Oak Street Beach

Awesome beach to be located in the city! I was expecting to see a «beach,» filled with bottles and other debris but to my surprise OSB is clean! It wasn’t too crowded when I went so there was plenty of room to lay out and have fun. There are volleyball nets for those who like to play and you can see all of the boats on the river. A great little beach that you can see the city skyscrapers from.

This is a MUCH better beach option than North Avenue beach. A slightly older crowd was here which made the whole situation more tolerable. There were a lot of people, but not so many that you couldn’t sit down and enjoy yourself. We saw triathletes training in the water while we were here. There is a bar that had a decent amount of people in it but wasn’t so packed that it was completely uncomfortable. The skyscrapers in the background of the beach is quite a funny site. This was a a lovely beach to come across in Chicago.

As I was looking for places to visit while in Chicago, I’ve noticed that there was a beach located downtown… So of course, I had to see it to believe it. I have to be honest, I was a bit anxious and thought it might be noisy and dirty but I was amazingly surprised, Oak Street Beach is very clean and you could barely hear noises coming from the downtown. There were some «courageous people» swimming in the water (which was way too cold for me), I remained on the sand and enjoyed the sound of the waves and the really nice weather, I almost forgot that I was in the middle of Chicago. I will definitely be going back the next time I’m around.

Two words: «man candy»
Oak street beach is quite popular for triathletes to train for the swimming portion of their race. Well, the stretch of Lake between Oak Street and Ohio beach. It is best to view from Oak Street though. Trust me on this ladies and gents. They swim from April to October. I have laid witness!
Aside from creepin on swimmers, Oak street is a great free beach. I usually find street parking now that I am suburban. There is no entry fee like in the burbs. I don’t find the beach overly crowded. (I am from Jersey, I am used to a crowded beach). I do find the «sand» muddy.
Because of the man made breaks, you can usually see «Waves» here. Much larger waves than other areas of the lake. I am unfamiliar with how the puddle makes waves but they are not tidal.
Anyways, cool views of the city but I like Ohio St better for that. You can also buy dranks in the summer time.
It’s a pretty puddle. You should go visit It.

Just about every trip to Chicago ends up that we go for at least a drink, a seat, a view of Lake Michigan and this place which is a small piece of escape from the big cityscape that is the metropolis of the city of broad shoulders.
A little stetch of beach that you may dream you’re someplace else and not in a really big city on a lake? Still it’s a small strip of what makes this city nice even if there’s more beach on other parts of the city like North Ave but Oak street is special being so close to some of the nicest neighborhoods in town and being much smaller.
Where else can you get a view of a palm tree and the John Hancock Center in the same shot? Are the palm trees still there? I didn’t check…
I tried to get a beer at the bar the last time I was there at the little bar there and they weren’t serving yet last time. I was still on eastern time what can I say?
The path will have people on some sort of wheels, stay off that and treat it as a street before trying to cross. This place I’ve always felt safe here. There’s usually police on quads or something like that in the area too.
It’s a nice place to take a break and hear little waves crash if it’s windy enough.

Beach overlooking Chicago City skycrapers!!! Exotic and Awesome!!! Enough said!

Great Beach as far as Chicago goes! Close to the city and the action. Comes alive when the avp pro beach volleyball tour is in town every summer.

This beach is very small and it has a lot of garbage near the trail.

I loved this beach. I came on a Thursday morning with my boyfriend. It was an easy walk from our hotel on the Magnificent Mile. We had a lot of room to sun bathe on the beach close to the water. It started to get a little crowded after noon, but there was still plenty of room for everyone.
Clean. The only trash I came across was trash that the wind blew from where other people set up, so I guess the trash actually came across me.
Safe. Four lifeguards were watching everyone. Two on the beach, two on boats in the water.
Family friendly. Plenty of people of all ages were here and there. Great people watching! Nobody got cray cray or naked.
There are restrooms in the tunnel to get back to downtown. The women’s smelled a little funky, but it was clean. Also, Sprint set up charging stations for those of you who cannot function without technology. Overall, great beach that is so close to downtown!

Gorgeous beach, kept super super clean, friendly people go there. Great views of the city; perfect way to spend an afternoon in the city. The bathroom is gross but that’s as to be expected. Favorite beach in the city

I’m from NY, and this beach was much more enjoyable than our options. Very small, very clean beach and water, along with a beach bar that is right near the beach. It was perfect to jump into the lake on a hot day!

What a cool beach in the heart of the city! Gotta love Chicago for being able to offer beach life in the heart of the city. The beach is super close to The Drake Hotel and a bunch of other Michigan Ave attractions. The walk from the beach to nearby hotels is super easy and super quick. In the summer, you’ll find lots of people out enjoying the sun at the beach, playing volleyball or doing something as chill as reading a book. One thing to note is the water is typically cold! Kudos to the brave souls that get in and enjoy the water. Though it is beautiful to look at, the water temperature is always just a little to cold for me. All in all, this is a great beach and definitely worth a trip during the Chicago summers.

