12th Street Beach
Chicago
Canoe, Kayak, and Swim
12th Street Beach is a Chicago Park District swimming beach on Lake Michigan at 1200 S. Linn White Drive, on the Northerly Island peninsula just south of the Adler Planetarium at the Museum Campus in Burnham Park. The sand runs along the east shore of the peninsula, facing open lake, with the downtown skyline a couple of kilometers to the northwest. It belongs to Northerly Island Park, and the Park District dates the beach to the 1920s.
By car, take the Museum Campus exit from Lake Shore Drive onto Solidarity Drive toward the Adler, then head south on Linn White Drive. The Park District lists a parking lot with a pay gate and limited street parking. Those spaces are shared with planetarium visitors and with crowds for shows at the Huntington Bank Pavilion next door, so plan ahead on event days. CTA bus 146 (Inner Drive/Michigan Express) serves the beach, and the Lakefront Trail brings walkers and cyclists in from downtown and the South Side.
Swimming is allowed only in the marked swim areas and only while lifeguards are on duty, 11 am to 7 pm daily from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day. The beach itself is open 6 am to 11 pm, but outside lifeguard hours and outside the season the water is off limits. Distance swimmers may swim parallel to shore along the boat line, and kayaks and other non-motorized craft can launch from the beach. Lake Michigan stays cold into June and can drop sharply overnight when wind pushes warm surface water offshore. There is an accessible beach walk to the shoreline.
Admission is free, as it is at every Chicago Park District beach; the only cost is parking. The beach house has restrooms and a concession stand selling food and drinks. Park District beach rules apply: no alcohol, no smoking, no dogs on the sand, and only Coast Guard approved flotation devices in the water.
Check the flag before going in. Green means open, yellow means a swim advisory (issued, for example, when a water sample tops 1000 CCE of Enterococci bacteria), and red means a swim ban. The Park District updates conditions around 11 am for weather and surf and around 1:30 pm for water quality. Swim Guide reports this beach passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time. Waves and rip currents are the bigger danger here, and swimmers have died after going in on red-flag days near the break wall south of the Adler. Outside the season swimming is prohibited until the beach reopens on Memorial Day weekend.
The beach has a history worth knowing. Northerly Island was built as landfill in the 1920s, and when an aviation group asked to use it as a landing strip, women's organizations pushed for a public bathing beach instead, which the park commissioners approved. The island later hosted the 1933-34 Century of Progress fair and then Meigs Field airport, which was shut down for good in 2003; the Park District built the current beach house in the late 1990s. South of the beach, the Northerly Island natural area has walking paths, and the Adler, Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum are a short walk north. Sections of the Lakefront Trail are sometimes closed for repair, one stretch at a time, so check the Park District's notices.
More Information
12th Street Beach
12th Street Beach is located at 1200 S. Linn White Drive (12th Street at Lake Michigan on Northerly Island) and is nestled just south of Adler Planetarium on Chicago’s Museum Campus in Burnham Park. Beachgoers can enjoy food and beverages from the concessionaire located at the beach house. The beach house also offers restrooms. A non-motorized boat launch is available at the beach, and distance swimming can take place parallel to the shore at boat line. Parking is available in a paid lot along with limited street parking. This beach has an accessible beach walk. For questions regarding
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/12th-street-beach12th Street Beach - Swim Guide
The 12th Street Beach is located just south of the heart of Chicago on the Northerly Island Peninsula, on the shore of Lake Michigan. The beach is host to great fishing and swimming and there is the opportunity to do distance swimming at the 12th Street Beach. There is a pay-to-park lot located at the beach. The beach has public washrooms and there is a wheelchair accessible walk at the beach.
https://www.theswimguide.org/beach/47512th Street Beach in Chicago | Choose Chicago
Explore business details, location & directions, contact information, website information, and so much more for the 12th Street Beach at Choose Chicago.
