80s style boombox blasting Juicy (score!), crazy people with crazy outfits, hot people in hot outfits, a mix of it all. A great time on the beach! There isn't really any close parking and the beach gets insanely full on the sunny days (4 lost children while we were there yesterday so hold on to your little ones). We ended up parking in the Chicago History Museum parking lot and walking the half mile in 90 degree weather carrying our cooler, chairs, bags, etc. We had a big haul! All in all, I'm sure I'll be back to this fun beach.

We actually drove by North Avenue Beach a couple of times while getting around the city. It looked like a cool little spot so we decided to go for a long walk along Lake Michigan on our last morning in town. Parking is, I believe, $19 for up to 2 hours. We stayed for about 1.5 hour's total, just walking along the lake. Where parking is, it leads right up to the beach. If you walk towards the Navy Pier, the beach turns into a walkway that has ladders for people to get into the Lake. If you walk in the opposite direction, you get the entire run of the beach. There is also a small walkway that juts out into the Lake for water skis. You get a really nice view of the Chicago skyline from the beach and it's a beach that's in the middle of the city!! The water is really nice and we both really wish we had brought swim suits with us.

As long as I lived in Chicago I never been to this beach. I think it might be my favorite one. However, parking is scary but I managed to find a parking space on the residential street. We came up here for a yoga class. Perfect weather and very breezy. It almost felt like I was on a resort in Jamaica. The breeze, the water & the waves made this a good experience. I love the fact that this place has a small restaurant where you can sit down & overlook the water. I would definitely be returning here just to lay out on the sand & catch the breeze.

Nice little Beach off of U.S. 41 North/Lake Shore Drive. If driving to this beach, you have to enter through a gate, which requires you to take a ticket from the parking machine, and then pay a fee upon exit ($10.00) for my stay. I got out and walked around got some nice photos and videos of Lake Michigan. It was about 48 degrees and sunny out, but it was pretty breezy out, so it was somewhat chilly out. Not a lot of people were out using the Beach this Wednesday afternoon. There is a restaurant/bar located in the park, but it was closed during my visit. They were actually conducting job interviews for restaurant staff during my visit to the park.

Summer brings the multitudes on any kind of wheels imaginable. Just watch out for families and other random groups of four on those "quad" bicycle chariots. They don't stop for anything. But it's nice to know you can rent a bike and ride up and down the lake front trail even when the beach is closed due to e. coli from all the crap that washes over from Michigan which is 90% of summer. If you're getting your exercise on, and blasting by on your bike, running, or on any assortment of wheels, you don't have to stop at the beach shops under Castaways and pay $3 for a bottle of water. There is a perfectly good water fountain along the bike path where you can refill your bottle and by sticking to the bike path you can avoid the crowds. When it's 90 degrees out in the shade it tastes really good.

Who doesn't love a beach in the middle of the city with great views?? I for one love North Ave Beach. It's huge, is right along the lakefront path and easy to get to via the pedestrian bridge. I probably frequent it most in the early morning hours with my dogs (shhh - I know it's not technically dog friendly) and they love it even more than I do! I wish people would have more respect and keep it cleaner - there is frequently a lot of trash. In the peak of the summer, the crowd gets a bit rowdy so I think it could benefit from some additional oversight / patrolling too. If you are looking to partake in some volleyball, paddle boarding, yoga, or just sunbathing, you will love it here. If you want to get your drink on, Castaways is nearby and is essentially a nightclub you can go to in your bikini in the middle of the day, if that's your kind of thing.

How lucky the Chicagonians have such a beautiful beach and place within walking distance from the Magnificent Mile. The beach is clean, cold, with sandy bottom stretching our for seemingly forever. Bring your own nets to play some competitive beach volleyball or sign up for a tournament with the Players Sports Club. Have a picnic on the beach or read a book, it's a clean and well maintained beach. Paid parking was $35 for special event day for the parking lot that's on site. Otherwise, park in a ramp and walk or Uber it. I really wish they did something about the restroom facilities though. The toilets are the stainless steel kind, and while the toilet paper was always stocked, the space reeked of urine. Every time I used the facilities, I would hear complaints from other visitors of how it smells like a urinal or urinal cake. Please, please, please don't walk in there barefoot like I saw some girls do *Shudders*.

I went to this beach on Tuesday with my daughter and her friends. The beach it self was fine, there are volleyball nets, places to get food, and even Ice cream vendors that walk along the beach. They're lifeguards as well. The people that were there were fine everybody enjoying themselves. The reason I'm giving this such a low rating is because the bathrooms were a MESS! Flat out dirty. (I went to both of the women's bathrooms) I walked out of the first one as it was worse that a lonely gas station off the highway. I will say they had soap and most stalls had toilet paper, and they even had a Dyson hand dryer, however I've never seen any that looked like this. There were two that looked like this. I couldn't figure out how they got this way, since you don't actually touch the hand dryer to dry your hands. I was surprised to see it worked.

