Burnham Harbor, the Chicago Harbors

Great location!! And nice docks. Access to Meigs Park a bonus.

Incredible location, great facilities and fun vibe. Highly recommend.

Great location. Fun little bars with live music.

At the 3p hour I put a same day transient request in at Burnham. After no confirmation and several calls with no answer, I called DuSable, so I could arrange a plan B. They politely said no availability and offered to help get me connected with Burnham, which they did. Burnham did finally send me info with gate codes but said I had to call for bathroom code. Again, several calls with no answer. When I finally did connect with them, a young Miss Attitude said they received no calls then gave me snarky instructions and said she would send additional info via Dockwa. She then ended the call stating “with all due respect, don’t call other harbors for business with us”. Then she hung up on me. When I called back, I asked why she hung up explaining that I was underway in my vessel and couldn’t hear the information she rattled off. She said “because I was done with the conversation”. When I showed up , the assigned dock was covered in bird feces and feathers (I have some pretty disgusting pictures I’m happy to provide). In the end, I’m only annoyed by the entitled rude young lady. I will not mention her name here. All the other things such as no one available to answer the phone and the dirty dock are understandable. All said, I give the manager on duty 5 stars resolving the situation just prior to the 6oclock hour. I was thankful for him getting me into another slip and recognizing the situation. I realize good help is hard to find these days. Thank you for turning around the experience in the end.

The docks are in good shape. The fuel attendant was great.( young lady ) We had to dock ourselves as the dock hands were slow to arrive. The lady in the office was less than cordial ! Bathrooms were disgusting . Location is awesome. Needs some reorganization. Probably wouldn’t stay there again.

Good convenient location for a couple of days. Arrived on Sunday and it was a mad house (should have expected). Mon day and Monday night were very peaceful. Facilities were trashed Sunday night - many non-boaters appeared to have the codes. They were cleaned and squared away Monday morning. Fuel dock was easy access with good dockhands. Enjoyed our stay and positioned well to pass through the Chicago Harbor Lock in th morning.

Great marina to take in a concert. Arrived for PINK concert for a meeting place and overnight. Docks and bathrooms are very nice. Great communication from the office regarding slip information

The marina is beautiful with breathtaking views of downtown Chicago. The staff are always there to take my phone calls to help with extending my stay or modifying my reservation. Great customer service!

Pros: -The marina was beautiful with great views of the city. -Great out door restaurant/bar right next to marina office. -Facilities were clean and accessible. Cons (for us): -When reserving checked box for two 30amp out lets. Slip only had one. -Map on their website had us at the wrong slip. It is not accurate to the actual slips in marina. We almost pulled into an owner slip not a transit. Luckily there was a nice neighbor on the dock to direct us. -Gas dock employees are not allowed to pump gas. That was odd.

Quick reservation request response and Reservation staff very friendly and accommodating.

Excellent as always!

Burnham continues to be the best harbor in Chicago.

Thanks again, everything was great as usual!

Terrific stay. Very courteous staff

Bathrooms could be cleaned & restocked a little more often, but other than that all people were nice and helpful.

2nd time here. Love the location. Lots to do. Right in the heart of Chicago. Can be a little loud with the Live Nation concert venue right here. Great place to visit.

Michelle at Burnham Harbor was a huge help. Thank You

Nice stay , your paying for location and not great amenities , they are ok but not worth the price per ft

The slip location was great for our walk to Soldier Field but for the second time in two trips to Burnham the slip was covered with Goose poop. I spent 30 minutes hosing it off. I would think for $120 per 24 stay Dockwa could have the slip clean.

The great: The city skyline, glitzy megayachts, and beautiful waterfront bike paths make Burnham a spectacular place to stay! The good: The marina itself is in good shape with synthetic decking and reliable power pedestals (some even have integrated pumpouts). The not-so-good: The marina store is barely a store (chips, ice and soda: yes. Tylenol and TP: no) and the bathroom facilities/cleanliness are a B- at best. And for the premium city prices, there should be good, reliable Wi-Fi. It was so unreliable that we often had to use our hotspot. Overall though, this is a terrific place to enjoy the big city vibe while still getting some peace in the evenings.