A little smaller, but less crowded than North Ave. Nice place to jog, lay out, or eat. Haven’t tried oak street Beach restaurant yet, but it looks like fun. Hopefully try them before summer is over.

Somebody stole my cellphone at Oak Street Beach over the weekend when we left our chairs unattended.

This is why I LOVE Chicago :) This beach is a MUST visit if you get the opportunity on your agenda. I highly suggest getting there early (opens at 11 AM) because blanket spots are taken quickly. This to me is the BEST BEACH in Chicago because it is walking distance from all hotels and the Magnificent Mile. If you are not already in downtown/​North Lake shore area, you have my sympathies because bumper-​to-​bumper traffic/​parking are BRUTAL!
The views of the city are wonderful. I did not see broken glass/​debris in the sand like other beaches I have been in Chicago. Overall, this is not Florida by any means, but for a city beach, right in the middle of Downtown Chicago, it is as good as it gets for escaping those hot days and getting the wind off the lake :)
**Hint** for you tourist, put into your gps «The Drake Hotel». This will put near the beach and you may luck up and find parking, as people come and go all times during the day ;)

I love this beach, as do many below me. There isn’t much more to say that hasn’t been said. This beach is relatively clean, the people are friendly, it’s safe, and a great place for kids and friends to have fun. Just spent the 4^th of July on this beach and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to do it. Less crowded than North Ave beach, but close to downtown. AHH what a wonderful view of all the downtown buildings too.
If you plan to be down here after dark bring a hoodie, as it does get chilly on the beach at night!

Oak Street Beach, located in Northern Chicago, looks picturesque with the clean, sandy beach and wind-​surfers appearing to float on the calm waves. While the beach is an exciting place for tourists and families, I would have to visit this place again because my family came here during one of the most busiest events.
We saw seas of people, and more people covered every inch of the beach. We navigated through the crowds and the event booths; and we finally reached the end where we took a breather, and then we continued on to our next destination.
The beach gives a calm attractiveness that makes me want to stay forever. Lesson learned: Just don’t visit when there’s an enormous event happening. Don’t say that I didn’t warn ya. It’s a nice place to visit for a picnic or a family gathering. It’s free to the public.

I used to live within walking distance now it’s just cab ride away. And you can get their by public transportation too. So it’s very convenient.
This is my fav. beach. It’s small and has more of an intimate feel to it. There are no facilities like the North Avenue beach. But I Like that it’s less crowded. I try to go there early or sometimes during the week when there aren’t too many people. Good place to chill.

There’s a great old song called «Summer in the City».
There was a popular TV show called «Sex in the City».
But honestly, have you ever heard of a «Beach in the City»?
But yes, here it is, a huge magnificent beach framed by the Chicago skyline.
Well, one and one is two
Six and two is eight
Come on baby don’t ya make me late
Baby don’t you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago

Beaches in the city!?? When I first knew of this I had to go because I love beaches and also the city life. Chicago is my favorite city (outside of New Orleans) and has been for many many yrs. It has everything you can want in a city including beaches.
Of all the beaches that line the lakeshore Oak Street Beach is my favorite. The location can’t be beat with it being just a hop, skip, and a jump away from office buildings, shopping malls, and residential towers. The beach is pretty clean and there is usually lots of space for you to move around.
But the best part of the beach to me is the awesome views of the skyline. Chicago and skyscrapers are synonymous with each other and seeing those skyscrapers right behind you while you are relaxing at the beach is pure bliss!

This was a really nice Chicago summer beach bar. Rather stiff prices but the fun atmosphere helps you forget about them. Good staff, great décor, and even better views. Look one direction you have Lake Michigan Shoreline, the other direction you have great city views.
Didn’t try the food here, but everything looked delicious on the menu.
If the prices were better I would say it could be 4.5 stars.

Love the location also the fact that there’s street parking (usually) available by Drake hotel.
Food & alcohol are Chicago prices at the restaurant area. Beach food is mediocre of course! Oh, and you cannot leave with any drinks to the water.
Cops on ATV ride around to patrol any funny business. So hide your alcohol

***This beach is right next to Magnificent Mile – rare to have a real downtown steps from the water and because Lake Michigan is so big, it feels like you are really next to the ocean***
I am not sure what the parking situation is around here.

Dommage que cette plage soit trop petite, mais il est génial d’aller prendre un bain de soleil dans un lac avec la vue sur Chicago.
On oublie bien vite le bruit des véhicules, le plus ennuyeux étant les clochettes que le vendeur de glacé n’arrête par d’agiter, on aurait envie d’être méchant avec lui à la fin …