I truly enjoyed my time here at North Avenue Beach. My first visit here to the beach was back in…read more2017. My first real visit to Chicago city was in 2013. My Indy family decided to take me on a day trip to tour the Chicago city and have lunch. It was a lovely beautiful sunny day that day. We ended our day at the beach and caught the sunset which was glorious. The beach is gorgeous. My attire was not appropriate for the beach, of course. There was no plan to hang out at the beach at all. LOL! I dipped my feet in the water and it was cold. However, with the sun beating on my face and the warm weather, the water felt great. Haha I would return back again just for the beach and this time bring beach chairs and a tent to stay there all day and tan well. LOL!

This is a very active beach with kayak and paddleboarding rentals as well as a volleyball league!…read moreThere are public restrooms and bus 72 picks you up right in front so it's very convenient.

Concrete Beach is the piece of waterfront on the Lakefront Trail that is north of Oak Street Beach…read more The concrete in the name is apt as you will not find any sandy areas here. It is a great spot to snap some photos of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan or stop a minute or two while getting in a run or bike ride on the trail. It is not a place that you would lounge for long, it is more of a rest spot. If you are looking for an actual beach, I would recommend going to Oak Street Beach instead.

Self explanatory concrete beach. Probably one of my favorite approaches to the city. The Hancock…read morebuilding is directly in front of you, always people running lounging around and there's a chess pavilion which is great to just hang out. You'll see some random stuff like a bike shop set up a ramp to launch off of during the summer or a group fished out all the ride share bikes out of the lake making a 12 ft monument of decayed bikes piled up. It's a great for shots of the city and seeing the fireworks. It's really fun to just go fast on a bike.

Went here after dinner at Clarke's Rogers Park Restaurant…read more Hartigan Park & Beach are located just a few blocks away from the restaurant *(Clarke's Rogers Park). My friend and I gathered washed up stones on the beach- which was fun, sank our feet into the sand, and watched the stars come out while my friend played an acoustic guitar and sang. It was a very peaceful experience. Hope to return in the near future again!

Forget North Avenue, this is the beach/park you should be paying attention to. One of the things I…read moremost loved about Chicago was the fact that, in every neighborhood, there were beautiful things to discover. So it is with Hartigan Park. Outside of Rogers Park residents, who knew that there was a green space with beach and playgrounds and (my favorite) community art in the form of beach chairs? Judging by the lack of crowds when I/we visited, not many. If you're one of those who are in the dark, change that. Look at these photos. Commit to taking a field trip and explore your city. There are so many pretty parts that await. May weather is coming.

It took over 15 years living in Chicago before I visited a beach. This one was the first!…read more Leone Beach Park is one of the northernmost beaches in the city. Leone Park Beach is named after an employee who managed folks along the entire north side, and lived above the beach house until his death. There's a swim ban in this park, though, due to the water quality. So that knocks out a big reason for going. Though you can go bake on the beach if you want. There's a good-sized parking lot here, and it's a pay lot. There's a playground and somewhat natural area surrounding it (at least it looks like it--I couldn't tell what may have been blooming there). I was surprised to see one of those Amazon lockers there, so apparently you could get your stuff shipped here. There's also basketball courts here, and lawn area, for non-beach-based recreation.

12/29/20 - Gorgeous beach front right off of Touhy Ave. W/a parking lot right there. My neighbor…read moreand I arrived just before sunrise. The sun was still below the horizon the sky was aglow in this beautiful reddish orange coloration of the sun rising. The sun was still below the horizon when we got there. We were able to capture many pictures of the reddish orange glow as the sun brought beautiful coloration to the sky. Slowly the sun came up over the horizon as the big orange ball came out of the lake (93 million miles away). It doesn't matter how many times I see it I never get tired of this magnificent ball of fire that gives live to every living thing on our planet. There were a number of people out and about on this chilly 23 degree winter morning all to see the sun come up again over Lake Michigan. Some just to spectate, some to walk or run, yet others out walking their dogs. I love Chicago. There was some small wave activity along the shoreline. The breakwaters were covered w/frozen ice w/seagulls sitting or standing on the concrete. The beach stretches to the south from their w/native grasses along the sidewalk. You can see the Chicago skyline that can be seen from many points along the shoreline each w/a slightly different vantage point, but always gorgeous.