We had a great stay!! We will definitely do this again. The harbor is fantastic, can't beat the views and location. It would be great if you can fix the center launch ramp. I would also be useful to post a staff member by the ramp to somewhat herd the cats during the busiest hours.

Chicago's best harbor. Great staff.

Great location for the Bears game. Dock M seems like it’s brand new.

We’ve been here before and it was glorious so we had the same expectation. The dock was great. Neighbors were great but several things went amiss. 1- parking pass. I got in later via car at 9pm. Kids had school and activities. I missed the memo that no one would be there to give me a parking pass. So had to spend $40 and walk almost a mile back to marina at night which I didn’t feel comfortable with. Had to go get the car the next day. What a pain. 2- also Friday, server at the bar was too busy talking to what seemed to be people she knew to offer me service as I stood almost 5 min there with my cash in hand. She saw me. Made eye contact and turned back to her friends. I finally spoke up and a super nice tall kid with dark hair who was stocking helped me out. He was great. But it was getting late and bar wasn’t that busy. What gives? 3- the public bathrooms were literally like Porta pottys. Thank god I had another option with a code. I mean I go to Lolla. This was worse. 4- the ramp and the bar are literally next to each other and the Ubers have to wait for the line at the ramp. It’s total chaos and the poor staff is just trying to keep people calm the whole time. It’s masssssss confusion. Maybe make a ride share area up the road a bit instead of in the circle. I don’t know but it’s a mess. Not staying here again. Belmont is waaaaaaay better now. Better parking, quieter, facilities nicer. Sorry Burnham. Ya out.

My freind was on the waiting list for a 30' for the same time and they never got back to him yet there were several empty slips including room right behind me!

The team at Burnham harbor was terrific - the best we've experienced in a few years. The weather was not great leading up to and after the weekend and I greatly appreciated their flexibility with our rival and departure dates. Looking forward to a return trip soon -

I love the employees. It shows that management is doing a great job.

The Captains there are awful. Aggressive, dangerous, self centered and otherwise bad, except for the bathroom at P dock the facilities that we saw were bad. We asked for help docking. No one ever came.

Excellent marina, my favorite of all great location and very friendly crew.

Had a great time! The process was very smooth and the staff were all very accommodating

Very nice marina, will be back!

Beautiful harbor. Would have been 5 stars but some teenagers across from us kept us up until 2 am yelling and playing loud music.

It was a great time, chill at night - even quiet

Burnham harbor was great. Assigned dock ok.

Very communicative with information about the harbor

Very nice lots to see and do

Busy in nice weekend days but otherwise great. Very helpful staff.

Harbor staff was very helpful and we had a great stay.

Everything was excellent!

Awesome location and marina was very clean, well kept.

The dock I was assigned to did not meet my requirements of 50 amp twin 30's. I could have moved to the far end of the marina but did not want to be that far away. I decided to operate on one 30 amp cord and only had half power on my boat. Fortunately it was not that warm so air-con was not needed

Very clean harbor with some updated docks. Marina staff was very helpful in getting us a good spot in an unexpected stay. Would highly recommend

Beatific location, great docks

We always enjoy staying at this marina. Excellent access to the lakefront trail and Divy bike rentals. Nice floating dock bathroom facilities are clean. Safe area.

Great location - Dock Hands were a big help - Pricey - Rolly on the T Head

Apparently the phrase “location, location, location” applies here because it is the only thing this marina has to offer. VERY expensive! Made a reservation on Dockwa. On arrival we phoned multiple times, hailed on VHF radio multiple times before we made contact with any staff to get our slip assignment. The young lady I spoke with didn’t understand the terms T-dock, “nose in” or “stern in” and had no clue about whether we needed to be set for for port or starboard side tie. We were assigned a slip that did not exist on their map and ended up being against a concrete retaining wall by the street. We docked ourselves without an offer of help from marina staff. The pedestrian traffic by our slip and street lights made our stay less than private. Their “ships store” is pathetic. The staff attitude when we went to check in was less than welcoming. I asked for a gate and wifi code and was handed a slip of paper without so much of a word of acknowledgment. We have nothing nice to say about this marina and I am delighted we are only spending one night.

