I noticed a lot of my friends can NOT swim. I can and I think I can because I went to high school in California. I say that because the weather allows you to enjoy the water and the beaches. In Chicago, the minute it's cold, no one wants to be in water, in fear of getting sick... If you have small kids, please take them to a supervised pool where a life guard is on duty. Chicago Park District has a list of pools thats open to the public with supervision.