Gilson is a nice beach, but after paying for parking and admittance my wallet was a lot thinner. I like avoiding the Chicago crowds, but I don't always want to pay so much to do it. read more

Street parking was full and chaotic with drivers illegally double parking on skinny one-way streets. We were so relieved to finally find the pay-for-parking lot only to be denied access because it was full, too. We went north for 5 minutes and found Edler Lane Park with plentiful parking in the free lot. Still paid for beach access, but that's to be expected with a park district run beach with amenities. read more

Non-Resident Problem: Gillson is great for the residents who pay for it's upkeep. But I'm a bit tired of the non-resident groups that have huge parties there. I think they're using our parks and benefitting from lax village oversight. I see (and am sometimes disturbed by) a lot of loud, aggressive, "who cares" city-quality behavior that isn't usually present in other Wilmette parks. My guess is that most visitors want a nice place to party, but isn't the park for residents and shouldn't at least one resident be present? Sorry, but I've had a few annoying experiences and had to avoid these groups. read more

Went to the Wilmette Park for the first time - did not see any signs and just parked (we were going to a Kayaking class). Came back and had a ticket - $50 for parking by the lake (overlook). I called the park district because I wanted to know WHERE the signs were and left a message for the gal in charge. NO ONE EVER CALLED BACK. Not EVER going to Wilmette or that park ever again! read more

This is one of my favorite parks in Chicagoland. It offers nice walks, pretty trees and beautiful views of Lake Michigan any time of year. Don't miss the somewhat hidden garden in the middle with a tiny little bridge and several benches to take a break. The amphitheater is also an interesting sight. It's impressive how many different elements manage to thrive in this relatively small park. It's definitely worth a visit! read more

Place is way too restrictive. The sign says no swimming but take three steps into the water and patrol is all over you to move to the shoreline. Hello City of Wilmette I am responsible for my children not you. I can determine when my children are in any danger. What a no fun place. They do this so they can get paid. 9 dollars per person to go to the section where you swim, ridiculous. read more

Now that I have children, I don't mind whatsoever having to PAY to enjoy a hot summer day by the beach. There's a smaller crowd, its ABSOLUTELY the cleanest beach I've ever been to, and everyone is so friendly! Not many people I know know about this beach and well, ill keep it that way! Haha... sometimes its nice getting away from the same city faces! read more

Overall a nice beach, but they force you to pay if you want to go in the water. I appreciate that they have lifeguards on duty, and I suppose that is why, but it still is unfortunate for those working with a budget just wanting to cool off in the water. read more

Gillson Beach is my favorite beach to go to; it isn't as crowded as any of the downtown beaches and is clean and just beautiful! I only go to the free section that occasionally has a lifeguard duty that is *supposed* to prevent people from swimming since they haven't paid but rarely does so. So in that case, my friends and I always have a good time for free and enjoy the sun and water! read more

Beautiful beach. It's so clean and lovely. Over the summer, I bike up from Northwestern to stop by Bahai, and I always bike through this park/beach and watch the sunset. read more

Great beach: clean and quiet! If you're looking for some entertainment from other beach-goer's, this is not the beach. Very relaxing, and quiet spot. read more

I would give it a 5 if it had free parking and free to get in. Otherwise a great beach. Highly recommended.

I will never visit this beach ever again!! I visited Chicago over the 4th of July with my wife and Daughter. We decided to spend the day at the beach on lake Michigan since none of us have ever seen the great lakes. The area we decided to visit was Gillson Park. We visited the beach on Monday July 7,2014 to avoid beach crowding. We paid 10 dollars for an all day parking pass. Then when we pack up and start our way to the gate we are confronted by a young woman at the access gate that said we needed a "pass". This is all she seemed to be able to say. So I promptly think she Needs to see our parking pass to gain access to the beach. I run back to the car when I pass a couple people paying at a casher both for access passes to the beach. Seems I have to pay more to visit the beach access area. Remind you no signage posted on on what was needed and the robotic type female monitor was of absolutely no assistance. There is extensive signs of rules on what you cannot do or bring past the access point. There are a ton of no fun rules too!! I run back to gather my wife and daughter do we can get our access pass at the casher stand. Since we are " Out of State type people" we have to pay extra for access. Almost 30 dollars total for the 3 of us. Now we put our pretty wrist access bands on and stroll past the robot gate sentry at the beach access gate. The Lake was beautiful but shockingly cold! The water temperature was 61 degrees F. We are messing around in the water where the water is marked off for swimming. We then decide to stroll down the beach south end to see what kind of rocks we can find. We pass another female robot sentry station. No worries we have our handy wrist access arm bands. I make the mistake of strolling out in the water up to my knees when the southern sentry calls a code red on her walkie talkie to a guard that promptly runs full speed down to my location screaming mind you "NO SWIMMING". I was shocked at the display of this guard running down the beach yelling so I look up confused. Then I realize he is yelling at me. Confused I step out of the water. He never gets totally within speaking distance to me but continues to yell "NO SWIMMING, YOU HAVE TO PAY" I nod yes and the guard goes back to his dog house. We stroll back to the gated access area thinking this is the only place we can "swim" since we only paid 30 dollars plus 10 for parking to get this small area we can swim in. I am Still confused on how much it would cost to walk in the water "not swim" in the south lower section of the beach. We spent about another hour there before we left. Sad day at the beach due to some very rude and un personable staff. I grew up on Lake Cumberland in southern Kentucky. You can swim at any location on any beach you would like. Perhaps the freedom I enjoy on Kentucky lakes just did not transfer to the lake access at Gillson park. The staff makes the park a 1 star in my opinion. Thanks for reading. read more

