63rd Street Beach
63rd Street Beach
63rd Street Beach House
63rd Street Beach House
63rd Street Beach House Interactive Water Feature
63rd Street Beach House Interactive Water Feature
63rd Street Beach House
63rd Street Beach House
63rd Street Beach
63rd Street Beach
Location:

6300 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637

Location Notes:

E. Hayes Drive @ Lake Michigan

Located Within: Jackson (Andrew) Park
Features: Has Restroom, Metered Lot Parking
Is Accessible
Note: Has an accessible path of travel (beach walk) to the shoreline.  Additionally, a beach wheelchair is available for free use with a valid ID.  Visit the lifeguard office at the beach house to check one out.

Rules

  • Swim only when lifeguards are on duty.
  • Follow lifeguards’ instructions.
  • Only Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices (PFDs) are permitted. Person-children wearing PFDs should have adult present.
  • No smoking.
  • No alcohol.
  • No dogs on the beach.
  • Do not feed birds or wildlife.
  • Dispose of trash and recycling in appropriate containers.
  • Grill in designated areas only and dispose of coals in red barrels.
  • Keep accessible beach walks clear. No bicycling, skateboarding or rollerblading is permitted in these areas.
  • Access to the Lake Michigan Water Trail for sports such as kayaking, canoeing and other non-motorized board or paddle sports is allowed at the south end of 63rd Street Beach.
  • No surfing or kiteboarding. Kiteboarding is ONLY permitted at Montrose Beach.

 

Hours

Facility Hours
Day Time slot Comment
Sunday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm
Monday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm
Tuesday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm
Wednesday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm
Thursday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm
Friday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm
Saturday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm

Hours Notes

The beach is open from 6 am to 11 pm, but swimming is only permitted during the beach season when lifeguards are on duty from 11 am to 7 pm, in designated swim areas.  The beach season runs from the Friday before Memorial Day, through Labor Day.

Description

63rd Street Beach is located at 6300 S. Lake Shore Drive. (E. Hayes Drive @ Lake Michigan) in Jackson Park. Beach goers can enjoy a wide array of amenities at this beach.  Stop by Belly Up for some Jamacian food or Leave With a Smile offering snacks and beverages. The historic beach house also offers beach goers amenities that include restrooms, interactive water fountains, showers, and meeting rooms.  The beach house is available to rent.

Bikes are available to rent from Bike Chicago at this beach. There is a non-motorized boat launch site.  A natural area provides much needed habitat for migrating birds in the spring and fall seasons. Distance swimming is located at 64th Street, parallel to shore between 1st and 3rd buoys. There is an ADA accessible beach walk. There is a pay and display parking lot.

Be sure to “check-in” on Foursquare at this location to unlock the Windy City Foursquare Badge! Foursquare users who “check-in” at five of 20 designated cultural and small business attractions will receive the Windy City badge.

Distance swimming area: parallel to shore

For questions regarding Chicago beaches, email beaches3@chicagoparkdistrict.com

History

The renowned designers of New York’s Central Park, Olmsted & Vaux, laid out Jackson Park along with the adjacent Midway Plaisance and Washington Park in 1871. The area had a paved beach made from granite bricks, which was extended to cover the entire lakefront in Jackson Park by 1888.

Considering that raw sewage was dumped into Lake Michigan at that time, it is not surprising that the beaches were used as paved drives for strolling or promenading, rather than wading or bathing. In 1899, when the completion of Chicago’s innovative Drainage Canal began diverting the sewage to other locations, the lakefront became a desirable place for public bathing.

After the turn of the century, and after hearing many requests from South Side residents for more beaches, the South Park Commissioners decided to extend the beach sand area. They developed a new plan for the landfill in 1914, and completed the 10-acre beach extension three years later.

This plan also included an elaborate bathing pavilion, which was constructed adjacent to the beach by 1919. In 2000, The Chicago Park District completed renovations of the bathing pavilion, now known as the 63rd Street Beach House.

The 63rd Street Beach House is an elegant Classical Revival style pavilion. South Park Commission in-house architects produced plans for the impressive building. Completed in 1919, the elegant exposed-aggregate concrete building takes full benefit of Lake Michigan with its open balconies and loggias (open-air galleries on the ground level) allowing for lovely lake views and comfortable breezes.

Historically, the building provided bathrooms and showers, medical rooms and separate courtyards for men and women with hundreds of wooden changing booths. The open courtyards no longer include wooden booths, but instead are attractively landscaped spaces with an interactive water feature (made possible by the Max Schiff Foundation).

Used by beach visitors, boaters and day campers, the facility can be reserved for special events.

Parking/Directions

Parking
Pay & display parking lot
Get rates and additional information.

Public Transit
The following public bus & train routes serve this beach:

CTA Bus Routes:
6 Jackson Park Express
15 Jeffery Local
26 South Shore Express
28 Stony Island
55 Garfield
59 59th/61st
63 63rd
67 67th/69th/71st

 

Map & Facilities

63rd St. Beach - Reggie's on the Beach | Concession

6300 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60649
United States

:
(773) 655-8681
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63rd St. Beach - Reggie's on the Beach | Concession

6300 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60649
United States

:
(773) 655-8681
Show on Map