This is a nice little beach in Wildwood. You do need a resident parking sticker to park along the…read moreposted area however. We are not Wildwood residents but have found parking not too far off. The swimming area is marked and mostly attracts families with young kids.

Nice park. It has a pavilion and a small beach area. The park is not very big, but it is a hidden…read moregem. Recommend you check it out. Oh, and Joe says, "Don't forget...it turns out the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

Spent the morning at Illinois State Park beach...the biting…read moreflies finally win and chased us away...which led us to this little hidden gem. Jones Island Park is a well kept park full of shade trees, a playground, walking trail with benches, a shelter house, a sand volleyball court...and a beach. It's small, we'll-maintained, the swim area is marked off, the water is warm, the littles can stand, and there are no flies!!! Not quite the view of the Great Lake, but still a beautiful setting. Swim in the lake area. Fish in the canal. Relax beneath a shade tree. A little bit of something here to keep the young and the old content for a very long while!!! Annnnnd, unlike the rest of the local park/beaches....it's free!!!

Fantastic local park, with volleball field, kids park and a small beach. Great fishing too.read more

Beautiful Views, very peaceful quiet spot usually only locals are down there. They have a…read moreplayground for the kids with a playground and swings. The swings have a disabled swing as well as ones for babies/toddlers. Bathrooms are air conditioned next to mini food shop. They do have a mini food shop with snacks, drinks, and ice cream. The beach is beautiful and they have lifeguards on site always watching. Very beautiful for pictures and to come to calm down. I recommend this place

I fully admit that having teenage boys at home during the pandemic has been a lot. At some point…read moreeach day, my hubby and I get in the car and talk through all our troubles (translation: complain about having children) while driving up north along the lake. We often end up parked in our car staring at Lake Michigan at Forest Park Beach. We're convinced that all the other couples we see there are also doing the same thing ;-) Last week, our laziness and overwhelm forced us to get out of the car and take in a fresh air walk along the lakefront. We walked south past the concessions and over near the boating facility. We typically don't leave our car unattended, just in case we might get a ticket. We took the risk, and it was so worth it. TBH I don't think they are monitoring the parking lots or ticketing right now, but I'm not 100% sure. What an absolutely gorgeous discovery! We honestly felt like we were on vacation (without kids). The air was fresh, the water was fairly calm, and we felt grateful to be living near such a beautiful oasis. Along the walkway we discovered a play area for kids, boats ready to launch, a covered area with picnic tables, tall lampposts and pristine landscaping. At the very end of our walk was a goose waiting for her goose companion to come back from sea (lol). We learned from a local that the goose had been there for a few days. Anyway, the sidewalk came to an abrupt end, something like out of a Shel Silverstein poem. We turned around, took a deep breath, and received a call from one of our sons that he and his brother were about to bring a bunch of friends over to our house. And just like that, our peace and calm came to a stop. Until next time...

Amanda and her staff are wonderful; they do everything possible to ensure every visit is pleasant…read moreand seamless. I suppose you can tell how highly we recommend this place--we have already booked our return trip for next year!

Greatest place overlooking the water with its own private beach! It has everything from camp fires…read morewith the family to boat rentals for a day on the water. Well kept beach with a massage tent for relaxation! Only 50 minutes from Chicago - this place is a hidden gem!

awesome!!!! great for family beach memories.I grew up going here my whole life with the awesome…read moreslides & water funk There are awesome pets & shops up & down the keep & it feels like a little east coast beach . The blues Brother's movie did a scene here putting this place on the map. It's a great little treasure on Bangs lang!

Why do the adults the ACTUAL TAX PAYERS have to suffer because the kids are back in school so you…read moredecide to close the beaches . It's a dumb policy . Who cares if there is no life guards , swim at your own risk . Some people just want to sit on the sand area .

It is a Lake Bluff residents beach. Not sure if some people sneak in or what…read more... We were enjoying the beach with lots of space. All of a sudden a family came and sat in front of us for no reason. Speechless!!

