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2. North Avenue Beach
Known as the beach for active-types, North Ave's giant beach with a perfect view of downtown is where you'll find official volleyball tournaments, an outdoor chess/checkers pavilion, kite flying, and easy access to the Lakefront bike/rollerblade/running path. It's within walking distance to two other fun (but not nearly as awesome as North) beaches: Fullerton Beach and Oak Street Beach, and the boat-shaped Castaways beach bar is the perfect place to grab a margarita and pretend you're not in the Midwest, but on the West Coast.

1. Ohio Street Beach
So centrally-located and visible, and yet such a secret, Ohio Street Beach sits at a bend in LakeShore Drive just north of Navy Pier. It's a beautiful sandy crescent of a beach, within a short walk to all the concessions of Navy Pier and the Streeterville neighborhood. From Ohio Street Beach, you can look north to the crowded sand of Oak Street and North Avenue beaches, and know that the extra space you have is due to this beach being mainly used by those in-the-know and those swimming Olympic laps just off to the left. It's also the closest to hotels just north of the river, making it convenient for a quick swim at all hours.

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[North Ave beach photo: Jaunted]