I loooove going to the beach now that I live in the city. As a teen growing up in the suburbs, whenever friends wanted to go to the beach, all I could think of was how long it took to ride the train from Naperville/Lisle, then we'd have go get off and walk or split a taxi, then hopefully have enough snacks or maybe I forgot deodorant. I'm getting flashbacks. Living so close to North Avenue Beach in particular is a delight, because there are a few cute little beaches, along with the main patch of sand, where one can choose to hang out. There's also quite a bit of grass to lay on with a book, or the giant steps near the Fullerton Avenue Lake Shore Drive exit if that's what you prefer. I've seen dogs in the water, and even a dog walking itself with its leash in its mouth. I know that can happen anywhere, but I saw it first at North Avenue Beach!!! There's also a food stand and a bunch of water fountains, and on the South end, a giant ship that apparently has alcohol. I've never eaten or drank in the ship, but I *have* used the restrooms and water fountains there, so it's a useful structure even if you're not looking to eat. I've spent quite a few Sundays sitting in the sun reading a book when barely anyone else was present, and then I've come back hours later when it was completely packed. It really varies. All in all, North Avenue Beach rocks pretty hard, because it's not just a sandy patch of land between the water and the sidewalk. There's a lot to do, and plenty of space to do it.

One of our major beaches in Chicago, along with Oak Street Beach. Always packed, and there are many activities from volleyball, stand-up paddle boarding, jet skiing, etc. For my friends that are unsure if we have beaches in Chicago, this has always been the beach I'd show them pictures of. When riding along the Lakefront trail next to this beach, I tend to forget I'm in Chi-Town, until I look up and see John Hancock Building. Such a beautiful sight! If you're a beach goer this is your spot; if you want a break from touring. North Avenue Beach has been known to get a little too crazy in the past, so be safe if you choose to make this your hangout spot. Enjoy!

Nice, large beach. Gets super crowded, so if that's not your bag, I'd head elsewhere. We arrived on a beautiful Saturday around 1230, and there was a fair amount of people but we got a good spot for 4 where we wanted. It did get more crowded as the day went on, so we did feel like there was close quarters with our neighbors. There is ample life guards on duty, and they definitely will yell at you if you don't stay in line! I found most people here very respectful- no one was walking through our beach set up, no one was obnoxious, people seemed to be cleaning up after themselves. You're allowed to bring food, but no alcohol (unless you know how to disguise it! haha). There is paid parking onsite, but was only a $8 uber ride from union station as well!

I can see you, Your brown skin shattered in the sun You got that hair slicked back and those- Wayfarers on, baby I can tell you my love for you will still be strong After the boys of summer have gone! This song was my summer mantra as a teen. I know, silly, hey? But me and my baby would go to the beach all day! She was so pretty when she was faithful to me! Many songs can bring back my Halcyon summers spent getting toasty brown along the Milwaukee shores of Lake Michigan, and some places can bring back those memories pretty quickly. North Avenue Beach is one of those places! It's still along the icy shores of Lake Michigan, but the scene is far better than the desolate beach (with one parked Icee truck) of my youth. There's really no parking here for starters, so unless you have a nice spouse that can drop you off with the Umbrella, chairs, cooler, kids, and can go to find parking elsewhere, then leave the car at home! Or at least pack light because you're gonna walk from where you park by Lincoln Park Zoo. I recommend taking the #72 North Ave. bus, that will take you right to the front door! The #22 and #156 come pretty close too. Stake out a spot anywhere, really. There are hotties and notties everywhere, and wherever you plop down is THE place to be! I avoided the European guy with a pony tail wearing a thong. Pack light. Leave your digital camera and valuables at home. There's plenty to do here from volleyball to renting bean bags, and it's all about de-stressing! But bring your light summer read, and bring cash! The North Avenue Beach has a beach house built like a big steam ship, which I think is pretty cool. On the main level there's a food pickup window with burgers, nachos (nice!), Gatorade and ice cream. There's also a small general store with sunscreen, water, and trashy gossip mags; perfect for de-stressing! "Would you look at what Kate +8 is wearing to the beach!" Hey, rub some Coppertone on my cellulegs, honey, thanks! If you're 21+ or accompanied by an adult, you can go up top to the bar/restaurant "Castaways" (thanks Bons!) on the steam ship lollipop. There you'll find a larger menu with surprisingly healthier choices, and beer and cocktails! It's cash only, so bring lots, or your ATM card for the machine nearby. Sure, the restaurant isn't serving up plates of heaven, but the Summer Breeze mixed with a 16 oz. High Life makes it heavenly! One thing I like about North Ave. Beach is that it's friendly to all levels of beach combers and sun worshippers. The kids will love playing in the sand, and will get in the water no matter how cold it is. And there are plenty of bathrooms nearby, so parents, take them often! There are the douchebags trying to show off their guns, while chatting up the hot skinny waitresses who are using their Bachelor's degrees to pick up bachelors! There are pale Goth kids with tatts, making up stories about you, and repelling the sun no matter how long they lay out; and everyone in between! North Avenue Beach, my love for you will still be strong, (long) after the douchebags of summer have gone!

