Peaceful at different times of the season. Gives me that I’m on vacation vibe/feeling

Shallow beach. You can walk through water. Great place to swim.

Beautiful beach, dog Beach, close to Bahai temple

This is a beautiful beach, nice and spacious, so close to the beautiful Baha’i temple. There is a paid part for swimming and a free part where you can sit on the sand or put your feet in the water, great place all around.

I love the beach in Wilmette. I wish the Park Administration would post signs telling people that next to the beach for residents there is also a public beach for visitors with an amazing park behind it.

Swimming if you have a “summer pass” not very public of a beach. Same with the dog beach, have to have a local town tag, the Chicago dog tag doesn’t work (even though the Chicago dog tag requires the same vaccines). Ploy to make a rich suburb more exclusive and keep people out. Don’t want to have anything to do with a place this exclusive

Very clean and maintained beach unlike other beaches I visited in Michigan and Indiana. Part of the beach is only opened for seasonal pass holder and other part is open for public. No daily passes are sold due to pandemic in 2020. Great place to spend time.

Still close to the public. Only open for members for now. Very clean and not crowded.

Very lit at night. Lots of parking. Gorgeous beach.

Gorgeous beach and nice tennis courts. BaHai temple is an architectural work of art just south of the park. Beautiful trees, homes, old cobble stone streets and gardens. If you get to the beach early you can stay there and swim until 9 am when they check for season passes.

Lovely beach in a charming and beautiful neighborhood by Sheridan Rd. Ideal spot for picnicking, frisbees, tennis, dog-walking, nature trails, or for some reflection in the company of waves! Well-maintained with plenty of parking!

They are doing everything they can to keep out outer public. They turned it into a walking Beach only. The main one is way too crowded. Finding parking is a pain in the head. Paying is better. They have 101 rules and a fence line with one exit. I get it, Id do the same if I was living in that neighborhood. Better spots then this place though.

Beautiful and clean beach but going in the water is not allowed which I wish we had known prior to going there. The “security” kids were constantly scolding our 3 children who were of course going in the water to play. They finally came up to us, the parents, to rudely tell us we were on our final warning. If our children went back in the water, we would be asked to leave. It would have been nice if we had been issued other warnings before this. Warning young children should not count. The woman next to us had 3 kids with her who were also going in the water. “Security” called the police to have her removed which is going quite overboard and ridiculous given her only offense was that her kids were in the water. There are NO signs anywhere that state going in the water is not permitted. There is a “no swimming” sign which we all interpreted as going in the lake knee deep is still allowed. The swimming beach next door is only open for season pass holders so we ended up going home. We will not be returning to this “children” run beach again.

Gillson Park is a great place to walk. There is a yacht and boat park with a nice beach close by. There are also multiple parks to enjoy around the same general area. I would definitely recommend coming here to enjoy your weekend.

Very relaxing location for listening to the surf.

I have been to gillson park many times over the years. In the past you could access the lake to dip your toes in the water and watch the waves. Not anymore. Everything near the water is fenced off. There are still options to buy a daily or annual pass to get into the water. I dont know if those are resident-only. there is also no close by parking within two or three blocks unless you have a sticker.

Nice to walk on a beach you dont have to pay for. People enjoy and dogs too. Too bad shoreline is shrinking.

Beach would have been nice had we been allowed near it. Second star for good parking. Otherwise go elsewhere.

The parking used to be split into two areas, those that had a permit and those who didnt. Now the entire lot requires a permit and for those who do not have Ive, finding parking on the street is difficult. Bad decision.The park and beach are beautiful besides that. Great area to spend the afternoon.

Beautiful park. Plenty of trees for those too sunny days. There was a guy intentionally harassing female passers bye, but save for that, its a lovely place to spend some down time.

It was a very good place to go on runs and walk around. There were also tennis courts and open fields to barbecue and have fun. You also have quick access to a beach.

So much fun! Small enough where you can always see your dog but big enough where they can run a bit too. Friendly folks and dogs!

The beach is NOT free! But you can go a bit south through the park and sit on smaller beach for free. Not as much sun at all really, and the free part is way less maintained. But it is nice, it has shade and sun which can be good.

Spent a few years of my childhood nearby. I have so many great memories at Gilson Park, and love coming by to witness new memories being created and collect beach glass.There have been massive renovations to the beach house, parking lot, and facilities, with mixed opinions from locals.