Prinz beach park is one of the little hidden beaches in Rogers Park (hidden because they're at the…read moreend of cul-de-sacs along the lake). The park is relatively large, but don't go swimming--at least, in summer 2022--because the water quality is not sufficient for swimming. The water is nice and clear, so don't be fooled; check the Chicago Park District site! The park is named for Tobey Prinz, a longtime Rogers Park resident who was a leader and activist in the housing movement, had a strong impact on Chicago housing conditions, and was an advocate for Chicago parks and open space. Perhaps her most notable accomplishment was getting the old site of the Bryn Mawr Country Club, slated to become a shopping center, instead turned into Warren Park, one of the largest parks on the north side. She was also instrumental in preserving lakeside property in cul-de-sac spaces just like these. The bench that runs for hundreds of yards along park is painted white each year and the community is invited to repaint a section. It's fun to wander along and see what people have contributed for the year. There's also tennis courts in the grassy part of the park. There's also a nice view of the city from the pier as you walk toward the lighthouse, which unfortunately was clouded the day I was here by the foggy weather. Parking is essentially non-existent here, so public transportation is really your best bet.

I can't remember how I found out about the murals. I think I was just randomly hanging out at the…read morebeach because I had two other apartments nearby. I thought it was really pretty but one-and-done. Once I found out that this is a thing that happens every year (Artists of the Wall), it turned out to be a fun way to celebrate around Father's Day and Juneteenth. The new paintings are up, and these are my favorites this year. (I have a photo collection of my favorites every year for at least a decade. Just saw these today. Nice job, artists!) Also, this is a fun park to bring your dog too. I was nervous about the off-leash dogs at first, but once my dog became less aggressive (but NOSY AS EVER!) around other dogs, it was much more comfortable to bring her here. Sometimes she's the off-leash dog, too, long enough to chase a toy or two and come back.

Beach day in The Chi was perfect! The weather was 81 degrees in April and everybody was at the…read morebeach ! So close to the city, cafe Oliva, Navy Pier and Mag Mile! We spent a few hours here with the beautiful skyline! Lots of family and young and old people Highly recommend and can't wait to go back !

The lockers are back!!!…read more Ohio Street Beach is a haven for triathletes. As early as 5 am we're out here training. Buoys are placed to mark 1/4 miles. The beach is kept relatively clean (some angel must come and pick up. Between the construction and families who swim throughout the day there's barely any garbage). There's plentyfree parking on Ohio Street before 8 am. Or you may choose to ride your bike. In order to get a locker plan to arrive before 6 am and bring your own lock. There's no foot rinse at the beach so bring your own bottle of water to rinse off. Enjoy your swim!

Chill park located in River North along the Chicago River north branch. Erie Park is also known as…read moreWard Park according to others. It got its beginnings in 2000 and it became a park site. Has good views of the river including a riverwalk that goes along it. There's also a dog friendly area and playground. A good view of the river along with lots of benches. It's a great place for seeing the skyline. The playground is pretty modern and has equipment such as slides and swings among other things. A dog friendly area is on the north side of it. Many other large open areas though. Also there's lots of artwork. There's a sculpture by Sheila Klein called Commemorative Ground Ring at Erie and Kingsbury Streets. Good park no matter what you call it. It's got a few interesting pieces of art to check out. This is also known for the dog friendly area and there's alerts plenty of them running around here or in the park wherever.

Cute little park to take the kiddos at or yourself (if you want to feel like a kid again) has a…read morelittle cute water park attraction and a nice playground for the kids to play around! There is a nice view of the river so take a lot of pictures :)

Beautiful place to get on a boat or just hang out in Chinatown. It also has great views of the…read moreskyline. Ping Tom Memorial Park is one of the bigger parks along with being a stop on the Chicago Water Taxi. Lots of events go on here. There's also athletic fields and a playground. Another park that got made from something that was abandoned. It used to be a railyard. This was quite a transformation. Good location by the river. In 1998 the Park District started changing the railyard into this park, and it opened the next year. It's named after Chinatown's most important civic leader. Ping Tom created the Chinese American Development Corporation, which created the outdoor shopping mall Chinatown Square. Before this park, there wasn't much green space in Chinatown. The park has a fieldhouse that was opened in 2013. It's named after former Advisory Council President Leonard Louie. This has a fitness center, a gymnasium, and pool. Best known feature in the park is probably the boat house. This has a dock than can be used by the public. Also there's a pavilion that looks like a pagoda next to here. The boat house has kayak rentals in summer. Has to be the best outside feature in Chinatown to be honest. It's got some pretty good views of the skyline. This is also a stop on a unique form of public transportation.

Ping Tom Park, the versatile park. you have the riverfront where the water taxi docks. This park…read morealso has a playground for young and old kids. There are plenty of flora along the multiple paths. Plus the murals are beautiful. Plenty of benches and scenic areas. A couple of minus points of this park. Bathrooms were closed on a weekday near lunch time, which is within park hours. The park had trash floating around, spider webs all over the benches and playground. Nonetheless, it was a solid park.