Montrose Beach: Respite from Chicago's downtown
Oak Street and North Avenue Beach in the Gold Coast absorb a lot of the summer beach traffic, but with more space and calmer waters, Montrose Beach further north up the lakefront acts as a respite from the overflowing downtown beach scenes.
Montrose beach is located a few miles up north near the Montrose harbor. On weekends, beachgoers might spend 20 minutes driving around trying to find parking on the street or in a designated lot but eventually a vacant spot will appear.
The beach is only a small portion of the mammoth park. There’s a soccer field replete with goals, patches of grass suited for grilling out, a harbor filled with boats and of course the expansive beach hidden away from the rest of the park.
In the summertime, the white sands of Lake Michigan become interspersed with the bikini-clad trying to get bronzed, children making sandcastles and teams playing beach volleyball. Getting to the beach involves walking through the park and over petite rolling sand dunes.
Luckily, the beach is wide and long to accommodate a lot of people even on the hottest of days without overcrowding. Montrose is only one of two beaches in Chicago that allows dogs on the beach and also allows non-motorized sports such as canoeing and kayaking. Despite feeling worlds away from downtown, one can still admire the downtown skyline while wading in the cool water.
HelloChicago Tip: Beachgoers bring their own coolers filled with beverages and food, but beachside eatery Daniel’s Mexican food cooks up traditional Mexican food, The Dock further down the beach sells burgers and ice cream and vendors cater to the kids offering cotton candy and balloons.
Posted by Garin Pirnia
