49th Street Beach

Located in the neighborhood of Kenwood in Chicago, 49th Street Beach is a slightly small beach with large rocks, many pebbles, a considerable amount of gravel, some cemented portions, and a small amount of dark brown-colored sand.  This beach is part of a larger recreational park named Burnham Park. 

Although 49th Street Beach does not have lifeguards, this beach and the area near it have many other amenities including benches, restrooms, grassy recreational areas, walking paths, biking paths, basketball courts, baseball fields, tennis courts, and playgrounds.  Dogs are not allowed at 49th Street Beach.

49th Street Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, biking, fishing, wildlife watching, picnicking, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, boating, jet-skiing, and surf-skiing.  Water activities are officially prohibited and unsafe near 49th Street Beach because this beach does not have lifeguards and the water here can have dangerous waves and rip currents.  Despite the hazardous water conditions, swimmers occasionally swim here.  Scuba divers and snorkelers also frequently explore the vibrant underwater landscape near 49th Street Beach, which also includes a large reef named Morgan Shoal and the ruins of a ship. 

49th Street Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to 49th Street Beach is easy – this beach is adjacent to the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel, which is located near 4900B South Lake Shore Drive.  49th Street Beach is easily accessible from United States Highway 41.  There are both free and paid parking lots near this beach, along with free street parking spaces – once you park at these parking lots and street parking spaces, you can easily walk to 49th Street Beach through a pedestrian / biking path. 

There is a shipwreck of a ship named the Silver Spray near 49th Street Beach – this ship sank near the beach in July 1914 after colliding with a large reef.  You can see some portions of this underwater shipwreck from 49th Street Beach.  In addition, Burnham Park – within which 49th Street Beach is located – has many major buildings including a stadium named Soldier Field and a convention center named McCormick Place and it also has public artworks, gardens, a wildlife area, multiple harbors, and multiple memorials.

There are many great attractions near 49th Street Beach.  The Museum of Science and Industry is a museum that offers interesting exhibitions mainly on science and technology – this museum’s exhibitions include a model railroad, a replica of a coal mine, and a German submarine from World War II.  DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center is dedicated to preserving and showcasing African and African-American culture and history – this museum has a collection of more than 15,000 objects including paintings, historic memorabilia, and sculptures.  Adler Planetarium is a planetarium that has interesting exhibits on astronomy and astrophysics including exhibitions on the Apollo 11 mission, a collection of telescopes, and the evolution of astronomy.  If you are looking for another attraction near 49th Street Beach, Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain is a popular and beautiful fountain that is also one of the largest fountains in the world.  This fountain is operational between May and mid-October and it also offers interesting water shows – during evenings, this fountain also offers light and musical displays.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near 49th Street Beach.  Chicago Firehouse Restaurant has elegant and vintage decor and it offers many amazing gourmet dishes including steaks, seafood, soups, salads, burgers, and pastas.  Virtue Restaurant is a popular restaurant that offers many delicious Southern United States-style dishes including seafood and grits, lemon chicken, and short ribs – this restaurant has been featured in MICHELIN Guide and Esquire magazine.  Chant is a Fusion restaurant that serves delicious dishes with International culinary influences including seafood, poultry dishes, Asian dishes, soups, and tacos.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near 49th Street Beach, Valois Restaurant offers many amazing dishes including breakfast dishes, sandwiches, salads, eggs, short ribs, baked chicken, seafood, pork chops, and soup.

If you are looking for a hotel near 49th Street Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Nobu Hotel Chicago offers many amenities including a pool, a fitness center, a tranquillity pool, a fitness center, two restaurants, and a sushi bar.  The 4-Star Marriott Marquis Chicago offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, fitness center, convenience store, and a gift shop.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Hampton Inn Majestic Chicago Theatre District that offers many amenities including complimentary breakfast and fitness center.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near 49th Street Beach, the 3-Star Chicago Lake Shore Hotel offers a pool.  This hotel is also located conveniently close to some of the major attractions of Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood.