Chicago Lakefront
Chicago Lakefront
5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
12 reviews
Excellent
12
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Irina
United States14,156 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
The city of Chicago is so lucky to have such a gorgeous Lakefront. It is just beautiful in any season, in any kind of weather, both for its citizen and for tourists from all over the world.
The beauty of Chicago Lakefront is hard to define - it is in scenery, in colors, in architecture, it is in the skyline of the city. The beauty of Chicago Lakefront is magnetic. It is historic buildings, lavish hotels and skyscrapers, unforgettable huge parks, the iconic Navy Pier and Chicago River, the ever-so-busy Lake Shore Drive, the eighteen miles of Lakefront Trail along the fantastic Lake Michigan and multiple welcoming beaches ... It is also the dedicated work of the city authorities, all its businesses, and all its people.
Beauty is sure in the eye of the beholder, but it is hard not to notice, it is hard not to admire, and it is impossible to forget.
Chicago Lakefront IS beautiful.
The beauty of Chicago Lakefront is hard to define - it is in scenery, in colors, in architecture, it is in the skyline of the city. The beauty of Chicago Lakefront is magnetic. It is historic buildings, lavish hotels and skyscrapers, unforgettable huge parks, the iconic Navy Pier and Chicago River, the ever-so-busy Lake Shore Drive, the eighteen miles of Lakefront Trail along the fantastic Lake Michigan and multiple welcoming beaches ... It is also the dedicated work of the city authorities, all its businesses, and all its people.
Beauty is sure in the eye of the beholder, but it is hard not to notice, it is hard not to admire, and it is impossible to forget.
Chicago Lakefront IS beautiful.
Written September 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CharlieinTexas
Austin, TX5,151 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
Walking or riding a bike along the waterfront, or sitting on the bench, it’s just part of what makes this city a fabulous place to visit. Pretty much accessible from anywhere in the city, it’s just a nice place to be/go to.
Written July 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,483 contributions
Nov 2020
My wife and I have been to Central Park in New York City. Nice. But it doesn't have Lake Michigan. For us, there is no better place to take a leisurely and scenic stroll than Chicago's lakefront, which includes the city's beaches and four major parks--Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park and Jackson Park. Chicago's Lakefront Trail is an 18.5-mile long paved path for walking, jogging, cycling and skateboarding, not to mention the scenic views of Lake Michigan and Chicago's skyline. During the summer months, 70,000 people use the trail. This isn't summer, it is mid-December, cold but surprisingly dry. No ice on Lake Michigan, just a chilly and brisk wind from the northeast. Until it gets too cold or snowy, we enjoy taking daily walks through Lincoln Park and weekend treks along the lakefront trail from North Avenue Beach to Montrose Beach and North Avenue Beach to Oak Street Beach. The view of Chicago's skyline from North Avenue Beach is spectacular, a picture postcard. We have never done it but you can walk or bike all the way to the Museum of Science and Industry at South 55th Street in Hyde Park. Instead, to the south, we have ventured to the Museum Campus, making visits to the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. To the north, observe Waveland Clock Tower. It's interesting to view the boats in Belmont Harbor and Monroe Harbor. The trail also connects with Navy Pier, Illinois' most popular tourist attraction, but it currently is closed due to the pandemic.
Written December 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IAN D
Wigan, UK26,256 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
So good that this amazing city as such a beautiful lake to lap its shores. The lakefront is so beautiful. Words do not do justice,
Written September 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan K
Brooklyn45 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
When in Chicago, make sure you do a lakefront run/walk from Ohio Street up to Fullerton and back. Great views and beautiful beachfront!!!
Written July 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah C
Ashtead, UK1,304 contributions
Oct 2022
Always breathtaking, we walked from Millennium Park along the lakefront to Oak Street Beach. The view out across the lake and back into the City are awesome and the walk is very easy
Written August 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rolf A
Chicago, IL413 contributions
Jan 2020
Lake Michigan not only provides drinking water for Chicago and more than 100 suburbs, it also gives Chicago a unique skyline panorama like no other city in the world. There is also Chicago public bus transportation along much of the lakefront giving riders spectacular views of a great lake and a great city.
Written January 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,483 contributions
Sep 2018
Sometimes I think Chicagoans take the Lakefront for granted. My wife and I have lived on the Chicago Lakefront for 42 years and I often wonder if we taken advantage of it or appreciate it as much as we should. After all, how many people live next to such a beautiful piece of nature as Lake Michigan? I'm not talking about the Chicago Lakefront Trail, the 18-mile-long path for walking, jogging and cycling. I'm talking about the 17-mile-long stretch of public land that belongs to all of us, from South Shore and Jackson Park in the South to Hollywood Drive and Montrose Beach to the North. If you have access to a boat, you can get a magnificent view of the landscape from a mile or two offshore. It is unique in the world, a paradise of the people. You can experience the feeling by driving from south to north along Lake Shore Drive, watching Chicago's skyline grow bigger and bigger...South Shore Country Club, dating to 1916, Jackson Park (designed after New York City's Central Park and dating to 1893), the Museum of Science and Industry, the University of Chicago, Promontory Point, McCormick Place, Soldier Field, Northerly Island, Field Museum, Lake Shore East, Museum Campus, Millennium Park, Navy Pier and the 15-story Ferris wheel, Lake Point Tower, Streeterville, East Lake Shore Drive, Drake Hotel, Oak Street Beach, the Gold Coast, North Avenue Beach, Lincoln Park, Montrose Beach. Along the way, you see the tall skyscrapers...Willis Tower, John Hancock Building, Aon Building, Trump Tower, Aqua Building, Water Tower Place and 868-80 Lake Shore Drive, the iconic, revolutionary glass-covered residential buildings designed by architect Meis van der Rohe, And don't forget the Prudential Building, once the tallest building in Chicago. Today, it is dwarfed by surrounding mega-structures. Put them all together and it's a sight unlike any other, a haven for birders, boaters, bathers, joggers, walkers, picnicers, bikers, kayakers, tourists and sightseers. It's a treasure that more locals should appreciate.
Written September 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RhotanVonRhotan
Chicago, Illinois, United States244 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
I love the lakefront, great to run along the lake, plenty of water fountains along the way- you can do over 20 miles along the lakefront from Hollywood Ave to South Shore! Also biking and sand volleyball at North Beach
Written July 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Allan T
San Diego, CA56 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
The Chicago Lakefront is distinctive because it is an open area with very few buildings and no private property along the main thoroughfare. The open walkways and parkland are accessible to all. It is fun to walk, run, or ride along the walkway and enjoy the lake to the east and the city front to the west. The lakefront extends for miles along the almost the length of the city. There are multiple beaches, sitting and picnic areas. The lakefront is open all year though it does tend to get colder and windier than the rest of the city due to the offshore breezes.
Written June 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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