Gillson Beach House — Attraction in New Trier Township

It's a nice beach but pretty expensive.. Visited on May 29, 2016 Sunday.. Weekend parking $16.. Entry fee was $9.50 (non residents).. After 6pm it's $4.. We went there around 5.30, so waited to get the passes till 6.. Without a pass you can walk around the beach(strictly walking).. If you wanna sit, lie down or get into water, you have to get the pass.. Monitored by lifeguards.. And yeah, no coolers, food or drinks (they are strict about coolers), we took one, a lifeguard informed us that we are not supposed to have it and he waited till we put it back in the beach house.. You can bring your coolers and leave it in the beach house, play in water and get back to the beach house to eat and drink, and REPEAT ;) we also took a grill, which wasn't allowed either.. They have picnic areas where they give access to their grill, picnic areas can be booked at the beach house for $15, should leave by 8 pm though, so plan accordingly.. Beach house closes at 8 pm and beach at 10.30 pm for public.. If you wanna visit often, you might as well get a season pass, beach only access to four is $106..

If you are not planning on swimming or playing much in water or if you can take care of yourself you can walk a bit from the beach house, where you can enjoy the beach without paying and I was told there is a free parking close by, but you have to be an early bird to...

If you are driving, get there early! If the day is going to be nice and sunny, and you are driving, get there early to find a parking spot. Right before entering the beach there are a couple of portable bathrooms 🚻 where you will be able to go and get change. You pay an entrance fee of 10 USD per person, and they do not accept cash. The beach ⛱️ is absolutely beautiful and clean. Even though there seemed to be a lot of people, it was not full, and we had a very nice day. Lifeguards were also there at all times, plus security passing by. After you are done your day at the beach, take the time to visit the area, the beautiful homes, the boulevard, and 10 minutes from here, you have the "Home Alone" house, which is worth a visit...

This used to be our favorite beach for our kids. We’d come in a weekday evening and have fun. Now it’s fenced and must pay a fixed fee no matter what day or age of person. In addition there is some rude security at the entrance gates, it felt like getting into a maximum security event. Once we got in another security guy came and told us that we must wear our wristbands and that we needed to find the roped area if we wanted to swim. Geez, give us a minute to even find a spot. Even my kids commented about the rude security and that sadly this has ruined this beach. Oh by the way not everyone wears wristbands so not sure why the security guy would insist, obviously we...