BEWARE: NO COOLERS ALLOWED! It's a nice beach, very clean and well taken care of, but you pay for parking, pay to get in, then you can't bring a cooler to the beach, or food, or any beverage at all according to the signs (water included), and you're not supposed to have an umbrella. Overall, not worth the hassle or the price paid. I'll head back to Clark Street beach for the rest of the summer. read more

Great beach/park MINUS the people who let their dog run around OFF LEASH. I guess ON LEASH does not apply to everyone!

I have been going to Gilson Park/Beach since I was a little girl and I love this place! They have places to grill (you need to get a permit) and a very nice beach. The sand is so soft and they don't have rocks in it like some of the other beaches. You have to pay to swim in the beach but there is a free side to lay out and they also have a dog beach for the dog lovers. read more

A beautiful park on Lake Michigan. The beach is beautiful and spacious. The playground is great for a wide range of ages. Feel very fortunate to live near Gillson Park. read more

It offers a stunning and beautiful view, and it's a great place to relax and enjoy Lake Michigan. They also offer an amazing 4th of July festival and events for the kids. My kids are older now, but they put on such a great, entertaining event each year that we still attend. read more

This beautiful beach park, with a pretty harbor nearby, is worth a visit any time of year, but great to spend an day and evening during the summer. Lots of good info in current reviews so I won't just repeat those. Parking is simple if you pay, tricky if you don't. If you are not sure, ask at the gate houses, they'll tell you AND they often let you drive through (Don't PARK! you will get a ticket) if you just want to get a quick look. Lots of tips and info about "free" beach admission, some helpful some not, so to sum it up it's free in the winter months, not in the summer. To the South is the harbor where the park ends completely, so there is no 'fence' .... (see map above). To the North, where the 'fence' ends is private property, so technically you are trespassing if you are above the water line (ie. on the beach). You should be at least aware of this 'technicality' so you behave accordingly (ie. stay near the water, and leave when asked to leave). These high end property owners are very private, but tolerant of small "technicalities" like beach walkers, like me; however, they can also get quickly annoyed and very active when disrespected. This is a great beach park to relax and have a great day any time of year. I have used it for over 20 years, and my favorite time is in winter when the beach is chocked with huge ice sheets and crashing waves.....enjoy ! read more

Nice facilities. The amphitheater can be buggy, though. Bring bug spray.

very lucky to be living nearby. people with wilmette parking permits can park right up front next to the beach for free. the beach is very private but can get crowded on special occasions ex: 4th of july fireworks. theres also a tennis court and a dog beach. love it! read more

I love Gillson Park. I live in Arlington Heights, so it's about a 30 minute drive for me to get there, but it's worth it. I purchased a 1 year parking pass which costs $100, but for me (again) it's definitely worth it. As you can imagine, the facilities are beautifully maintained. There's plenty of sidewalks and roads for walking, and just taking a stroll along the marina is lovely. There are also plenty of benches throughout the park. So if you want to just sit and enjoy being by the lake, and hearing the gentle sound of the waves there are many benches to accommodate you. There are also several benches along the marina, and that's a popular area to sit and relax for a while. It's a very popular park for dog walking - and there's even a dog beach available (make sure rabies tags are current, and that you have appropriate proof of registration.) My only gripe about Gillson Park - and it's a biggie - is that I can't believe Wilmette Park District can't provide better bathroom facilities than porta-potties at Gillson. I have to admit the fact that there aren't actual bathroom facilities is baffling to me. This is a very large park that is used by so many people. I've seen many large groups having picnics there, families and people of all ages spend lots of time at Gillson. I would love to see the Park District commit the money to building a true bathroom facility. read more

I went to the paid side and since i am not a resident I shelled out 11 bucks for parking and almost 10 bucks to get in. It is a nice beach but you are not allowed coolers on the beach. Also there is a food place you can purchase from but the lady that works there was very rude. Shr made snarky remarks and i didnt appreciate that from her. You can only order 1 order of fries per order because the fryer does not fit more and 1 order is very small. Not even enough for one person. This was disappointing. There is a free side which I will be going to from now on. You are not allowed to go into the water because there is no lifeguards but you can have a cooler and it's free ! read more

Beautiful and clean. The park is lovely and quiet, while the free part of the beach is more crowded but still pleasant.

Been there on a warm day in March...such a nice family place...clean beach, the lake looks beautiful. We played volleyball and kids used the playground. 5 stars! read more

Gilson is wonderful. I haven't had a single bad memory of the place. It can be fun, interesting, or peaceful depending on your mood. I drive by it often just to take in the dunes, or to glimpse the diminutive Wilmette harbor which my grandpa brought me to as a kid. If you have a free afternoon, and live near the north side of Chicago, it makes for a great picnic spot, or for any other fun little celebration. read more