Kenilworth Beach
Kenilworth, IL
Kenilworth Beach is the village beach in Kenilworth, the North Shore's smallest village, and it's open only to residents and their guests. It reopened for the 2026 season after construction. With no public access, it stays quiet even on the hottest days.
If you know a Kenilworth resident, this is the calmest beach on the North Shore.
Resident-only access.
A path leads down to the beach.
The beach is open to residents from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
More Great Lakes beaches
Sleeping Bear Dunes Beach
Empire, MI · Great Lakes
Freshwater Lake Michigan surf below towering sand dunes, some over 400 feet tall, with water clear enough to rival a coastline and a hike back up the dune to burn it off.
New Buffalo City Beach
New Buffalo, MI · Great Lakes
New Buffalo City Beach is the first real Lake Michigan beach you hit crossing from Indiana, a wide stretch of sand at the end of Whittaker Street beside the harbor and the Galien River channel. Chicago weekenders fill it in summer. The town's shops and restaurants are a five minute walk back up the street.
Warren Dunes State Park
Sawyer, MI · Great Lakes
Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer has roughly three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and some of the tallest dunes in southwest Michigan. Tower Hill rises about 260 feet above the lake, and climbing it and running back down is a rite of passage. On a hot July Saturday the beach feels like a small city.