Beautiful marina with beautiful views! Friendly and accommodating staff! Dock hands at fuel dock and waiting on docks are awesome! Great job Burnham Harbor! We'll be back!

Dock was good power did not work had to jump off another dock

Our slip was occupied when we got there.

Good location to downtown Chicago. Fantastic skyline view. Excellent docks. The Boat Drinks Bar and Grill on site is very good. Weak WiFi. The T-head was pretty bouncy.

Friendly and helpful dock office crew! Had a 50’ slip for several years, fabulous location. Now we use Burnham to launch our trailer boat or when we leave it in a transient slip for occasional weekends. So easy to get to. Can’t leave the trailer overnight, we just bring it home w us if leaving the boat in for a few days. Seemed much less busy at the launch on a weekend than in past years, not sure why. If launching on the weekend maybe check with them about trailer parking availability, and any events at Soldier Field or the park that might affect getting there.

Didn’t like our slip location. Ended up on the S dock wall. With all the traffic boat was rocking all day and night. Other than that we’ll be back but will request a slip deeper in the marina.

Amazing Marina, our first time here and will not be our last. Friendly staff, very clean, bath house was so convenient and kept clean. The views of the city were priceless. I would highly recommend Burnham Harbor.

Loved it. Great Harbour and amenties where amazing 😉

Nice marina and the cafe was a great touch. Good food and seating plus having live entertainment was great.

Nice stay! Plan to come back

very accommodating, docks are in need of repair, lots of loose boards, screws sticking out to slice open a foot or two. better wear sandals at all times

This was first time at Burnham, staying only one night. Pulling into the harbor was easy and things looked pretty good at first. Our slip was on N dock and at first we couldn't find any identification on the dock. Finally we found a tiny letter on the front of the dock close to the water. Needed binoculars to read them. Then there was nothing saying which side of the dock had what range of slip numbers. Back to the binoculars to try to read the numbers on the slips we could see. Docks/slips were very nice with nice power/water boxes. Noticed elaborate security gates protecting the docks. First order of business was to hit the bathrooms a couple docks away. Received email with access codes for our slip as well as the bathrooms. After returning to our slip, found the access code didn't work. The email also had a phone number so I called for help. The girl that answered was very nice and helpful. At first she couldn't find our reservation. When she did, she confirmed the code matched what we were given. Tried again, no luck. She tried several times to correct and reset the code but still wouldn't work. Finally she issued a new code which did work. Skipping ahead to the next morning after returning from the showers and found our code not working again. Luckily there was someone else on the dock that opened the gate for us. As for the showers, the rooms seemed nice enough but after getting situated and turning on the water, found the shower head completely plugged. Could only get a small trickle of water. Played with it for a minute to see if I could get it to open up but no. Put everything back away and moved to a different room and same thing, plugged. The only thing pleasant about this entire visit was the restaurant in town we walked to for dinner. If we come back to Chicago again, it won't be to this marina.

Great view of the city. Watching sunset while having dinner at the Burnham Yacht Club was perfect. Enjoyed the weekend!

Everything was great EXCEPT for our water didn’t work at the spigot. We called for a work order our first morning there and it still wasn’t fixed by the time we left. Luckily we have a big tank and we’re able to borrow the neighbors.

This was an end tie slip. Boats were not obeying speed limits in the harbor and creating wakes all night. We left before midnight with another boat.

Incredible view, beautiful harbor, and very helpful staff!!

