Lakefront

Few if any other cities in the United States can boast a 26 mile lakefront with 33 beaches, 19 miles of bicycling paths, walking trails, driving ranges and golf courses, volleyball and soccer games, harbors and nature areas like bird and wildlife sanctuaries – all free and open to the public. These fabulous amenities share the lakefront with renowned museums, a world-famous fountain, a unique historic theater, cultural centers and other popular attractions.

Lakefront: 26 Miles of Magic

Written by Alan Solomon, with research assistance from the Chicago Neighborhood Tourism Project.

"Eventually," Frank Lloyd Wright once told an audience, "I think that Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world."

That curious prediction -- "left in the world"? -- is much-quoted by boosters who forget , or conveniently omit, the context. (He said it in London in 1939 as a second world war loomed.)

But in the positive sense, Wright was onto something. Chicago has emerged as a truly beautiful city. And while its architecture and public art and gardens are major contributors, it's the Lake Michigan Lakefront -- 26 miles of it -- that lifts Chicago to its higher level.

It takes only a short walk along any of its walkways or beaches to feel the magic. A fuller exploration, with an occasional detour, brings an even greater, deeper appreciation. 
 

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