Was way too crowded. Not nearly as nice as it used to be. The beach was not well maintained (weedy,…read moredebris). It was also very noisy. Disappointed.

Today, my boyfriend and I rented a paddleboat for an hour. The weather forecast indicated rain…read morewouldn't start until 1:00 PM, so we thought we had plenty of time. However, around 12:20 PM, the sky turned black. We immediately turned around and began pedaling back to the dock as fast as we could. While we were heading back, a safety staff member on a speedboat approached us. He told us we had to return to shore but added that he couldn't tow us in--we had to pedal all the way back ourselves. While we were already doing that, the storm was rolling in incredibly fast, and it was a genuinely scary experience. As we finally approached the dock in the storm, we saw two teenage employees who had been assisting people earlier. One of them looked right at us, but instead of helping us secure the boat, both boys ran back into the covered checkout area and completely ignored us. As we struggled to park and tie up the boat in the pouring rain, not a single staff member stepped out to help us dock safely. Meanwhile, at least 10 employees were crowded inside the checkout area. As a person of color, I am unfortunately always hyper-aware of how I might be treated in certain environments. I have visited this forest preserve many times, always thought it was beautiful, and was so excited to show my boyfriend around. To be treated with such a lack of care was incredibly disappointing. When we spoke to the male manager, he explained that they are required to clear the water during storms. My boyfriend clarified that we had no issue with leaving the water; our issue was the complete lack of staff assistance to help us dock safely in a dangerous situation. The manager offered us a "rain check" for a free rental, but missing out on time wasn't the issue--our safety was. No one seemed to care that we were the last ones out on the water. I hope this forest preserve implements a better emergency protocol, because storms on the water can quickly become life-threatening. I guess my question is if the staff are closely checking the weather , why even let people still go out on the water ? Instead of saying "hey there's a storm that is going to be rolling through , we are holding back on rentals at this time for safety reasons " .

Independence Grove is such a nice forest preserve with lots of things to do especially in the…read moresummer time. Beautiful trails to walk/run along but they also have a playground for kids. They have a beer garden and snack shop. They also have water activities that you can rent like paddle boats and kayaks. It's just a nice place to go solo or with friends if you are looking to connect with nature for a bit.

Lehmann Park is a great place to relax if you are a resident of Lake Villa…read more The park is very clean and well kept with pretty flowers planted by the old clock at the entry. It features a picnic pavillion available for parties, grilling areas, picnic tables, clean bathrooms, volleyball court, beach / swimming area and boat dock. For kids, there are a couple of play areas in the park as well as swing sets and jungle gyms on the sand in the beach area. There is also a separate shallow swimming area just for small children. The sandy beach has clear waters - you can see the minnows swimming right around your feet, and the lake is very calm due to the boat motor restriction. I haven't seen a bad sunset yet. I love coming here and appreciate how the residents keep it clean. I do wish more residents would follow the "no dogs on the beach rule" though; the signs are clearly posted, but people sometimes allow their dogs to run unleashed in the swimming area. If you're a resident of Lake Villa and haven't visited this park, you must stop by before summer's end.

This lakeside club is the gem of Highland Park! The cozy clubhouse on Lake Michigan with canoes,…read morekayaks, sailboats and friendly members of all ages is our favorite place to be in the summertime.

This place is a hidden gem that's underutilized. For less then $300 bucks, a beachfront clubhouse…read morewith a huge deck including grills, tables, kitchen, showers, equipment, storage, and free to use club equipment such as kayaks, paddle boards, windsurfers... I'm here almost everyday. I can't understand why this place isn't completely packed with members all summer.

One of the cleanest lakes in IL-- spring fed, and the friendly staff make every visit a treat.read more

Fantastic beach. We grew up coming here and it's amazing to see it's still open. Same as it was…read more40 years ago. Also still has the raft you swim to and lay out in. Fun place to go with family