Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    12th Street Beach

    4.0 (25 reviews)

    12th Street Beach Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - 12th Street Beach

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Del Campos (Mexican food) in front of the beach house
    Janos J.

    The 12th street beach is a cool little beach right off Lake Michigan on Northerly Island, the beach its self is right next to the Adler Planetarium. Technically, the beach should be called the 13th street beach, but due to ' 13 ' being an unlucky number, or superstitious, this beach was called the 12th street beach instead. This beach runs up until the 1450 block, so it is sometimes addressed as the 14th street beach. This beach has a lot of history and has been here since the 1920's. [ Address ] For those who need the beach address for their GPS, the beach is located at: 1200 S. Linn White Dr. Chicago, Illinois 60605 [Park Hours ] 6:00 AM-11:00 PM; for information, call (312) 742-5121 This beach has a beach house that has restrooms and on the outside there are showers for washing off sand. In front of the beach house, visitors will see a little stand, this stand is Del Campos, here they sell Mexican food for guests and the usually Chicagoan styled hot dog. Now, for me personally, the beach is a nice spot to just enjoy the lake front and people watch. To be completely honest, I think there is too much trash lying around on the sand and too much bird pooh, so the beach could really use some clean-up. While visiting the beach, one can easily notice people lounging around the shore, but few actually go into its waters, maybe they know, or maybe they do not know. However, for those who do not, Lake Michigan waters are full of toxic chemicals, it is a shame, because those who live and depend on this great lake and have to suffer because of numerous of companies that dispose the waste that their businesses make into this lake, and in addition, sewage is added as well. There is a reason why on extremely hot days they close these beaches, because the bacteria levels become too high for the public to swim in them. With that said, I will continue to visit this beach during my vacations here and others, I just will never swim nor allow my children to, which is why I can only give this beach a 3 star rating. On a positive note, behind the beach house is an excellent area for a family picnic and bbq. [Review #201]

    Erin K.

    Beach has parking that is super close for $20. Worth it! When we went there was a lot of wind and choppy waves but the kids still had a blast. It had plenty of room to play safely. This is NOT a party beach at all. It is chill, families and just a small restaurant with Mexican food and kid menu. As others have said this isn't a beach you go to to lay out, play sports or party. If you have kids, want to lay on grass on towels or just want to be near the lake this is perfect for you.

    12th street beach
    Janine G.

    Oh, sweet mystery of life, at last I've found you! In my 19th year of living in Chicago, I went exploring and discovered the beauty of Northerly Island, replete with prairie grass, wildflowers, baby ducklings, breathtaking lake views, and all of this with a grand view of the Chicago skyline in the background. My eldest daughter likened it to Acadia National Park, and while it doesn't quite meet that caliber for me, it is truly delightful. And nestled in an eastern cove of the island, just south of the Planetarium, is one of Chicago's best kept secrets: 12th street beach. It is lovely, quiet, and empty of the hubbub of 20-somethings and aggressive bikers around North ave. And when the City of Chicago isn't trying to recoup lost revenue by forcing everyone to pay $30 to park in the museum lots, there will even be affordable parking in the lot nearby. For now (2020), I recommend showing up before 7am to get street parking in front of the Adler Planetarium (the security guards show up after 7:30, channeling cars to the expensive parking lots--keep in mind that street parking revenue goes to LAZ, whereas lot revenue goes to the museums). Bring a towel, a snack, and enjoy to beach!

    Divy bikes there too
    Cely R.

    Cool nice sm little beach next to the adler planetarium we enjoy it the 4 of july ppl w/ bbq dogs around was fun tegular days is soo quiet :)

    JL S.

    Nice beach right next to the planetarium. There's is not a lot of street parking but there is a pay lot. Small beach with facilities that are ok. They have a food stand but I have never eaten here. The items are as pricey as you would expect right on the beach so bring food and non alcoholic beverage. Good sloped hill for tanning.

