A fantastic park is on the far South Side with some cool scenery including a beach. Calumet Park is one of my lesser appreciated favorites. It just about is as close as you can get to Indiana. Beach of course is the best part about here. The rest of the park has some gardens and hiking trails. Either in summer or winter it's a beautiful place for hanging. It has a few big parking lots. There's plentiful parking meaning it's usually easy to find somewhere. Beach is the most notable feature. This goes along a few miles. Certainly it isn't always pretty around here. There's some ugly old factories, including those across the lake in Gary, but besides that it's beautiful mostly. Be warned about the nuisances here, which include birds and bugs. It's especially bad in the summer. This park is most happening then and has features such as athletic facilities and other fun things. read more

See all

Beautiful park! Plenty of stone walkways, views of the lake, and trees for a relaxing experience. The park is huge and plenty of open space and various amenities, and kiddie playgrounds too. We enjoyed walking the dog and the views read more

See all

Great spot for fishing. Watch the rocks near the shore. I slipped and fell pretty good yesterday, it's definitely a excellent park to go bike riding and jogging as well. read more

Common sense 101 (section: nature & wild life) : when one is in a park, a garden, a forest or any other place where trees, grass, bushes and flowers are involved, one shouldn't go around smoking. Either cigars, cigarettes, or pipes of any sort. Including calumets (which are, I remind you, highly ornamented ceremonial pipes used by Native Americans. You are welcome.) Therefore Calumet Park should be an aberration. But it is not. Even though we invaded the parking lot on May 15th, it was pretty chilly and the blankets we had brought to picnic on the grass were used as....well, blankets. Panchos. Cloaks. Hoods. Whatever. We were pretty much freezing our butts off, that's for sure. But not enough to fail to appreciate our surroundings. Chicago climate fantasies apart, the park is quite nice and welcoming. Well-kept, big (198 acres) open and by the water there is even 3 little beaches for amateurs of industrial bathing. True, it is hard to ignore the factory landscape around. But be forgiving. You are in a historic place, part of the National Register and you have to respect its old age (105 years old this year folks). In any way it is a unique place that you have to discover to complete your city experience. No, it's not all about the North Side, its fast pace, its glamor and all its hipsters. The South has 'soul' written all over, and if you are willing to read the sign - you will be won over. Quick word of advice - beware of all things flying: - There are bugs aplenty and if you don't eat them, they'll eat you. - The seagulls were particularly fierce and demonstrative of their...um...love. If "The Birds" gives you nightmares, forget about seating by the lake. Or at least, skip the stop at "Calumet Fisheries" and come with your cat instead. read more

See all

Despite dead birds, rabid sea gulls, swarming bugs, and cold temps, I am a fan of this park. It's gorgeous. It's located directly on the water. It's home to a giant green space fit for soccer playing, grilling and/or sea gull terrorism. It's an incredibly relaxing place. I don't know much about it's history or what it's like at night. All I know is that when I drove into the parking lot, I immediately felt at home. The large lot abuts the green space and the beach/lakefront. A wall and a few stone steps is all that keeps you from the tranquil waters of Lake Michigan. And, the funny thing is, I am not being a smart ass. i was shocked to see the water here was clear. It wasn't murky and filled with three-eyed fish. Perhaps it's that way farther out (natch; you're headed to Indiana), but at the shore, it's clear. And that's a wonderful thing. Also at the shore, a small patch of green fit for snacking on poop fish. Evidently, my crew was not the first to have this idea as the local sea gulls were quite bold. One was so gangsta that it tried to sneak up on my food while my head was turned. For real. I have never seen 'bout it birds before. Chicago's gang problem extends to its fowl population. Fix this, JW! Absent the sea gulls throwing up signs and trying to jack my crew, I would definitely come back here on a warm, sunny day and spend some time looking into the (relatively) blue water and think about what wonderfully diverse areas one can find in this huge, confusing, frustrating, fascinating city. I'm telling you: explore! read more

As a native to Chicago, I've grown to love and appreciate various places to visit in Chicago. Calumet Park is one of them as its right on the lakefront (next to one of the worlds largest fresh-water bodies). There is a lot you can do at this park. In addition to the swimming, soccer/baseball/football fields, and large picnic areas, there is a huge parkhouse where one could attend various classes from gymnastics to exercise to dog training. This facility is also home to the Southeast Side Historical Society and to a group of model train enthusiasts. Be forewarned, though. When summer is at its peak on the weekends, this area can get jammed....but during the week and the "off-season", this is a great place to come and do whatever your heart desires. read more

