Many people love the sights, sounds and sensations of open water but prefer to swim in a controlled environment where they can see what’s below and stand on the bottom if necessary. Breakwater Chicago, a proposed entertainment venue off the coast of the Windy City, offers the best of both worlds — an inviting swim in purified water amidst Lake Michigan.
A 30-day Kickstarter campaign was launched in July to gather $30,000 to fund detailed planning, and in 36 hours it received twice that amount. The venue as currently conceived will operate as a 300-foot-by-100-foot anchored vessel on Lake Michigan and provide guests with a wide variety of amenities, including a pool, restaurants (at least one of which will be serving, of course, seafood), nightclubs, retail stores and areas simply for sitting and enjoying the lake and views of the city.
While anchored offshore, Breakwater will only be accessible by boat. Accommodations will be available at Breakwater for private boaters to tie-up alongside, providing a great destination for boaters in Chicago and from surrounding states. Water taxis will also be available to shuttle non-boating guests to and from the vessel, making Lake Michigan more accessible to the general public.
For the rest of the year, the plan is to put a clear enclosure over Breakwater so guests can continue enjoying a tropical pool environment even during the harshest of winters. During these colder months, Breakwater will be anchored adjacent to shore so that guests can walk up to the venue directly.
The group is targeting a grand opening just prior to summer 2015.