Marina is for the most part very clean. Staff is very attentive and polite. Views at night are fantastic. Docks are very nice with lots of cleats. Bathrooms could use a bit more attention. There is a concert venue on the east side of the harbor, they had a electronic music concert that was pretty loud but done at a decent time. if the wind is out of the east docks on the south side can be a pretty rough ride over night. all and all great marina

Nice and clean facility

The floating dock squeaked as the rollers were not oiled. Kept us up at night. And the gas dock team was not very friendly or helpful. Maybe we are just used to better customer service at our home dock in Holland where they pump your gas and provide some Conversation. Also didn’t get much info from the staff around amenities or where things were in the marina. It was our first time here and it would have been helpful for some direction. But overall a very good stay. Boaters were friendly and the location was great! We would stay here again.

Great location with fantastic views of city skyline. Slip was located on the northerly island side and good location for uber pick up. Friendly and helpful boaters. Only negative was bathroom cleanliness.

Clean and up to date. easy in and out and large raceways.

The boats going in and out do not adhere to the no wake requirements. We had an end dock and got rocked a few times

There was loud partying right beside our boat until after midnight. Another boat even snuck in without light and tied to the end of our slip.

Staff was friendly but not well informed. The docks were in pretty good shape; secure cleats and boards. Head/shower at main building was sloppy at best; disgusting at times. The dock gate generally did not close securely without being assisted. The "eco" heads south of the main building were pretty good. I’ve been to quite a few harbors and marinas; none of them perfect. My comments are based on comparisons of experience.

When we got to our reserved slip there was another boat in it. We had to turn around which was very difficult because the marina was very tight. We ended up going to the alternative slip that was given and there was a boat in that slip also. We finally found an empty slip and were told that was someone slip and they would have to contact the slip holder. They told us the slip holder was not occupying the slip. We ended up being on an end slip and no one seems to know what NO WAKE means. We were called back and told we would be given a discount.

Assigned a putter basin slip which is exposed to south wind. Very rock and roll. Got so bad we moved loud party city. Boats pass at fast pace wakes are the norm. Huge traffic. If you’re young and want to party this is the place for you

It was great thanks!

You were very accommodating and helpful. We look forward to our next stay.

No help docking, no help at fuel dock or pump out. The boat behind our slip was playing very loud music with no care or concern for anyone around him. Stay away.

We had a great slip at the end of a T Dock, bathrooms were clean, staff were very nice.

Clean Facilities in a beautiful setting.

Had the whole family on board for the Lake Shake Festival. Dockwa had overbooked the slip but the gals in the Harbor Office had it resolved in minutes while I awaited instructions on the VHF. Perfect. Thank You.

We were pleased to experience much improved service since our stay last year.Communications to make reservations went well.Staff was responsive to questions.Received a dock in the location er requested.It was open and fellow boaters helped us dock. The only remaining complaint from.last year was that I had to ask for gate and head codes.That information should be provided in the reservation confirmation.Some guests may not think to ask. Nice stay.

IT WAS A LOT OF FUN, BURNHAM HARBOR STAFF WAS GREAT

Really disappointed with our stay at Burnham. We were assigned the T dock at the end (which was our preference). When we arrived, there was a boat in our assigned spot. We enquired with a fellow boater and she said it had been there for at least two weeks. It was plugged in, but canvas flying off and it looked abandoned. We asked why the they couldn't tow the boat off the dock if it was abandoned. They said they were trying to reach the owner. Harbormaster assigned us another T dock and we got situated there. We were to have a 3 night stay. The second day, we were told we had to move because that dock was being used for a "private party" and they specifically requested our newly assigned dock. We explained that we were not told we would have to move. It would be a big hassle because we had people visiting all day and we would now have to move and communicate to everyone where we moved to. They offered us a small discount which was pretty insignificant compared to the hassle of moving. But, it seemed like we were not being given a choice. When we went by in our dinghy later that night, we see the "private party" was a much smaller boat than ours that could have gone on many other docks and been just fine. Also, it was gone by the end of the night. Also, the abandoned boat had been moved. So, basically, we got the inconvenienced because Burnham didn't manage the process. Last thing, went in to use the assigned bathrooms on Monday right after they had been cleaned. I watched the cleaning crew walk out. Bathroom was nice and clean, NO TOILET PAPER. How do you miss that part?? We love the location and I'm sure we will be back for other events in the city, but this time, it was a miss.