    See all

    Photo of Steve A.
    4747
    5539
    8461

    2 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ginette P.
    752
    2006
    14540

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 2
    Love this 3
    Oh no 2

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 1
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Janine G.
    21
    20
    23

    6 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cely R.
    59
    609
    11496

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Beautiful, lowkey, and few people around at peak hours. Alway's a go to spot for a date, friends, or to just take in life.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Smaller than I thought, but great during the week for privacy! Kids had fun, and us drops right off.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joi M.
    159
    132
    25

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0
    Photo of JL S.
    349
    85
    489

    12 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kim N.
    3261
    10454
    132378

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Phil C.
    59
    49
    0

    14 years ago

    Very quiet and not crowded - small in comparison to other Chicago beaches but as others have mentioned it is a hidden gem.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Frank G.
    28
    103
    0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - 12th Street Beach

    Review Highlights - 12th Street Beach

    And nestled in an eastern cove of the island, just south of the Planetarium, is one of Chicago's best kept secrets: 12th street beach.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Beaches 2,983 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    North Avenue Beach - Pretty flower

    North Avenue Beach

    3.9(211 reviews)
    3.6 miLincoln Park

    For sure this is one of the city's most popular beaches. It has the crowds to prove it. North…read moreAvenue 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.

    Chicago has 26 miles of beaches, yes you heard it right, 26 miles of beaches. when you hear…read moreChicago, 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

    Photos
    North Avenue Beach
    North Avenue Beach
    North Avenue Beach

    See all

    Montrose Beach - Snow on the ground along the lake today.

    Montrose Beach

    3.8(136 reviews)
    7.3 miUptown

    A swimmable beach right along side one of the country's most major cities?! This past Monday, while…read moreon a three day trip to Chicago, I had Montrose Beach at the top of my to-do list. I love how you can park so close, and for free! Even though it was winter, standing along the sand and watching the waves from a distance was just so darn peaceful. I can't wait to come back during the spring or the summer. I hear that there'll be plenty of people windsurfing, swimming and playing volleyball.

    Certainly is one of the most popular places in summer for Chicago. It has a lot going on around…read morehere. Montrose Beach is located north of Lincoln Park. Amenities include bathrooms and concessions among just a few. This also has a dog beach and a bird sanctuary. Big ass beach. It's not like it's actually that big, but for around here it certainly is. The beach has a few ways to get around it, including an ADA accessible beach walk. Dogs have their own part of the beach. Even has a bar and grill you can walk up to and get something. Beach house is modeled after the one on North Avenue. It looks like a lake steamer. The amenities here include concessions, restrooms, and showers, but any good beach has these things. Also has kayak and volleyball rentals. South of here is a bird sanctuary. A lot of migrant birds come by in the spring and autumn. North of the regular beach is a beach just for dogs. Also distance swimming is available north of the boathouse. There's also a non-motorized boat launch. Has a lot of reasons to come whether swimming or something else. It's located between the avenue of the same name and Lawrence. The CTA buses on these streets have the routes extended to here in summer so getting here won't involve so much walking.

    Photos
    Montrose Beach - Enjoying the snow today! First day of Spring!

    Enjoying the snow today! First day of Spring!

    Montrose Beach - Higher waves than usual

    Higher waves than usual

    Montrose Beach - Crossing the parking lot from the park to the beach

    See all

    Crossing the parking lot from the park to the beach

    Fullerton Beach

    Fullerton Beach

    4.4(22 reviews)
    4.5 miLincoln Park

    Before I thought this was just a part of North Avenue Beach. Fullerton Beach is apparently its own…read moreone according to maps. It actually doesn't seem like much of one because there's not even any sand. Apparently there used to be, but now this is just all concrete. There's pretty good views of the skyline and city though. Apparently erosion has ruined it, so that's why it's not much of a beach. It's been replaced by concrete. The good thing is you can go home without an ass full of sand. A bad thing is how hard the ground is. This is concrete after all, so it's not comfortable to lay on. Also the ground gets hot. Hard to believe anyone would rather come here to sunbathe than on a sandy beach not far away from this. A few good things are around here. The Theater On The Lake is a good play to watch a play. Go to a better beach. It's just to the north of one of the city's best and most popular. This also isn't that far from other stuff in Lincoln Park, and you can lie in grass there, and still be able to chill and sunbathe.

    02/04/22 - it's been months since I've been out here by the lake. Just another day in paradise…read moreknown as Chicago w/our magnificent Lake Michigan. Today it's a relatively warm day in February. It's a balmy sunny 24 degrees. The left over snow from a few days ago is floating & freezing on the lake. It's cold but absolutely magnificent. This morning there was some moron walking on the lake near promontory point about 1/2 mile off of the shore. WGN TV was filming this moron walking on the lake. The Chicago Police were called to ask him to come in off of the lake. This is what I call a very dim light that's pretty low on the evolutionary scale.