https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/12th-street-beachBeaches | Chicago Park District
Lakefront Trail Maintenance Alert: Over the next several months, repairs will be made throughout the trail, one section at a time. Work will start on the south end and move north. Signage will be placed ahead of the construction site. Please be alert and safe, and avoid these active construction work zones. Learn more: Lakefront Trail Maintenance. Posted 9/15/26
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/beachesMan dies, another rescued from Lake Michigan at 12th Street Beach, Chicago police say - ABC7 Chicago
Chicago police said two men were rescued at 12th Street Beach Wednesday after jumping into Lake Michigan. One man later died at Northwestern Hospital.
https://abc7chicago.com/15155737Northerly Island Park
Northerly Island Park is a 119.7-acre park situated along the Lake Michigan shoreline on Chicago’s beautiful Museum Campus. Chicago's famous architect and planner Daniel H. Burnham imagined Northerly Island as one of the northernmost points in a series of manmade islands stretching between Grant and Jackson Parks and exists as the only island to be completed. The site of the Century of Progress World Fair in 1933, Northerly Island has since been transformed into an urban nature sanctuary, making it the ideal location to investigate the intersection of Chicago’s natural and built environments. This lakefront Natural Area features prairie and savanna, a 5-acre pond, and strolling paths that offer great views for observing birds and other native wildlife. The path runs along the western side of the peninsula, terminating at the southern end. There are over 150 different varieties of native plants and an emerging savanna with 20,000 trees and shrubs, all of which provide an ecosystem for migratory and local birds. Northerly Island offers year-round outdoor and environmental programs that are a catalyst for bringing communities together to develop an awareness, appreciation and knowledge of our natural environment. Programs include youth nature programs, guided nature field trips & tours, camping, fishing, paddling and annual seasonal festivals that highlight nature in the city, such as the popular Polar Adventure Days. Today, Daniel Burnham’s vision is now a reality. With wild prairie grasses taking root, strolling paths, superb fishing spots and rolling hills that frame a spectacular view of the City skyline, we invite you to come out and enjoy the emerging world of Northerly Island. The Northerly Island’s Visitor Center is open weekdays from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/northerly-island-parkPolar Bear Swimmer Ch. 1 Vol. 11 #6 : Film : Chicago Film Archives
Dedicated to collecting, preserving and providing access to films that represent the Midwest. We hold over 30,000 films and 2,000 audio recordings, including thousands of media items accessible online.
https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/13585
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel & camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of other visitors
Directions
From Chicago
- Head east on W Washington St toward N Clark St (394 ft)
- Turn right onto N Clark St (0.5 mi)
- Turn left onto W Congress Pkwy/
W Ida B. Wells Dr Continue to follow W Ida B. Wells Dr(0.2 mi) - Continue onto East Ida B. Wells Drive (0.3 mi)
- Slight right toward S Columbus Dr (112 ft)
- Turn right onto S Columbus Dr (0.7 mi)
- Turn left onto E McFetridge Dr (0.3 mi)
- Turn left onto Special Olympics Dr (492 ft)
- Turn right onto E Solidarity Dr (0.2 mi)
- Turn right onto S Linn White Dr (0.1 mi)
- Turn right to stay on S Linn White Dr (331 ft)
- Turn leftRestricted usage road(174 ft)
- Turn leftRestricted usage road(266 ft)
The sand at 12th Street Beach with the Adler Planetarium in the background. courtesy of w_lemay↗ (CC BY-SA 2.0↗)
Shoreline and swim area at 12th Street Beach on Northerly Island. courtesy of w_lemay↗ (CC BY-SA 2.0↗)
Lake Michigan from the sand at 12th Street Beach. courtesy of w_lemay↗ (CC BY-SA 2.0↗)
12th Street Beach in Northerly Island Park. courtesy of Raed Mansour↗ (CC BY 2.0↗)
The Northerly Island beach (12th Street Beach) below the Adler Planetarium. courtesy of DwightSchruteDunderMifflin↗ (CC BY 4.0↗)
The 12th Street Beach bath house, with restrooms and a concession stand. courtesy of w_lemay↗ (CC BY-SA 2.0↗)
Swimmers in the water at 12th Street Beach in August 1973 (EPA Documerica photo). courtesy of The U.S. National Archives↗ (Public domain↗)
Families on the sand at 12th Street Beach in the summer of 1973 (EPA Documerica photo). courtesy of John H. White↗ (Public domain↗)
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