Local beaches offer more than just swimming

From spraygrounds to drop slides to fishing piers, suburban beaches offer a variety of activities for those looking to spend quality time outdoors this summer.

Maybe suburban beaches can't boast of ocean views, palm trees or proximity to coral reefs. But former quarry sites converted into sandy swimming areas and local lakes with natural appeal do provide great places to swim, lounge, build sand castles and play watersports close to home. And they're located near shopping, dining and historic attractions, creating possibilities for a full day of fun.

Bangs Lake Beach

The Wauconda Park District's beach on Bangs Lake offers an enclosed swim area perfect for families with young kids. Youngsters can enjoy indoor and outdoor playgrounds, large and small water slides, a sand toy area and two floating aqua patios.

"It's a very family-oriented beach," said Sara Scuhring, recreation supervisor for the Wauconda Park District. "It's a rather small beach. All or most of my lifeguards are returning year after year, so it's a very safe beach, very family-friendly beach."

The beach allows flotation devices before the first line of buoys, and food in a picnic area and on the beach - as long as nothing is inside a glass bottle. A concession stand also sells beach basics such as candy, pizza, pop and ice cream.

• Bangs Lake Beach is at 112 Park Ave., Wauconda, (847) 526-3610. Open 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. until Aug. 30. $5 residents, $7 nonresidents. Parking is free in two nearby lots. Summer passes available.

Centennial Beach

With two new types of themed parties and one new regularly scheduled event, a lot more than just swimming is going on at Naperville's Centennial Beach this summer.

Sundays from 6 to 8 p.m., the swimming area offers special needs evenings to provide a less hectic experience for people with disabilities and their families. Only the shallow end will be open during these times for people who register in advance with the Naperville Park District.

The beach, located adjacent to the DuPage River on the site of a former quarry, also added two new party rental options this summer: Cold Stone Creamery sundae bar parties and Zano Salon brow bar parties.

"People look to the beach for a unique experience," said Sameera Luthman, marketing and communications manager for the Naperville Park District. "It just adds an extra element of fun and interest to a day at the beach."

Continuing from past years will be Monday night DJ on the Deck events, with 95.9 The River playing tunes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday Noodle Nights, during which foamy water noodles are allowed from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The beach also has lap swim and adult float times to cater to different swimming preferences.

The beach offers a zero-depth walk-in area but gets as deep as 15 feet. To swim in the deep end, children who have not graduated eighth grade must pass a swimming test offered at noon, 3 and 6 p.m. daily. Water wings and tubes are not allowed, but people can purchase life vests for novice swimmers.

Dining options range from downtown restaurants to personal picnics to concession stand meals from Belgio's Catering; the only banned items are glass containers and alcoholic beverages.

• Centennial Beach is at 500 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville, (630) 848-5092. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. all other nights until Aug. 16, then Saturdays and Sundays until Sept. 7. $6 residents, $10 nonresidents. After 5 p.m., admission drops to $3 for all patrons. Parking is free.

Diamond Lake Beach

People with an interest in water sports may find an ideal beach destination in Mundelein Park District's Diamond Lake Beach.

For the first time, the beach is offering wakeboarding lessons throughout the summer. Each lesson costs about $75, said Scott Anthony, aquatics supervisor for the Mundelein Park District.

Anthony hopes the lessons will create an added draw to a beach that already boasts a picnic area with grills and a nearby boat launch.

"It has a large frontal area, quite a nice sandy area as well as a grassy area so you can have a picnic as well as enjoy the sand," Anthony said. "But I do think it's unique in that we have wakeboarding lessons."

The beach allows people to bring in their own food and offers a locker room for changing and taking showers, but water toys and flotation devices are not allowed.

The beach will hold a Venetian night Aug. 8 in conjunction with Mundelein's centennial celebration.

• Diamond Lake Beach is at 1016 Diamond Lake Road, Mundelein, (847) 566-0650. Open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. all other days until Aug. 8. Resident and nonresident rates are the same: $5 weekdays, $7 Saturdays and Sundays. Seniors pay $1 every day. Two hours before closing, admission drops to $3 for non-seniors. Parking is free.

Harold Hall Quarry Beach

A former stone quarry is the site of this sandy-bottomed Batavia beach that sits on a 12.5-acre site with a walking and biking path and a picnic area.

The water in the 60,000-square-foot swimming area is filtered and treated, although it may appear cloudy if the sand gets stirred up, said Andrea Hatzinger, facilities supervisor.

"We just kind of say we're one of the beaches in the 'burbs," Hatzinger said. "Being a beach, it does have a different atmosphere from going to a water park."