Fantastic park with new and well-maintained Facilities. There are plenty of places to sit and plenty of room for kids to play on. I found the crowd here to be friendly. There are plenty of trash cans located around the park. on the weekends the issue is parking which is rather limited but you can find it in the surrounding neighborhood which is just a short walk away

Nice and serene atmosphere for hangout and picnics. Walkable distance from Bahai Temple.

Very nice beach and facilities. I really liked the snack shack with a great menu. Our kids had plenty to do between playing at the beach and at the small park. Sand is great and lots of life guards watching over all the kids in the large waves. Here is a pic of the prices.

Beautiful scenery including rocks, sailing beach and dog beach. Lots of room on the lakefront. Largest beachfront on northshore until highland park.

Very nice place. PlayArea for kids and beach walk

Beautiful park to take the family. A paid beach is available to swim in otherwise a nice area to take a walk next to the water and have kids play with sand.

You can see pretty beach by walk but hard to look for parking lots.

This is a great park with bench and you can throw a fun picnic while keeping your social distancingIt is close to the beach and is in a great neighborhood

Fishing, dog beach, harbor. Its a lovely place to be with frequent park benches especially along shore.

Beautiful place thats right in our back yard. Love it!

Great clean beach, love the waves that occasionally pop up

Nice place but they should post the information for the passes before the people go in the beach in that order everyone would be informed

Nice open space, but not allowing folks in the water without the children fake rent a cop security was annoying. If they had rules, it would have been helpful to be made aware earlier.

Great place for lounging in the sun. Right next to a fun beach.

It is a wonderful place where has a countless shoreline and dog beach that it defintly is worth to visit.

It’s nice little and quiet lake view. Very clean and well maintained. I just wish it’s free to the public.

Beach is very clean and tidy except you cant swim in the water :/

Its The Lake with a park with benches. And a beach with a dog beach. And the backdrop of Bhai temple. And boats. Whats not to love?

My favorite park. Highly recommend.

Had a great day with the family and our miniature Goldendoodle. Everyone was so friendly and Finn had an awesome time at the dog beach making new friends!

Awsome beach..

Nice park with beach.

Beautiful place, but too much restricts...

Nice place, but they wont let us go in the water.

Is a really shame on this north shore beaches .That God left oceans,lakes, forests etcFor everybody enjoy .Now all northshore area are fencing allMichigan lake .We cannot walk around feel the water on our feets .Because you need a expensive memberships .Its really a shame thing .Only rich peiple from area can enjoy .Miounsters!!!

Nice clean park. Difficult to get to, hard to find parking and very crowded. Expensive too, did not expect to pay $11 per person.

It’s nice clean and really enjoyable but the entry fee is just beyond silly

Beautiful turquoise water.

Love Gilson park, not a fan of the new fencing on the beach.

If you do not live in Wilmette or have a seasons pass, DONT BOTHER DRIVING here during the summer.Inside Gillson Park, the streets and lots are forbidden to outside day visitors.Most surrounding side streets dont allow parking from Memorial Day to Labor Day....That leaves only 4 blocks on one side of Michigan and Lake avenues available for parking and you need extremely good luck to get a spot.Otherwise, you might be able to park inland over 1/2 mile from the edge of the park (and then another 1/4 mile to the beach)....I rate the beach-front as barely 1* this summer and 4-5* off-season.It is extremely POORLY MANAGED/STAFFED and hence, AGGRAVATING....If dont want to catch COVID, then dont go on or even near Gillsons beach -front this summer.The sandy parts are way OVER-CROWDED and absolutely NO visitors wear a MASK....As numerous other reviewers have stated, the beach itself is POORLY MARKED as to where you can and cannot swim, plus which parts are free and which parts cost money....If you need a TOILET, then that is just unfortunate.Prepare to walk far and use one of the two portables.The beach house indoor toilets seem to be closed.On one visit, I saw a mother allowing her pre-school son to pee in the bushes.......So, you may ask: WHAT IS GOOD????If you dont want to swim or even see the water, then keep south of Overlook Drive to have a safe and enjoyable visit....The grassy part of the park is 5* because there are very few people and it has DIVERSE BEAUTY.There is a formal flower garden at the southeast end, next to the harbor and dog beach.There is a wildflower garden in the north center, near Wallace Bowl.In between, there is a variety of flowers, trees, and open spaces....Off-season, the beach was enjoyable/serene when there was a lack of visitors.I appreciate that there are shade trees and tall grass bordering most of the beach, making for a NATURAL look.

