Chicago Traveler

Informed Travelers are Happy Travelers

  • Home
  • Tourist Attractions
    • Chicago Museums
  • Chicago Tours
    • Boat tours
    • Architecture Tours
    • Bus Tours
      • Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours
    • Bike Tours
    • Walking Tours
    • Food and Drink Tours
  • Chicago Tourist Pass
    • Chicago CityPASS
    • Chicago Explorer Pass
    • Go Chicago Pass
  • Chicago Hotels
    • Luxury Hotels
    • Boutique Hotels
    • Cheap Hotels
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Blog

63rd Street Beach

  • Total7
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

One of two beaches located within Jackson Park, 63rd Street Beach offers a wide array of amenities. For food, Belly Up offers Jamacian fare, or Leave With A Smile has snacks and beverages. One of the oldest beaches in Chicago, there’s also a historic beach house with restrooms. It also boasts interactive water fountains, showers and meeting rooms. Beachgoers can rent bikes or use the non-motorized boat launch. Birds flock here as well, literally, with a large natural area.

63rd Street Beach History

Jackson Park was designed by renowned architects Olmsed & Vaux of New York’s Central Park in 1871. 63rd Street Beach started as a paved beach made from granite blocks in 1888. Since, at the time, raw sewage was being dumped into Lake Michigan, it’s no surprise the paved beaches were preferred for walking and promenading.

When Chicago’s Drainage Canal began diverting the waste in 1899, the beach soon became popular for bathing and wading, as well. By the turn of the century, the South Park Commissioners decided to add the beach into a sandy shorefront. A new plan for landfill was developed in 1914. Three years the 10-acre beach extension was complete.

The plan also included a complex bathing house. It was constructed next to the beach in 1919. In 2000, the Chicago Park District renovated the historic pavilion, now known as the 63rd Street Beach House. Today, the elegant Classical Revival Pavilion designed by South Park Commission architects is preserved. Exposed-aggregate concrete features exposed balconies and loggies that take full advantage of lake views and breezes.

63rd Street Beach Details

A pay-and-display parking lot makes it easy to drive to 63rd Street Beach. There are also an array of CTA bus routes that offer easy access to the beach.

Once you’re here, there’s more than enough to spend the whole day. The renovated historic beach house offers changing areas, showers and restrooms. It’s also surrounded by attractive landscaped spaces and an interactive water feature. There are also ample meeting rooms. The facility can be reserved for special events.

There is also sustenance for a day at the beach in the form of Jamacian joint Belly Up and Leave With a Smile, which offers snacks and beverages. If you’d like some entertainment, rent bikes from Bike Chicago and explore Jackson Park and the waterfront.

Or, explore the lake by boat from the non-motorized boat launch, which offers access to the Lake Michigan Water Trail. Distance swimming is allowed parallel to the shore between 1st and 3rd buoys at 64th Street. Lifeguards are on duty each day from 11am to 7pm.

The beach also features an ADA accessible beach walk, and there are several ADA accessible playgrounds in the surrounding Jackson Park. Jackson Park is also home to a gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms and a fitness center. There’s also a Japanese-style garden of the Phoenix, Bobolink Meadows, a flower garden and a vegetable garden.

Jackson park has many sporting facilities, as well. There are basketball and tennis courts, multi-purpose fields, and several clubrooms. Here, children participate in Park Kids sports and arts and crafts day camps.

In case of rain, the Museum of Science and Industry is also on the Jackson Park campus. Adults and children alike enjoy the park’s many public art installations, picnic groves, sandboxes, fishing areas and, of course, the beach. 63rd Street Beach also has a natural area for migrating birds come spring and fall.

63rd Street Beach Events

The historic beach house at 63rd Street Beach is available for rent for an array of private events. In larger Jackson Park, children enjoy day camps in the summer and other public programs throughout the year. Sports and arts and crafts camps run from mid-June to late August. Fall programs start up in early September.

  • Total7
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

63rd Street Beach Details

63rd Street Beach
6301 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone Number: 312742PLAY
Year Established: 1871
Architect: Olmsted & Vaux

Official Website: ChicagoParkDistrict.com

63rd Street Beach Amenities

Restrooms: Yes
WiFi Available: Yes
Dogs Allowed: No
Playgrounds: Yes
Accessible: Yes
Hours: 6:00am - 11:00pm
What's Near 63rd Street Beach

  • MSI
  • 57th Street Beach
  • Dusable Museum
  • Oriental Museum
  • Washington Park
  • Lakefront Trail
  • Jackson Park
  • Home
  • Chicago Theaters
Privacy and Cookie Statement • Chicago Traveler