12th Street Beach

12th Street Beach is a small sandy beach on Northerly Island in Chicago, Illinois, reached from 1200 S Linn White Dr on the Museum Campus. The beach sits beside the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium, and it faces Lake Michigan, a freshwater lake with no tides. The sand is pale and the water is generally clear and blue-green on calm days, though cold for much of the summer. The beach is modest in length and looks across the water to a clear view of the downtown skyline, one of the best south-facing views of the city. A wide park behind the sand provides picnic areas and open lawn. Compared with Oak Street or North Avenue, the beach is less visited, and the mood is quiet and informal, popular with museum-goers, local residents and families looking for a calmer spot. Exposure to the open lake means waves can build in east winds. Amenities include seasonal lifeguards, restrooms and parkland with picnic areas behind the beach. Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, typically 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is no large beach concession on site, so visitors usually bring food or walk to the museum cafes and kiosks on the Museum Campus. Access is by a short walk from the Adler Planetarium along the Lakefront Trail. Public transit options include the CTA Red, Orange or Green Line to Roosevelt followed by a walk or CTA Bus 146, and Divvy stations are located on the Museum Campus. Parking on the Museum Campus is paid and can be expensive on busy days, so transit or cycling is often more practical. The beach works well as a rest stop after a museum visit, and the surrounding lakefront parkland is good for walking, photography and relaxing away from the busier downtown sand.