I'm a CA native now living in the Midwest so miss the beach. I've been to Chicago many times but never thought about going to the beach. Last summer we finally went to Lake Michigan and was surprised that it looked just like the Pacific Ocean. The water was blue and clear (not like the muddy brown lakes of NE and IA). This year we decided to stay in Evanston instead of doing downtown Chiacago again. We went to Lighthouse Beach with our 6 year old and 3 year old. It was a great beach. There is a play ground by the beach, a parking lot, bathrooms, life guards, and lots of areas for shade if you want to stay out of the sun. It was beautiful and convenient. The only downside is that it costs $12 per person if you are a visitor. So for a family of 4...it gets pricey. But I guess that helps to keep the beaches nice. Def a beach to visit if you are in the Chicago area! read more

Lighthouse Beach - Beaches Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Grew up not far from there. Take the family there on occasion. Small, nice, and quiet. There is a tucked away fire pit that can rented out and you can go there at night (no life guards then of course). You can take a cool stroll around the old light house as well. read more

Beautiful beach! I'm a native Chicagoan and lived there for 32 years, spending most summers at Fullerton Ave or Montrose St beaches. I had never been to Lighthouse Beach, so my wife and I decided to spend a day there. It was immaculate, had plenty of parking just a few feet away (on a weekday), and there were 5 lifeguards! Highly recommended for the family. If you are not an Evanston resident, you will want 2 apps: the Yodel Portal to buy a pass, and Park Evanston to pay for parking. There is a parking terminal there for credit cards, but the screen was fogged over so I could not see what I was doing. read more

After visiting a friend who lives in Evanston, I happened upon this adorable little beach. There was a storm brewing so I stopped for a few minutes to check out the gorgeous sky over Lake Michigan. Tucked away almost hidden, I found a clean beach, a walking trail, an elevated lookout area and a variety of trees and foliage. There is certainly a lot to offer for such a small area. Since it was after the bustling summer season, there were only a few of us enjoying this adorable bit of nature. There was a couple walking the beach and a family walking the small trail. I had stopped for a cup of coffee before arriving. So I sipped my hot beverage on a brisk afternoon and enjoyed the show the stormy fall sky was offering. I thoroughly appreciated this tiny piece of nature just minutes from the high energy city of Chicago. I will definitely visit again when I am looking for a moment to relax. read more

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Beautiful in the summer.Lots of places to sit and watch Birds and set up for small picnic.

There's a nice beach with a park and lighthouse. Parking is $0.5 per hour, which is pretty acceptable. Great view from a little Tera car and picnic area. read more

Lighthouse Beach - Beaches Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

This is one of my favorite places. The beach is smaller, but the views are beautiful. It's always very clean, and there's a park nearby. There's also a lawn up by the mansion where I do yoga with Heaven Meets Earth studio at sunrise. There's nothing else like it... read more

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Like this beach. The stones on the bottom of the water reduces the stars. But a small beach with a lighthouse. Recommended

Little beach! Light houses are synonymous with large towers, but Lighthouse Beach is tiny. We came to see the actual light house and walked the beach as we explored. It was mid February when we were here, but it happened to be 50 degrees that day so the beach.... why not? I was surprised they even have lifeguard posts on this beach it seemed so small. I guess the lighthouse, the surrounding parks, and the neighborhood all bring in people to this beach. Anyway, it does seem like a nice beach. Since it's still winter there is actually snow / ice on top of the sand. I don't think I'll go in Lake Michigan today but it looks tempting. read more

Small, clean ol' beach situated right next to Grosse Point Lighthouse. Somehow I seem to always find myself here whenever in Evanston. Of the handful of times I've visited, I've never seen the admission fee in effect as mentioned by others. Always seems to be free to wander around and even a free small parking lot to park at. Anyways, by no means is this a large and extensive beach. Could almost be considered a small private beach, but it's definitely open to public. Not much to see from here compared to other beaches closer to Chicago. There's a pretty large building that's being erected at Northwestern which looks to be a stadium that's in the works. Other than that, enjoy the relatively emptiness, clean sand, and water this small beach has to offer. This spot even has public restrooms and showers to rinse off which are quite the amenity at any beach. That's all I got on this one. 'Til next time, cheers! 241/365 read more

While in town visiting family we decided to kill time at the beach with the grandchildren since we are normally land locked. This beach was recommended however we were told there was a fee when we walked up. The five of us who obviously were not going to spend the day let alone an hour, we had no "gear" with us and in blue jeans. Worst yet it was a cool (69) breezy day! We were told this is a private beach for residents only unless we paid. However I noticed a mom and her kid walked in without question. I asked if she knows all the residents from Evanston because she surely did not ask them for a resident badge/permit. I supposed we were not the "right" people attending the beach? We were told we should go to the public beach in the city! News flash.... I don't do the city scene!! Very disappointing!!! ‍ Is this what Evanston is about? read more