    Photos
    Fullerton Beach - Me!

    Me!

    Fullerton Beach - Beach

    Beach

    Fullerton Beach - Beach

    See all

    Beach

    31st Street Beach - Views

    31st Street Beach

    4.2(80 reviews)
    1.7 miDouglas, Bronzeville

    Best and most popular of the beaches on the South Side, lots of space and amenities. It also has a…read moregood view of the skyline. 31st Street Beach has a lot of history, both good and bad things. Has room for all kinds of activities and events. There's a beach house with bathrooms and concessions, and there's a picnic area and playground. Also known as Margaret T. Burroughs Beach. In 2015 there was a movement by public officials to rename it. This is the official name it seems. Most people still call it the old one. She was an artist, civic leader, historian, poet, and teacher. Also she founded The DuSable Museum Of African American History. The beach is within Burnham Park. In 1919 it was the site of what caused the race riots in the city. One of the African-American boys swimming accidentally went into the whites only section. The whites attacked him and he drowned, and in the aftermath there was chaos throughout. Has a lot of good features. It's pretty big and there's lots of room for partying or just hanging. There's also seeing the skyline and the views.

    This was my first time visiting 31st Street beach and we stopped by from 10:00-12:30 on a lovely,…read moreovercast Sunday, on Father's Day. The water and the sandy part of the beach were clean, but be careful as there is a lot of litter and trash in the grassy areas. Upsetting that visitors just dump their trash! There are bins provided. We had a great time and even scored cheap parking in the lot, just $6 for 4 hours! We enjoyed pallettas from the popsicle trolley. There are restrooms provided. A great day.

    Photos
    31st Street Beach - Rocks

    Rocks

    31st Street Beach - View from 31st Street Beach

    View from 31st Street Beach

    31st Street Beach - Near 31st Street Beach

    See all

    Near 31st Street Beach

    Rosewood Beach - Pay station and prices

    Rosewood Beach

    3.8(34 reviews)
    22.7 mi

    Getting beach ready! Not only myself (preparing for a summer beach vacation), but Rosewood Beach…read morerecently got a clean up and seemed ready for visitors. It's been awhile since I've updated my experience at Rosewood. This review is based on a recent walk I took to get some fresh air and much needed exercise. After parking the car in Downtown Ravinia and walking to Rosewood beach and back to the car (round trip about 1.3 miles), I noticed a bunch of beach updates that are worth mentioning. First of all, gear up, because the beach is open this year and you'll be able to swim! It's a private beach and not free, so you'll have to follow this link (https://www.pdhp.org/beaches/parking-2/) for resident and non-resident fees. This year you can purchase a swim pass and a parking decal. I entered via the dirt path that leads down to the beach so I could make my way back up the stairs for a good stair climb. The path was nicely cleaned up and breathtaking all on its own. Surrounded by lots of foliage and overlooking the ravine, I walked until I met up with the beach boardwalk. The boardwalk is all cleaned up and nicely refreshed. Looks like it did when it first opened! The beach sand is all freshened up and ready for summer. The play structures for kids are covered (but not sanitized). The best part? The steep, really-great-for-your-legs staircase now has handrails! This is such a huge plus for when you can't quite make it up and need to lean over a rail to hold yourself up (don't judge). It was a nice quiet walk, since the beach isn't actually open yet, but it will get crowded for certain. Parking lots have meters.

    Amazing that I can walk here from my house. I am very lucky to live here. This beach is amazing,…read moreyou get great views of Chicago, Waukegan, and water. The recent remodel and rebuild are beautiful. It is nice and quiet her in the winter, all you hear are the waves, the wind, and your breath. Wait until spring!

    Photos
    Rosewood Beach
    Rosewood Beach - Covered but there's a sign that says not sanitized.

    Covered but there's a sign that says not sanitized.

    Rosewood Beach - Kids buried in the sand. Good thing they have a shower!

    See all

    Kids buried in the sand. Good thing they have a shower!

    12th Street Beach - beaches - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...