The beach's atmosphere is a family-friendly one with a diving tower, drop slides and a gradually sloping zero-depth entry for children and sunbathers. A popular option for kids is the beach's inner tube rental, which offers a mode of floating for $1 per day. Families can also bring their own tubes for use in the shallow end. To swim in the deep end, children younger than 12 or shorter than 5 feet must pass a 25-meter swim test offered every hour and 15 minutes.

For the first time, groups can rent the quarry from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. for parties and events, Hatzinger said.

The quarry will be celebrating the Batavia Park District's 40th anniversary with special events this month.

• Harold Hall Quarry Beach is at 400 S. Water St., Batavia, (630) 879-5235. Open 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Aug. 16. $7 residents, $10 nonresidents. Wednesdays $2 residents, $5 nonresidents. Parking is free.

Independence Grove Beach

Since opening in 2001, Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville has enticed visitors with options for recreation other than just swimming. A playground with wide pathways provides easy accessibility, and the area features almost seven miles of trails. And entertainment comes to the preserve Tuesday evenings with concerts beginning at 7:30 p.m. almost every week until Aug. 11.

Although the lake began as a quarry, it now hosts an aquatic ecosystem periodically stocked with fish including northern pike, largemouth bass and bluegill for catch and release fishing.

Fishers can launch their own canoes into the Des Plaines River or rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats or row boats on the lake. Bicycles are also available for rent.

The beach expanded the swimming area in preparation for more visitors this summer, said Dan Stearns, the forest preserve's manager.

"It's a very good beach for families because it's relatively shallow - maximum 5 feet," Stearns said.

Parents can bring Coast Guard-approved flotation devices or borrow them for free from the beach to help little ones swim.

And because all that swimming, walking, biking and playing is sure to make stomachs growl, the park has a cafe offering light entrees, snacks, drinks and ice cream. Picnics are allowed without glass or alcohol and grills are available.

• Independence Grove is at 16400 W. Buckley Road, Libertyville, (847) 968-3499. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Aug. 14, weekends until Sept. 7. $7 Lake County residents, $10 nonresidents. After 3 p.m. $2 Lake County residents, $4 nonresidents. Nonresident parking is $5 per car Monday through Thursday and $10 per car Friday through Sunday and holidays.

Crystal Lake's Main Beach

As visitors approach Main Beach in Crystal Lake, they will be greeted by a 1920s brick beach house with arched windows, plenty of flower planters, bushes and green space, a band shell on the north and a 10,000-square-foot playground on the south. And don't forget the main attraction: a sandy beachfront on Crystal Lake.

Beach goers can bring Coast Guard-approved flotation devices, food and alcohol, but alcohol must be kept in the park not on the beach, said Jack Sebesta, superintendent of recreation. For those who want to avoid lugging food around, the beach has a full concession stand.

The beach also rents paddle boats, row boats, canoes and kayaks, as well as sailboats to people who have a sailing card from the Crystal Lake Park District or another credible organization.

"It's a very peaceful environment," Sebesta said. "Crystal Lake has had a reputation for many years in the near North and Northwest suburbs as a place to come out to and visit in the summertime."

Nearby attractions such as the Lakeside Legacy Arts Center and the shops and restaurants of downtown Crystal Lake also draw people to the area.

"You can make a whole day out of it," Sebesta said.

• Main Beach is at 300 Lake Shore Drive, Crystal Lake, (815) 477-5404. Open 9 a.m. to dusk until Sept. 7. Admission and parking is free for residents. Nonresident admission is $3 for children 3 and younger, $6 for children 4 to 15 and seniors older than 62 and $10 for adults 16 and older. Nonresidents pay $5 for parking. After 4 p.m., admission is half price and parking is $3 for nonresidents.

Paulus Park Beach

Located in a 40-acre park, this beach offers a sandy entrance to Lake Zurich with a fishing pier and a sprayground water play area.

Lifeguards decide whether inflatable water toys are allowed based on the number of people at the beach, but these items are usually permitted without a problem, said Bonnie Matheson, recreation supervisor for the village of Lake Zurich.

Attendees can pack a picnic or buy hot dogs, pizza, ice cream, candy and pop at the park's concession area. All food must be kept off the sandy region of the beach, and alcohol is not permitted.

One of 31 parks in Lake Zurich, Paulus Park also offers three picnic shelters with electricity for rent, walking paths around the park, and an entrance to a walking path around the lake, Matheson said.

Beach visitors can launch nonmotorized boats from Paulus Park for a daily fee of $5 as a way to view the lake's natural beauty from above the water.

"It's just a beautiful location," Matheson said.

• Paulus Park Beach is at 200 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich, (847) 540-5054. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Sept. 7. $5 children ages 4-17, $8 adults 17 and older. Children 3 and younger get in free. Parking is free. Summer passes available.