In the City which encounters brutal winters during most of the time, North Avenue beach brings a great relief to the revellers of the city in summers. The stretch of the beach starts right off the magnificient mile and covers quite a bit of the lake shore drive. There is so much to do here. I have spent numerous days here playing beach volleyball, bike riding, jogging etc. The view from north beach of the city skyline is dead awesome specially during late evenings. One also enjoys a very good view of navy pier from the stretch. I would definitely recommend taking a walk in the morning and evening here. Though it does get crowded but there is always room for more people. The beach also hosts the annual Air and Water show which brings thousands of people as audience. One can actually walk from Shedd Aquarium to all the way to the beach. It takes time but the it worth spending time to jog from one end to the other end of the beach.

North Ave is probably one of my least favorite beaches. It's just too crowded for me and not as diverse as the other beaches I visit. I had a good time on my most recent visit because I went for a party, so no matter what it was going to be a good time. I like that the cops were lenient on the no alcohol rule. As long as you don't have any glass and keep it in a plastic solo cup it wasn't a big deal. I do enjoy jogging along the lakefront, but again I do it very early in the morning to beat the crowd. It's nice they have Castaways here to grab a quick bite, but I don't think I've actually ever been able to get a table due to the volume of people. They also have plenty of volley ball nets and there always being used. Positive though is it's walking distance from my home, but not sure how that helps others though :)

Walk to the pier to get some good memorable pictures of the skyline with your friends/family. A great beach to come with friends to play football, volleyball, killer or any other game you want because it's huge!!! They have so many volleyball nets, it's impossible to not find a spot on a weekday (on a weekend it gets packed!!!). And if you get hungry, grab some food from Castaways. Their spicy french fries are delicious. One thing that can annoy swimmers is that the lifeguards don't let you go deep in the water, the furthest you can go is about 5 feet before they start whistling at you. If you don't listen, the mean cop will gladly give you a ticket for violating the rules. The lifeguards do leave at 6:00 PM on weekdays... Don't smoke or bring alcohol on the beach, the cops were ticketing people all day long. Unless you got money to donate to the city, don't do it. The cops were sneak attacking people all day like Ninjas. Parking: spothero is the way to go if you're coming from the greater chicagoland area. if you live in Chicago, use PT. It will be cheaper for you and you'll save time.

Growing up in flyover country, my mental idea of "the beach" never quite matched my experience of the beach. The beaches I saw on television were filled with hawt, well-endowed, ladies in barely there bikinis playing volleyball and hanging out with a boyfriend who looked like a Ken doll. The real beaches I had around me were filled with overweight neighborhood busybodies with four little kids in tow wearing (thankfully) one pieces with skirts on them accompanied by dude swimming in ripped jean shorts whose teeth had seen better days. Sure there was a MILF of two (though when I was growing up, the term had yet to be coined) but my prepubescent mind wondered where these mythical "beaches" were. I'm pleased to report this is one of those beaches out of a fantasized television reality! In fact, this beach is straight out of a beer commercial. And it's right at the end of the 72 bus route (this offer applies only to the summer)! This is the beach that Chicago's younger set spend all year dieting and working out to impress on. Now there is a slight downside to this. It's not going to be a quiet place for reflection or breaking out Tolstoy (unless one's concentration is amazing). It's going to almost always be a white noise of conversations where as much time can be spent dodging errant footballs as swimming in a cold Lake Michigan (though this beach seems to be more about tanning than swimming anyway). And it's incredibly crowded a lot of the time as "the place to be" on a hot summer's day so don't bring the big beach towel. And in my experience, if you're over 30 you're pretty much invisible here which is nice. I've sat on the sand in shorts (there's no changing room here, be warned), I've walked barefoot on the bike path (I don't own flip-flops), and I've peed in the water. Just kidding on the last one. Or am I? Anyway, a jaunt here always makes me want to go to the gym and redouble my efforts to work on my (pretty much non-existant) pecs. And that's not a bad thing so stars for that alone. Sure, someone once asked if their Twitter account ended every post with the word, "brah," and I laughed at how true it was. But, I'm not going to hate on @NorthAveBeach (or as I like to call it, 'Da NAB). After all, few places provide better views (of the city skyline and of the citizens) to waste a few hours with friends or alone on a summer's day. I just don't view too long. That would be creepy.

