gillson park

chicagowestlooper

Endless beaches that allow the visitor to select between a crowd or solitude. Great playground equipment for kids. Beautiful natural setting with trees galore!

margaretb484

It is a beautiful park/beach for walking, sunbathing, exercising playing all kinds of outdoor games. The beach area is compared by some to the French Riviera.

Cooper_Flyod

This park is overrun with visitors. Parking is terrible and it gets messy throughout the weekend. There are much better beaches in Evanston.

AdventurerJudy

Love, the beach, the park, the fireworks, a jog with the 4th of july annual fun run, or just a jog through and around the park. I have been going there for over 50 years. The beach is great and swimming is a delight, but this summer the water was really cold.

I5357UJmichaelp

If you want to see what Chicago looked like before anyone settled there, visit the Grove on Milwaukee Avenue, just south of Lake in Glenview.

M2S-P

It is always a treat to walk along the beach during all the four seasons. The waves may be choppy and loud or lapping softly, the shore icy or sandy, the sunset and sunrise usually spectacular and the scene changes everyday! Summer means free performances at the Wallace Bowl, and memorable time spent with little ones playing in the sand.

FootballFangirl

We came to Chicago from Omaha specifically to visit a Lake Michigan beach and we were not disappointed in choosing this one! We found a parking spot on the street at the edge of the park (free!) and walked down past the fenced-in part of the beach to the no-swimming end (also free!)- this was ok, since we weren't really going to swim anyway (the water was way too cold!) and we wanted to bring our picnic with us (something you can't do on the swimming side). They will let you get about ankle-deep in the surf, which our 5 year-old thoroughly enjoyed and took advantage of. The water was crystal clear and sky blue all the way to the horizon. The sand was soft and clean and it wasn't too crowded (we were there on a Thursday morning/afternoon). It was a really perfect day!

RuthR34

EVERY THING you could want in a park is here! Sports fields, beaches, dog beach, tennis, music & entertainment...Absolute Plus for our neighborhood!

Katlarko

this is a wonderful open space and has a park for the little ones near tennis courts and the beach and lake. lots of area to run and play. also there are grill areas but they need to be reserved.this park gets very crowded on nice weekends and the grill areas fill fast. there is a dog beach at the south end of the park and a center at the north end of the park with indoor toilets. portapotties near the tennis courts. Parking is very tight. plan to get there early unless you are a resident with a beach parking pass.

Pixelpanderer

A place to swim or kayak in the summer. A place to see the leaves turn in the fall. A place to walk the lake shore (carefully) in the winter. A place to watch migrating birds in the spring. I have done this for over 40 years.

Turtleliving

Gillson Park may not look particularly special at first, but keep on exploring! It is right on Lake Michigan with open access to the beach off-season. It has an amphitheater that is fun to walk around in when there are no performances. It also has a nearby nature garden (just west of the theater area) with little winding paths including a tiny bridge. Plus it has big open space, beautiful trees, a children's area as well as tennis courts. We're not done yet! It is also right next to a harbour (on its south end) that in warmer months houses various boats. Even when there are no boats to admire, be sure to check out the view of the nearby Baha'i Temple. A favorite time to visit is sunset when the changing colors of the sky offer a beautiful backdrop to the temple.