Hours
Park Hours
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
Foster Beach is located at 5200 N. Lake Shore Drive (at Foster Avenue and Lake Michigan) in Lincoln Park. Amenities include a beach house with food concessions, bike rentals and restrooms. Distance swimming is from Center Tower to north end of beach, parallel to shore at boat line. Pay and display parking lot is available along with ADA accessible beach walk.
Swimming Distance: center tower to north end of beach, parallel to shore at boat line
History
A surprising amount of what is now Lincoln Park is made from landfill. Lincoln Park’s final landfill extension was completed in the 1950s between Foster Avenue and Ardmore Avenue, and the fill included a new beach at Foster Avenue.
Planning and design for the extension started in 1947, but construction and fill did not begin until three years later. The fill project continued over the majority of the decade, and finally finished in 1958.
E.V Buchsbaum designed the beach house for the site, which was constructed between the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the 1990s, a new beach house provided improved facilities and amenities.
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:
147 Outer Drive Express
151 Sheridan
CTA Red Line Station:
Berwyn
Map & Facilities
Foster Beach - Wheel of Fun Rentals | Concession
Foster & Lakeshore drive
Chicago, IL 60640
United States
:
(773) 758-4382
Foster Beach - Prairie Café | Concession
Foster & Lakeshore drive
Chicago, IL 60640
United States
:
(312) 375-3475
Foster Beach - La Playa Concession | Concession
Foster & Lakeshore drive
Chicago, IL 60640
United States
:
(773) 820-2679