Swimming and sunbathing is not allowed during summer 2020. Also no bathrooms

Super beautiful park that has been rebuilt to look even nicer, the beach is right next to it and its definitely worth going to. Has events in the park as well, has really nice views toward the sunrise and just before sunset. Come check it out and enjoy the views

Lush green park near the beach.

Greatest place in urban life to get a moments peace

Can’t go deep but nice aree

Was a nice day so no better place to be.

Beach are open, I love the atmosphere and the aminties, watching the boats water etc. and Coco like the walk and the compliments she gets

Great place to walk around and enjoy the wonderful scenery

Good beach, heavy regulation of water use outside paid beach section and no rental of boats on days with winds stronger than passable sailable. Good place for an evening stroll or a family or otherwise organized event with many picnic tables and a playground. Dog beach near the harbor to the south.

Nice place but hard to find parking and the beach feels kind of small.

Nice Beach only for season pass holder in 2020

I love this park. It was pretty clean and next to Michigan lake which is awesome you can eat some food you can swim you can walk around you can get relax etc for everybody. Parking kinda problem because they are asking wilmette sticker on the car which is I dont have so I parked close to second street it was fine over there I have seen restroom and little complex near the beach.

Nice place. Beaches too crowded for COVID

Very nice, well kept beach.

Beautiful Beach and walking trails

Beautiful as always!

Love going here with my man and our friends

Beautiful and serene.

Nice place for visiting and sweeming

With access to beach( Lake Michigan), the park is a fun place for picnic, or simply a walk, or spend quality time with family and friends. There are shelters, play area and paid and free access to the beach. Limited food items are available in the park shop near the pay area. Parking too, they have paid and free parking. I would suggest to use the free parking, in case you find it hard to get parking, couple of rounds around the park should secure you the parking spot. Shelter needs to be booked in advance and if you are planning a party it is highly recommended to block the shelter. Come prepared to get drenched in beach and play in the sand ( have changing clothes handy).Bahai temple is very nearby- so plan and visit this temple along with the park visit. ( just an added bonu)

Nice park along Lake Michigan. Limited parking.

Peaceful, homely, and friendly. Has an awesome doggy beach! Also, very Romantic! :)

So pretty and peaceful

3 stars for not allowing non residents to park near the beach.

Beautiful beach, but restricted access

A beautiful park! I love it

Gillson Park beach is so different from when I was a kid. Well-lit, bright and pleasant. All redone with great amenities. If you want to take your family to a great beach, heres the one to go to. I only review The Best of the Best. Dont think about it, this is the beach to go to on the North Shore. My advice, take it, itll be the best decision youve made in a long time. Share and like. Follow me, Ill take you to great places.

Beautiful park and beach!

Beautiful park but overly strict dog rules make it not so canine friendly. And they charge too much for a beach pass. But very well mantained.

Nice place to walk

Its good but water is really hight this year not sure if water will give the sand back they say no gloabl warming just more rain they lie to us again becose panic will not help.so go live enjoy beach

Sad the water line is so high, but if you come here, youll find yourself lost in the size and beauty of it all.

Nice fishing spot, but some of the sailor boaters can be jerks and INTENTIONALLY swerve to cross over your fishing line.

No food but awesome beach

Nice spot, right by the lake and has a dog park as well.

Lots of grassy areas to play, a few scattered picnic tables around. There is some non resident parking I didnt know existed until today. Which we found some due to the late time of our arrival after 6 pm.

Beautiful to sit on the shore of the beach, and the kids play park is nice. You cannot swim here for free. Cost is $11 per person to swim in the lifeguard/Rope zone. They strictly monitor the non-lifeguard part of the beach to insure no wading/swimming, which removed some of my family’s enjoyment.

Best dog friendly park/beach... cant wait until they reopen!

Beautiful and amazing place!

This place is amazing with full of fun. This is biggest Park in North of Chicago and South of Wisconsin. Bahai house, Wilmette beach are very near to it.

Always brings back memories of my parents bringing me here as a child - when there were bluffs on the north end and barbequeing, swimming, getting sun burnt, enjoying whole days on Lake Michigan. Truly heavenly. Now more modern, but a little colder look - not sure I like improvements. Kind of a naturalist at heart.

Want a Chicagoland beach that isnt trashed? This is it.

Nice place for BBQ with a fee. Parking is an issue and they wont let you go in the water more than 8-10 inches deep.

This place is beautiful. Even in winter. Very quiet.

Very Clean beach

Parking is terrible.However the area is very nice.