Hot days call for special places to cool off. With 26 miles of Chicago lakefront, national and state parks outside the city, and countless pools, there are lots of choices. We choose the best. Our favorite stretch of sand in the city, MONTROSE BEACH, above, is wider and wilder than those closer to downtown. Tall, green prairie grass sprouts from rising dunes. At its southern end, the "Magic Hedge" is a bird and butterfly sanctuary worth walking through. Rent personal watercraft, kayaks, paddle boards, windsurfers, surfboards. Try the fish tacos at the Dock, which fronts the beach. ACCESS: Walk or bike from Chicago's Lakefront Trail. Cars exit at Montrose Avenue (4400 north) from Lake Shore Drive. Metered and free parking nearby. Or take CTA bus No. 78. /...Swimmers who train indoors during the winter welcome the outdoor lanes off OHIO STREET BEACH, which offers a one-mile, round-trip stretch protected from motorcraft. The shallow depth and adjoining breakwall provide a comfortable escape if the water is too rough or too cold, triathletes say.
Lift your head to take a breath and see the city's skyline. ACCESS: Walk or bike the lakefront path to 400 N. Lake Shore Drive. From State Street along Grand Avenue, hop the Navy Pier trolley to this beach. /...Chicago's answer to Rio de Janeiro's party beaches begins at FULLERTON AVENUE'S rocks, widens at NORTH AVENUE — beach volleyball, anyone? — and ends in a curl at OAK STREET, a sandy foot to the steel skyline. No city in America has a stretch like it, and on a hot weekend it is the place to see, be seen and cool off. At North Avenue's distinctive Beach House, rent personal watercraft, bicycles, umbrellas, chairs and volleyballs. Play roller hockey or dodgeball. During the week there's less of a crowd; hug the breakwater from North Avenue to Oak Street for close-to-shore distance swimming. At Lake Shore Drive, from 1000 north to 2400 north. ACCESS: Bike or walk from the lakefront path. CTA bus No. 72 takes riders directly to North Avenue Beach. There are bigger, sandier beaches on the South Side (at 63rd Street), but there's something magical about making the trek to Hyde Park's 57TH STREET BEACH, above, and the adjoining PROMONTORY POINT park.
Street parking (free!) is steps from the wide, clean underpass lined with colorful mosaics depicting the neighborhood. At the beach, the water's shallow entry makes this a good choice for families with small children. Fed up with North Side beach crowds? Here's your spot: We counted 40 bathers the weekend afternoon we visited. If the sun's too much, Promontory Point offers shade, grass and a dreamy view of Chicago's skyline. ACCESS: Walk or bike via the lakefront path. Cars exit Lake Shore Drive at 57th Street. From downtown, CTA express buses 2, 6 and x28 set you within a few blocks of the beach. CTA bus 10 brings you to the Museum of Science and Industry entry, one block from the beach. /parks/57th-street-beach/Note: City beaches have no entry fee. Lifeguards on duty 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.A one-hour drive from downtown on the other side of the lake, the beaches of the INDIANA DUNES offer views on the sun setting into the water. Part national park, part state park, the towering dunes are unique to the area, protected since 1966.
A 15-mile stretch of wide, sandy beach tumbles from the tall dunes. Facilities and lifeguard are at West Beach in Portage. ACCESS: Arrive at the Visitor Center in Chesterton, Ind., via U.S. Route 12 or Interstate 94. Beach parking is free except at West Beach ($6 per vehicle). /...The ILLINOIS BEACH STATE PARK AT ZION is wide and clean with grassy dunes that roll to its pebbled shore. The park is just this side of the Wisconsin border, and its beach is so big — 6.5 miles of shoreline fronting 4,160 protected acres — that even on a sunny, warm weekend afternoon it feels uncrowded and untrampled. It is a 90-minute drive from downtown: Combine the beach outing with a hike or bike through the park's five miles of marked trails, through marshes, dunes and black oak forests, protected since 1948. Entry and parking are free; it's a quick walk to the beach or trails. Signs of our state budget crisis: no lifeguards, no concessions, no bathhouse. ACCESS: Sheridan Road to Wadsworth Road into the park.
/illinois_beach.htmlThe EAST BANK CLUB in River North has two rooftop pools separated by a huge, well-outfitted deck for sunbathing; all have knockout city views. One pool is more for families; the other is used mostly for lap swimming and water aerobics. Initiation fee is $500 with $175 monthly dues for year-round club use. Members' guests pay a $25 daily use fee. International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association members pay $12.50. ACCESS: 500 N. Kingsbury St. Park within the club, at nearby lots or at a metered space. The CTA's Merchandise Mart stop is a few blocks away. Formula Fitness Club in Old Town manages two pools within SANDBURG VILLAGE, a town house and high-rise development from the 1960s. Both pools are secluded from the street; their concrete decks are bathed in sun. Each pool is about 25 feet. Lap swimmers appreciate the early-morning weekday hours, beginning at 6:30. The nonresident fee is $344 for a pool membership that runs through September. Members' guests pay an $8 daily fee.
ACCESS: 1255 and 1555 N. Sandburg Terrace. There's metered street parking. CTA buses 22 and 36 travel this length of Clark Street. The Red Line's Clark and Division stop is nearby.At the WHEELING PARK DISTRICT OUTDOOR AQUATIC CENTER, the zero-depth entry pool leads to waterfalls, slides and a mounted bucket that tips, dumping a huge pail of water on children. Dedicated lap lanes and comfortable chaises keep parents happy. Locker rooms are clean and spacious. ACCESS: 327 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling. One-hour drive from downtown Chicago via Interstate Highway 94. Open daily at 10 a.m. Nonresidents pay $12.75. More serene — but still a blast — HIDDEN CREEK AQUAPARK, above, in Highland Park looks like a community pool on steroids. Hugging a six-lane lap pool are a multistory water slide, a drop slide, a kiddie slide, a bucket-drop water playground and a zero-depth wading pool. A wide sand pit is fully shaded, and huge umbrellas allow for timeouts from the sun. A concrete deck and grassy area are spacious;