I went to the beach here. I had a great day to have some tan at the beach! Take a look at what happened! Calumet Park is in Chicago, but it is about two minutes from the state of Indiana. This is a park to jog, have a picnic, and jog. Also, this is a park that you can actually SEE Indiana from here. It's pretty cool to actually see it because I don't see Indiana every day! I really enjoyed the beach! There is a concession stand near the beach to get some snacks. The water can be cold, but you can warm up in about 10 minutes. When you enter the water, there are a lot of rocks touching your feet. Then after a few more steps it's just sand. I'd just stay in the sandy area of the water. All in all, great park, and great beach! I will come back here. read more

Ever since I bought "Up" on DVD, I have been obsessed with Kevin, you know, the giant lady bird who runs around and loves chocolate. Sometimes I walk around the house flapping my pretend wings and making bird noises... a little strange but I do it quietly and never after midnight. (Don't worry, I also pretend to be Dug sometimes because talking dogs RULE). Calumet Park is deserving of so many stars not only because it is an enormous and relaxing park with grass and water and industrial buildings where I get to eat my Calumet Fisheries goodies, but also because the flock (more like swarm) of seagulls that were surrounding our party were a little intimidating. Naturally, I offered to scare them away and this involved me running around, making LOUD bird noises, in public, in front of people I know. Ordinarily I would get yelled at for doing this, but at Calumet Park my efforts were appreciated and even called upon. Score! Life does not get any better than that my friends. Minus one star because I saw a dead bird and got accosted by a swarm of gnats. Gross. read more

This is a vintage Chicago park. It was so nice to spend time in a place not crawling with humanity like most parks on the north side of the city. It is a great place to devour treats picked up at Calumet Fisheries. We sat in our car eating fried shrimp and looking out over the lake. Christopher was looking at his GPS and noted that about 30 feet out in the water is the Indiana border. Pretty cool!! The coast Guard is also located within the park. The beach area is small, but there are lots of boat launches. The park is also peppered with grills for picnicking. It is kind of fun to be able to drive through a large park like this. Snarfing down delicious shrimp in the process is delightful. read more

My visit to this park was the culmination of Tina B's fried taco event. We savored the delicacies of the neighborhood under the Skyway and then capped off the evening here. The neighborhood, typical of the great lakes rust belt areas which have seen better days when the steel industry was thriving, offered us a variety of culinary delights. (Warning: if you sign up for a Tina B food crawl, you need to prepare well ahead by starving yourself.) So I'm a little behind in my Yelp reviews. I'm writing this in November, 2009. But then again, we've had some nice days this November. The park is bounded by working class neighborhoods, rusting remnants of heavy industry along the river and an eyesore of an electrical generation plant across the Indiana border. The synonym I would use for the park is 'oasis.' I did a little bit of research on the park and it is on the National Register of Historic Places. With the winding roads and impressive buildings, obviously a lot of thought was put into laying out the park. The beach areas are tiny but add to the feeling of respite from the surrounding area. The obvious choice for grub in the area is Calumet Fisheries. Since they don't have any seating, Calumet Park is a convenient place to enjoy your freshly fried seafood. On the way, stop by Phil's Kastle and pick up your drink - the blue concoction gurgling in the cooler. read more

I've been to this park a fair share of times and, I've always had a good experience! Vary spacious and, has different sections which is a plus. Literally, everyone minds their business and, does their own thing! Every time I do come the park area is clean and, the grass is always mowed. I've never been into the bathrooms because I'm honestly not too big on that however, I've never heard anyone complain about the lack of cleanliness. This park is great for BBQ's, Family Reunions, Birthdays, Athletic games etc! read more

I love Calumet park! Whether you come here for the beach, a jog, a walk, or a picnic you'll always find a spot in this enormous park! And if you're lucky you'll get to see the Fire and Police helicopters take off from the north side of the park! I love catching a glimpse of the take offs and landings!! read more

go swimming-it's summer! hehe, i mean late spring...whatever! check this place out sometime b4 september-Live a little! read more

Calumet Park - Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This beach is great for families. During the day there are very few people and the majority of the people are families. The water is shallow, which is great for children. read more

Looks just like it did when I was a little girl living at 99th Street and Avenue J. Spent many delightful hours there as a girl.