It's got sand, water, and drunk people (and apparently, now, "flash mobs" or "wilding"). Chicago beach in the summertime? Check. While on any given weekend afternoon, North Ave Beach will turn into a sh$tshow, it is possible to love this beach and avoid the headache caused by Jersey Shore wannabes. Specifically, get there early and stake out a spot. North Ave Beach at 8 or 9am on a Sunday? Calm, quiet, and absolutely beautiful. Get as far away from Castaways as you can. The drunk masses won't roll in until noon-ish given that they are still sleeping off their hangovers. But let's be honest--what really makes this beach great is the volleyball. Get there early and snag a court on the outer edges (again, away from the drunken masses), and you have yourself a picture perfect summer weekend day. Just watch out for glass, and do your part by picking it up if you do come across it. Responsible beachgoers to the rescue.

I've swam in the Mediterranean sea, Atlantic ocean, gulf of Mexico, and pacific ocean...and NONE of these bodies of water plain in comparison to MY north ave. beach!! how i look foward to jumping into these waters every summer! ALSO soooooooooo many many hot YOUNG bodies!!! lol always good times

Great beach. Soft sand. Easy to park on a weekday. Lots of action between the water sports, beach volleyball, kite flying, and restaurant. This beach does NOT allow boogie boards. I wouldn't say this is a great beach for families (there weren't many) but great for singles and couples. If I didn't have kids, I'd go to this beach more often.

This beach was quite a surprise! I enjoyed the beach more than i expected. It provided a beautiful view of downtown Chicago and the skyscrapers. I didn't have to pay a fee to enter the beach. I enjoyed watching the volleyball tournament that took place on the beach. The beach is relatively small and doesn't have a boardwalk, but it does have a restaurant designed as a ship located on the beach.

So before coming to Chicago I was told I have to visit the beach. First off I didn't even realize Chicago had beaches, but then I had to open up a map, well google maps, and noticed that yes Chicago does reside next to a body of water, thus a beach next to a lake. Being from Texas I only thought their would only be beaches along the west, east, and THIRD coast, but forgot about all of the possibilities around the great lakes. So once I put the beaches on the itinerary, it was which beach to visit? My debate was between North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach. Luckily after visiting the Hancock Center, I realized they were connected and within walking distance of one another. However, the first day was a visit to North Avenue Beach. I had read that this was the crazier and dirtier beach. I was going in the middle of the week during summer, I figured crazier would mean SOME people. When we showed up it was quite tame, only a few high schoolers, some college/young professionals, and very few families. It was a nice relaxing beach, and much cleaner than I'm used to. The water was great and fresh! Funny story...when we were walking towards the beach one of my friends was like why are we even going here no one ever says you have to go to the beach, and a local taps him on the shoulder and seriously tells him, "You have to go to beach" He shut up immediately and when he arrived he agreed, you must visit the beach. Why? It's just a cool concept to be in the sand and look in one direction and see the beautiful blue sky and clear water, turn around and see amazing architecture with the same blue sky.

Great beach! Very clean and wonderful views of the city. There's a bar / cafe built into an old boat near by that's good to go to. Ice cream vendors that walk along the beach and chairs that you can rent for the day.

I'm still fascinated by the fact, that such a huge city with skyscrapers has a beach. Or more like the fact that you can spend a day at the beach and when you turn around you see the strength and omnipotence of the city. Very unusual when you're on a beach and expecting palm trees and nature waiting behind you. And guess what else is awesome about this beach? It's fresh water. Remember? It's a huge lake not the ocean. So no salt and burning eyes. I only went at night to take some nice photos from the skyline so no one was around and was very very relaxing to be out in the dark on an empty beach. I just hope this beach doesn't have too many people coming during the day

Well its like 2 miles hardly from my place . Sometime me and my friends not in to fitness feel like should shed some weight and suddenly decide to run/walk to this place . We end up playing volley ball some times with out a net.There was a time when one of the news channel was covering some news and the cameraman started capturing us playing but our game was so bad that day i think she just acted like capturing us but she never did. Well nice place for run and relax

I love this place at sunrise, but that's about it. In the summer it's too crowded to enjoy, and I don't think I would ever swim here due to the random objects that I've found in the sand and the fact that it has an e. coli reporting scale. But there is no better place for a sunrise in Chicago.

When I come I usually head towards the volleyball nets on the south end. Close to the boardwalk (yay, feet!) and restrooms. Overall a pretty great beach, it holds a special place in my heart In my opinion this beach is one of the signature reasons why Chicago is the best city in the world. Pack a cooler and bring an umbrella and you're in business! 5 stars for FREE WI-FI