Lake Michigan is Truly A Great Lake

the Chicago North Shore Beaches & Parks Fishing & Charters Chicago Cruises Chicago Lighthouse

Lake Michigan, the second largest Great Lake with 1,180 cubic miles of water, is the only Great Lake entirely within the United States.

Approximately 118 miles wide and 307 miles long, the majestic Lake Michigan offers more than 1,600 miles of beautiful shoreline and lakefront beaches for outdoor recreation and romantic lake getaways.

Lake Michigan Beaches & Parks. Visit one of the stunning sandy beaches along Lake Michigan’s North Shore that are open to the public during the summer. Five public beaches in Evanston - Lighthouse Beach, Clark Street Beach, Dempster/Greenwood Street Beach, Lee Street Beach, and South Boulevard Beach – offer boat launch, rentals, and miles of sandy beaches for surf and sun. Enjoy swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing, picnicking, tennis, and miles of biking and jogging paths along Lake Michigan.

Gillson Park & Beach in Wilmette offers 60 acres of beautiful Lake Michigan property for picnics, bicycling, volleyball, soccer, tennis, outdoor ice skating and year-round lakeside activities. Public swimming and wading is allowed in the lifeguarded swimming area of Gillson Beach. The Lake Michigan park also features Wallace Bowl, home of Wilmette's Starlight Theatre.  [Top]

Lake Michigan Fishing & Charters. Enjoy some the Midwest’s ultimate sailing, boating and fishing from Chicago’s North Shore, which runs for hundreds of miles and has an extensive variety of fish.

You can access the fishing waters from the Chicago Harbor (Monroe Harbor, Navy Pier, and Oak Street Beach), Wilmette Park Sailing Beach and Sheridan Shores Yacht Club in Wilmette, and the beaches and docks in Evanston, Winnetka, Highland Park, and Lake Forest. Charter a fishing boat, relax on a cruise, or find a spot on the shore and cast your fishing lines for a variety of trout and salmon, walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, nothernpike, crappie, catfish, rock bass, yellow perch, rainbow smelt and a host of other species. Whether you’re smelting in one of the harbors in downtown Chicago, or on a Charter Boat enjoying the view from several miles out near Door County, nothing compares to fishing on Lake Michigan.  [Top]

Exciting Lake Michigan, Chicago Cruises. Board the pleasure boats docked along Navy Pier's Dock Street for an offshore experience you won't forget. A wide range of vessels – from schooners to sightseeing boats – offer everything from elegant dinner cruises that include dancing and live entertainment to thrilling speedboat rides along Lake Michigan and water taxi rides between lakefront attractions.

Windy is Navy Pier's 148-foot, four-masted schooner offering 90-minute cruises, charters and educational trips days and evenings from May to October. The ship pays tribute to the Great Lakes' maritime heritage by featuring a design reminiscent of traditional American schooners. Windy’s 150 passengers help raise and trim her 11 sails and take turns at the ship's wheel. The Spirit of Chicago offers the liveliest parties on Lake Michigan with lunch, brunch or dinner sightseeing cruises. Enjoy a skyline narration during lunch cruises and live cabaret entertainment on dinner cruises, performed by talented entertainers. Step aboard the Odyssey or Mystic Blue for dinner and midnight cruises with elegant surroundings, fine dining and exceptional live entertainment.  [Top]

Lake Michigan North Shore Chicago Lighthouse. At 90 feet tall, Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston, Illinois is located in a scenic park on the shores of Lake Michigan in a setting with wildflower and butterfly gardens. You can tour this national historic landmark – built in 1873 - on weekends, June through September. The earliest lighthouse on Lake Michigan, the historic brick-lined steel tower of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse stands 48 feet tall in Chicago Harbor.  [Top]