Great marina located 10 minute walk to Shedd Aquarium and Museum of Science and Industry. Nice walking/running pathway along lake shore. Friendly staff at marina always willing to help. Docks, electric, water, wifi, laundry, bathrooms, pump out, fuel are all in great condition. 2 minute wait for $6 Uber rides to south loop restaurants and shopping. Easy access in and out of marina.

The other boaters on our dock were very friendly-- but that's Chicago hospitality. The views of the Chicago skyline are spectacular. The easy walk to restaurants and groceries in the South Loop area makes this an ideal destination. The staff was very responsive and efficient during a problem we had at the dock-- they demonstrated empathy for an injury and clearly were very helpful.

Very nice folks on the dock. Great walking paths and great location.

I enjoyed the visit. Being on F dock gave great access to the bath house units! It is a very busy harbor in a great area.

need access to additional dining options/ store options after hours- only 2 floating bathrooms for the entire marina - could use another one or two - they are always in use

My boat broke down wouldn’t start in the launch and allowed me to work on it during a busy time with other boats launching. Eventually got it started... Good people helpful service clean facilities Thanks for a great weekend!

Clean marina, easy in/out with trailer and boat launch. You can hear the music from Northernly Island and a beautiful view of the city. Great experience!

Great accommodating staff. Fuel dock well run and reasonable prices. Phenomenal view of the city and the Navy Pier fireworks. Our second year there and we will make it an annual event. Thank You Burnham Harbor!!!!

Convenient location, clean bath house, friendly staff.

We thoroughly enjoyed Burnham! Shortly after we arrived we met a few of the season slip holders on our dock ... they were so friendly and invited us to join them on their trip to a beach the next day. Plus they offered some great advice since it was our first time at Burnham. We'll be back and are currently trying to find some time in September to return! Thanks again!

Dock staff lazy and not willing to help. Power problems both with new pedastals and not enough volts to power system at end of docks 4 boats all had power problems

Overall it is a very nice facility. There were times the code they gave would not unlock the bathroom doors even though it said it was not occupied. My GF did state the bathroom she went into was dirty. Mine was fairly clean. Would be nice if we had access to a water taxi on the night of the concert we were attending. I would have paid for the ride.

Great marina with amazing views. Facilities were convenient and clean. Transportation in area via Uber, DIVVY bikes or taxi were easily accessible.

Great time and very clean!

great experience as always!!!

Great Marina, the staff is helpful . Slips are tight getting in and out , but a little patience you'll be fine. Marina store is well stocked , Great easy location for UBER to pick you up and get you downtown to the action . Docks could use a little work. Rubber edges on our dock , E52 was missing the corner. With expensive boats and the rates they charge they should be looking closer at the dock maintenance . But again, all good . Thanks Burnham

Everyone from staff to occupants were extremely kind and helpful. Eveeyone went out of their way to make our stay extremely enjoyable will definitely return there and will highly recommend it to all.

I was unable to pull the necessary power of the dock post. I would like to receive a credit for that part of the reservation. I have informed the marina.

Burnham harbor was wonderful! We stayed here for the Chicago air and water show. It was supper busy! Their staff was very nice and helpful. They do a good job at keeping everything pretty clean. The views are crazy cool! We have put this destination our todo list for every year.

Great Trip to the city for the air and water show. Harbor is in great shape and the surrounding area is beautiful. Would like to see a parking pass included.

We LOVE this place!! And let me tell you, with the troubles we had getting here last year (our trip started at 4 am, getting to first lock- Dresden only to have an engine conk out, after engine fixed, next day- try again- leave at 4 am and have a 4 hour wait at Dresden- only to have our batteries drained by the time it was our turn (operator error- lesson learned) marina delivered batteries, windy and getting bounced on the wall waiting at Brandon st lock, going through the canals in pitch black with debris and barges everywhere, no one answering at Amtrak bridge to raise it, getting to Chicago Harbor lock at 3am and when the doors opened, staring out terrified at the black abyss, getting to our slip ;finally!) by 3:30am) you can be sure we wouldn't be making this trip again had our stay last year been awful. We even kept extending our stay it last year. Since we did have such a good time, I knew to book for a longer stay this time. Booking was easy, staff friendly & helpful, bathrooms are a dream!, and the picturesque location can't be beat! Even though we had to battle a storm to get here, the hubaroo is already talking about next year's trip- and we're not even halfway through this one! So yeah, we're kinda crushing on this place!

