Any good places to swim in the Chicagoland Area?

[~MermaidSage~]

I might be getting a new tail soon, but I don't have any private pools around. I kind of don't want to go to a public pool where I might be mobbed by young children, and it might just be nicer in general to swim in a SAFE and CLEAN river or on a safe and clean beach. Can anyone recommend places to swim around here?

[Mermaid Marissa]

There might be a couple places... I live in Evanston and I tend to swim in the lake when it gets warmer and the YMCA. I could look some things up to see. There sadly isn't too much in the way springs due to the plains like nature of our state :(

[MerEmma]

^ Your YMCA lets you use a tail?

[Cordelia]

I've swam at a few of the beaches along the lake. Even when there were people there, it wasn't a big deal. The kids tend to stay closer to shore, so if you need to get away for a bit just swim into deeper water - even just waist deep for you might be too deep for the littles. ^^

[Mermaid Elena]

I'm totally from the Chicago area too! Besides the city beaches, you can go to indiana beaches and a few close michigan beaches but those are a bit of a drive :/

[Mermaid Marissa]

^ Your YMCA lets you use a tail?

yeah they do :) I guess they don't really mind because I've been going there since I was 2. They also don't care cause I do it for practice and the kids love it :D

[MerMarla]

^ Your YMCA lets you use a tail? I know this post doesn't answer the question in Chicagoland, but...Yes, in both the Merrimack, NH and the Nashua, NH YMCA's you can use monofins, and I could use my tail if I wanted to. I started off asking if I could use fins, they said sure...then asked if I could use a monofin, they didn't know what it was, but when I spoke to the head Life Guard, explained what it was, he said it was ok. I said then, I was a former Mer from Weeki (had to explain that one too, LOL) and would like to bring my tail for practice. They didn't have a problem with it. So if you ask, (and this goes for any gym pool, private club, hotel pool, or public pool) start small.... like.... ask about using fins, if that's a go, and you want to join their facility, then continue to up the anty... Most likely if you are polite and don't demand stuff, then asking to use the monofin should be a no-brainer. Lots of swim teams in this area are using training fins and I assume monofins, for the University teams. Once you get an ok for a monofin, it's a small fin-flip for mer-kind, to request using a tail, it's basically the same thing (explanation might still be necessary, DUH!). If you ask politely, and show competence, usually you will be granted permission.

Its all in how you play the game!
me, Mermaid Marla