Can you put a price on lying at the beach, watching clouds go by on a perfect July day? Answer: Yes. And that price is $8 per person. *** I'll admit that price seemed kind of steep, but then I took into account my general cheapness and the fact that they had a free parking lot, lifeguards, the beach was clean, rather quiet, not at all crowded, has a cool lighthouse, and handy bathrooms with those outside shower things to get the sand off you before you go to your car and it seemed like a really fair price. In fact, I'd rather pay the $8 to come all the way up to Evanston and go to the beach than to just a-line into the city for the gnarly free beeches there. It's worth it to be in the cleaner, quieter, more relaxing atmosphere that's clearly using your $8 entry fee wisely by hiring staff and keeping the shoreline in almost pristine condition. I do wish they'd charge a lesser fee after a certain hour because it sucks to pay the full price at like, 5:30 when there's hardly any daylight left to enjoy the beach, but I get that they're probably just trying to make things less complicated with the one fee. Plus, it's super easy to sneak in here... not that I'm admitting guilt or anything, but just in case you were wondering. It does involve a bit of trespassing on private property though and you *might* have to walk through a homeless squatter's bed/empty bottle collection/and other various treasures collection to get there. ... or you can just pony up the 8 bucks. I'll let you weigh it out on your own. read more

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Beaches should be free, and charging $12 a person for this beach is a joke. Don't go, lifeguard are idiots as well and don't let you swim in the water, they don't wanna actually do their job just sit in their tent. Don't know how the city can employ lifeguards that don't want to do their job and just sit in chairs. Our kids wanted to swim and were told no, super unprofessional. Go somewhere else!!! read more

They charge $10/person for an entrance fee, for something that should be accessible for free. What's so special about this beach anyway? Even the world's most beautiful beaches are free, why charge $10 PER PERSON. It's honestly not worth the time and money, it's a small beach. Save some money and head someplace else. read more

A great place to go if you want to hear "No! You can't do that!" From the lifeguards the whole time. Pay to enter the beach? Absolutely not. Skip this place and go to ANY other beach in Illinois for a better time. read more

You need a beach pass to even enter the beach. They don't even inform us kn where to get an access pass to even enter.

It pains me to give my childhood beach a bad rating. This is the beach at which I grew up. Practiced swimming. Got sunburned. Saw 4th of July fireworks. Hid in the rocks from police strobe lights at night. Got hit in the face with multitudes of dead alewive. Amongst many other things. But as I've grown up and seen other beaches around the country and the world, I have begun to realize that it isn't normal or necessary for a town to charge $7 per day simply for the privilege of going to the beach! Nor is it necessary to bind with buoys a microscopic swimming area and enforce it with draconian whistleblowing. The bound area only allowed me to go in up to my chest when I was 8. Now, I'd maybe be able to get my hips wet before the dreaded whistle tweet. I don't see any lifeguards blowing whistles at me when I'm at Venice Beach in California - even though there are constant truck-sized waves aiming themselves at my head and an undertow that could drag me out and drown me anytime it chose. They just have signs that are like, 'Danger, Undertow (Duh)' - thus acknowledging the non-stupidity of its patrons - and it's free. In fact, all the beautiful beaches I've been to in California are free (of both charge and silly buoys). Same with New York and Oregon and North Carolina. Hell, even the beaches in Chicago are free - all you have to do is go 3 miles south to gain free admission to a beach that, quality-wise, is identical to Lighthouse: buoys placed by paranoid grandmothers, a 50% chance of dead fish washed up everywhere, sand that is half composed of hamburger wrappers, and freezing water. Ah, the beach of my youth, you know that I love you despite these things, and my family gets a season pass every year, so I go to you every time I visit home. But I am aware that that is strictly because of nostalgia. read more

We got there on the fourth of July to enjoy the day after the parade and it was a nice day to enjoy the beach. There beach is clean and with enough space to place volleyball among other sports. Unfortunately there is a small space you can enjoy the water since there were only a couple of life guards. So we were limited to a smaller space than the beach allows. The bathrooms can use a bit of more cleaning. And the water to rinse your feet and body needs to be more like a shower. Would come back just to enjoy the beach for a small group. read more

