Life’s a Beach!
Need an alternative to bars and loud music? Chicago is home to 33 beautiful beaches nestled along an 18-mile lakefront path. The beaches are open for swimming the Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day, 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The Chicago Park District reports that although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends municipalities test its public beach waters for unacceptable levels of E. coli bacteria at least once every two weeks, the Chicago Park District tests beach water for the bacteria daily. Chicago beaches are also cleaned daily.
Not a beach day? Try strolling along a harbor.
Montrose Harbor
Chicago is also home to more than 5,000 boats in nine harbors along Lake Michigan, stretching from Lincoln Park in the northern part of the city to Jackson Park in the south. The harbors constitute the nation’s largest municipal harbor system and feature state-of-the-art floating docks, moorings, and other amenities. Since 1996, the Chicago Park District has invested more than $65 million dollars to renovate and modernize harbor facilities.