Take Me to Paris! Summer Day Trip to Twin Lakes Beach

Since I’ve lived in the land-locked state of Indiana my entire life, you’d think I could accept the fact that there are very few beaches in my life. But no. I can’t accept this fact. I need sunshine, sand, and waves!

So when a friend offered to lead us to one of the free public beaches in the Wabash Valley, I eagerly agreed.

Do you recognize this beach?

I’ll give you a few hints…

It’s not in Terre Haute.

It’s not even in Indiana.

It’s about 45 minutes from Terre Haute in the town with the famous name–Paris, Illinois.

Paris Illinois Beach

Twin Lakes Beach is a free public beach with a small, roped off swimming area, sand, and shower facilities.

Twin Lakes Beach

This trip was a bit spontaneous. Had I had time to prepare, I would have grabbed our favorite lifejackets (affiliate link) for our girls to wear. The water is fairly shallow close to the shore, but there are no lifeguards on duty.

I’d also recommend umbrellas or tents for shade, sand toys, and sunscreen (lots of sunscreen).

Wabash Valley FREE public beach

Now…before you jump in your car and take off, let me be honest with you. I can’t recommend this experience for all of my friends. This isn’t Florida or the ocean (even if our kids were convinced there were sharks).

And our kids may or may not have played with a crayfish shell.Twin Lakes FREE Public Beach!

If that kind of thing freaks you out, this might not be the beach for you.

With that said, the boat wakes brought in some fun waves, it didn’t smell like fish, and the kids spent several hours playing!

Twin Lakes Public Beach

Is this small beach worth the trip from Terre Haute by itself?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

We actually combined our lake trip with another fun adventure. I share the details in “Take Me to Paris!” Part 2: Tiger Falls Splash Pad. You may want to combine the two adventures like we did!

When you get into Paris, Take Route 1 north through town. Lake entrance is just past Tuscany Steakhouse on the right hand side. Turn onto Lakeside Terrace. (Twin Lakes Beach is on the EAST lake.)twin lakes beach 2

While you’re here, why not check out our list of local swimming options?

Places to Swim in Terre Haute

Don’t visit Paris without a trip to Tiger Falls Splash Park!

Splashin' Around Tiger Falls Splash Park in Paris, IL