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This is not so much a beach as a general recreational area. This is why I like it so much despite the water being closed so often. (Apparently there are locks full of sewer water that the village of Winnetka dumps into Lake MIchigan, and all the rain we've been getting this summer filling their locks faster is why the water is closed so often at Evanston and Chicago beaches. Thanks a lot, jerks.) There's a playground, a picnic area with a pavilion and tables, a grassy field, and a little trail past the lighthouse where they let wildflowers grow until the sand overtakes the soil and turns the vegetation into grasses. There are also trees and shrubs around the field, so there's a lot of wildlife--chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, birds, and (ugh) mosquitoes. The rinse station is very convenient, with three spigots at different heights so that you can rinse just your feet, or your whole body, while somebody else rinses, too. The drinking fountains are very clean and the walking paths are maintained pretty well. Then there's the lighthouse. There aren't a whole ton of them around the Chicago area, and this one is lovely. The Evanston Arts Center appears to be part of the property, too. It looks to me as if somebody could make a day of this place--visit the arts center, have a picnic, and finish it all off with a trail walk and a swim. Despite all the options Lighthouse Beach offers, parking is surprisingly easy to obtain, much easier than many of the other beaches in Evanston. read more

Life guard would not let me sit down at her picnic table in the shade to have my lunch at her beach. She literally told me so go sit in a pile of dirt. F this place. read more

8$ for entry is a fair price for having a permit free parking lot. Wish the facilities were cleaner but overall had a great experience. read more

My 2 children and family have grown up around the Lighthouse Beach area for 20+ years. The day he showed me the house, I thorough he was crazy! But it was the best move ever. Light House beach has a swimming beach, seriously patrolled by Evanston Life Guards! Up away from the beach in a wooded area, is a stone built fire pit with circular dirt/stone seats that must be rented from the city of Evanston. Across the too small parking lot is a party pavilion with pic-nick tables and a gazebo overhead. It's steps away from Noah's Park, a beautifully maintained an updated facility with slides, swings, climbing, and a circular path around and ancient oak that looks upon Lake Michigan, it's a place to stand and belong. And it's a place to think who am I in this vast existence? Park open usual park hours. read more

Came here at night to see the perseids. It was darker than the surroundings and a great place to try to avoid the light pollution.

Hannah E. covers the annoyances of Evanston beaches well. Small swimming area, strict lifeguards, fees (residents can buy a pass at the beginning of the year). But if you're choosing Evanston beaches, Lighthouse is arguably the prettiest. There's a bit of a bluff and some natural areas to give it a little character, plus if you want a break from the sun and sand, you can peek into the art center (housed in a former grand house) or explore the lighthouse and its gardens. read more

My family spends as many days as possible during the summer at Lighthouse Beach. The beach is clean and the kids can have a great time digging in the sand and chasing the gulls. On a hot August day, the water is simply delightful. We've tried some other Evanston beaches when this one has been closed for riptides or other reasons, but we think this one is the best! There is also a playground right by the beach, which is wonderful! read more

This beach is nothing special: beach area is small and crowded. swimming area is even more reduced so life guard blow their whistle constantly as try to control people who go out side the area.. Not relaxing at all. Plus bathrooms are very nasty , no changing area and parking difficult.. I would assume if they are charge $8 each person to use a beach they should make it clean and more comfortable. Not impressed.... read more

It wasn't super crowded when we got here, but the beach was pretty small comparing to other beaches I've been to... also probably the worst. They have an admission fee of $8 cash only which is kinda dumb. We sat in the back to get some shade, and it was dirty in that area - sand full of cigarette butts, feathers, twigs, you name it. Most of the time we were being swarmed by flies, mosquitoes, and even dandelions while lying on the sand. It was the most annoying thing ever. We just wanted to relax and we were constantly being bothered by the bugs. Then we were at the far left side of the water, and one of the lifeguards told us that we need to be closer to the middle of the beach. They wouldn't even let people go that far. Our experience here was definitely not worth $8. I'd say skip this beach and go to a free one instead. read more

Hands down agree that this is the prettiest of the six beaches in Evanston. I love coming to the lighthouse and walking to the back of the house is this gorgeous view! I love coming here in the summer, it seems like it is one of the more crowded beaches in Evanston as well. The summer breeze is just fantastic when you are standing behind the lighout, which is more elevated than the rest of the beach area. I also love the many shaded area around the lighthouse. I am looking forward to checking out the art center, next time I will definitely make a stop. Of course the low rating of this beach comes from many frustration that beaches should be free, but is not. Also, Lake Michigan is a Lake, so it does not have salt water and the beach area is generally pretty small, feels almost like a man made beach. However, I am thankful everyday that Evanston is right on the edge of Lake Michigan, where else can you get a small city college town feel with the scenery of the magnificent lakeshore? The lakeshore never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I walked down to enjoy a refreshing breeze and the serene sound of waves. read more