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Michigan City, Indiana is such a short drive from Chicago that it doesn’t leave you feeling rushed to get there. The travel time is less than an episode of your favorite prestige drama, so you can justify some serious pitstops like Brown Sugar Bakery for a sweet treat (it’s best known for its caramel cake) before crossing state lines, lunch at Munster Gyros in Indiana, an old-timey hole-in-the-wall stand, or the Journeyman’s Valparaiso location for lunch on the way back. These places might be out of the way during a regular weekday, but the rules change when you’re hitting the road. Once stocked up and fueled up, the beauty and splendor of Michigan City awaits.

Michigan City and the towns that follow it act as the ideal homebase for park-goers, dripping with history and small-town appeal and providing both restful accommodations and a bounty of enticing cuisine. Postcard-worthy vacation homes line the shore, while inland farms supply grapes for wineries, grain for craft breweries, and fresher-than-fresh produce for local eateries. Admire the cresting Indiana Dunes and expansiveness of Lake Michigan from your beach chair, work up a sweat along grassy trails, and lose yourself in dense oak and pine forests. And when you’ve had your nature fix, head into town to discover just what this little fleck on the map is all about—namely beer, seafood, and some of the cutest beachside hotels imaginable.
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