Naperville has many private, neighborhood swimming facilities with an active swim league, giving families opportunities for competitive swimming, swim lessons, and a pool close to home. However, there is one aquatics facility that serves the entire community and beyond: historic, unique Centennial Beach.
Located in downtown Naperville, Centennial Beach offers a sandy beach, zero-depth shallow end with water play features and a slide, and four acres of grass with shade trees, beach chairs, umbrellas, and picnic tables. Swimmers can explore the deep end, swim laps in the lap lanes, practice diving from the high and low diving boards, or gather with friends on the rafts.
2010 is an exciting year for Centennial Beach! Plans are underway for a renovation of the Bathhouse, beginning after Labor Day. For the past two years, Naperville Park District staff has been working with architects and the Centennial Beach Review Team, a group of interested residents, to develop plans for improvements to the Bathhouse, the entrance and driveway, concessions, and access between the upper and lower levels of the Beach. Click here to view the plans and to learn more about the renovation process.
Kelly Doyle, one of the managers at the Beach and a member of the Centennial Beach Review Team, said that she is very excited about the coming improvements. “I like that the history and tradition will still be there. It (the Bathhouse) will be upgraded but not totally re-done. It will be nicer, fresh and new.”After kicking off the season with a splash during the Pre-Season Plunge on May 16, Centennial Beach lifeguards and other staff will continue training and preparing for opening on May 29.
After kicking off the season with a splash during the Pre-Season Plunge on May 16, Centennial Beach lifeguards and other staff will continue training and preparing for opening on May 29. This year, children and adults will have the opportunity to take swim lessons through the nationally recognized Starfish Swim School. Both morning and evening lessons will be available. Individual and family season memberships can be purchased online or in person at the Park District Administration Building, the South Maintenance Facility, or at Centennial Beach (on May 29 and later).
Centennial Beach has something for everyone! Longtime Beachgoer Jill Vercace said, “I love the Beach. It’s so big and sunny and comfortable. You can actually swim and get a good workout.” Liz Marusin, a mother of young children, said that her children thoroughly enjoy their outings at the Beach. “The sand, the slide—it’s an attraction,” said Liz. “Especially when the economy is not great, it’s a destination in the summer.”For more information about the Beach, including the 2010 schedule, the history, and photos, visit www.centennialbeach.org.
Daring swimmers take the plunge at the first-ever Pre-Season Plunge on May 16.
Executive Director, Ray McGury, 5th from the right, joins the crowd in the icy waters.
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