Dock and facilities are very nice.

The Harbor Master is absolutely a game changer at Burnham Harbor. She is always available to address any issue or resolve any issue. Her staff is well trained always attentive and provide the best customer service possible. The Burnham Harbor Harbor Master always exceeds our expectations.

Did not like this Marina at all. Had no marina. bathrooms were locked at night. no beach. staff did not know questions asked. nothing fun around walking distance. restuarant was a joke high price for tiny hamburger. no hose on doc for water. electric box barely reachable. Noisy. commercial boats blowing horns all day. Never again...oh and at $90 A NIGHT CRAZY HIGH

Marina itself is nice. Floating bath houses near us were out of order which was a pain. No close by supply store

Nice harbor at a nice location! It's very obvious its run by the government/park district. There is zero customer service and the I dont care attitude. Didn't answer the radio, security gate did not close and lock and several water leaks on the dock. I politely brought all of these to their attention and got a shrug of the shoulders. This is our second Chicago Harbor this week and it also surprises me that no one checks you in or makes sure you are in the correct slip. You could very easily pull into any empty slip and they would never know you were here. Zero security!

The online system worked flawlessly. The Harbormaster was very accommodating at our request and where we would like to dock. The dock is beautiful and access to Northerly Island and other amenities is awesome.

Thanks for s great stay.

Very good facilities and accommodating.

The app made it very convenient. We knew the gate codes, slip assignment and could easily navigate the harbor.

Great and I plan to use Burnham in the future and really hope I get Dock H again!

Amazing view of the city!!! Excellent Wi-Fi connection. Food delivered right to your slip. Very friendly resident dock- mates. Ride share & cab drop off & pick up at Harbor House. Great walking paths for dogs. Overall could not recommend more!!!

In town for the U2 concert at Soldier Field and best spot to slip. We always come the Burnham when we visit Chicago and everyone is very nice. We visit the Burnham Harbor Yacht Club each trip as well and they always make you feel like you are a member there. Great time!

Doesn't have all the amenities that we would like but very good overall.

After shoveling off all the goose poop off the dock, the stay was fabulous! We'll pay extra for a clean dock nextime. :)

I reserved a slip on May 1st as a transient boater for 4 nights. We brought the boat from Grand Haven Michigan for a long weekend in Chicago. I purchased gas and reserved a slip expending over $1,000.00 in your marina. I expressly requested a stern starboard side dock. I received an email with the dock reservation and slip assignment. Upon our arrival the slip, G-41, was in fact a stern port side dock, the exact opposite of what I needed and requested. Not only was the slip the wrong type but on Friday pm, after a day of boating, I came back to the slip only to find another boat in my assigned slip. All of my lines, shore power cords and water hose were unceremoniously dumped in my dinghy. My dinghy was secured to the dock by wrapping one of my lines around the outboard tiller arm!!! Fortunately the marina staff were still working and informed me that the slip your staff had assigned me in May was now sold to a seasonal boater. I received no notification of this prior to returning to the marina on Friday. If we had returned after hours what would we have had to do? No slip and no recourse even though the slip was paid for!! The office staff finally after 2 hours, provided another slip which was once again a stern port side slip exactly opposite of my request again. All in all this was the most egregious customer service I have ever experienced in 30 years of boating. I have been a transient guest at your marina several times in the past due to the location and facilities. This trip was horrendous. You should investigate and counsel the Harbor Master that is supposed to be overseeing the marina and insuring a safe and enjoyable experience. I experienced quite the opposite. Raymond Purdy [email protected]