Located just a few hours away from Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis, Mahomet is a quiet place to live with big city action not too far away. Having lived in Mahomet for 13 years, I often feel like we get stuck in a rut looking at the same flat agricultural land day after day, dreaming of oceans and mountains and the big life. The big cities are great and offer excitement that our little rural town cannot offer. But there are also many other treasures located nearby.
Owning and writing for the Mahomet Daily for over two years now, I sometimes get stuck in the pattern of having to be in town for every little event. And somewhere inside of responding to everyone’s stories, I lost my own story and sense of self. And so, this summer I have decided to regain my life and my adventurous spirit by showing you some not-so-familiar places that are just a couple hours away.
I hope you find some new spots as we share our trips with you each week. And I hope you take time away from the mundane routine to discover something, somewhere or someone new on your own. There’s this big world out there. It was made for you.
[one_half]
Directions
This trip will take about 2.5 hours.
Take I-74 East to I-57 N.-exit 179B (7 miles) Stay on I-57N for 108 miles, then exit at 345A, I-80E toward Indiana, toll In 27 miles, take I-94 towards Detroit (11 miles) Take exit 26B, IN-49N toward Indiana Dunes State Park, IN-49N becomes N25E directly into the park [/one_half] [one_half_last][/one_half_last]
What You’ll Need
Sandals
Swimsuits
Beach towels
Beach chairs
Beach toys (cannot use any sort of flotation device, except certified life jackets-this includes boogie boards)
Sleds
Bug Spray
Picnic: We took crackers, sliced cheese, roasted chicken, pepperoni, snack mix, frozen grapes, peaches, water bottles and small cokes
Picnic blanket or small plates
Sunscreen
A beach umbrella Reading material Hiking clothes and shoes, if you want to hike the other trails
*There are plenty of trash cans located along the beach and throughout the park, so I am not suggesting trash bags
Cost
$12 for out-of-state cars
Our Day at the Park
The Indiana Dunes State Park contains 15-miles beaches and sand dunes along the Lake Michigan coastline.The dunes are large mounds of sand, some rising 200-feet above lake level.
If you’re looking for a relaxing day at the beach, the park offers an abundance of fluffy sand that looks out over Lake Michigan. There are sand dunes for the kids to climb, a lot of recreational area for volleyball or ultimate frisbee and a beautiful lake to swim in! I definitely recommend a trip to this area!
An important piece of information: you need to bring outdoor bug spray. We made natural bug spray, which works for our local mosquitoes, but it does not work on the Indiana Dunes flies. They just hatched, so maybe they are worse now than usual, but they were really awful until the sun came out, and then they calmed down a bit. The biggest problem is that these flies bite and leave welts. Outdoor bug spray warded the flies off, though.
Lake Michigan is very pretty in this area. At first I thought the creek looked like it had rust running through it, but the orange color is natural plant debris disintegrating in the water.
The lake does not drop off quickly, so both kids and adults had plenty of room to play in the water. They had their boogie board at first, but the lifeguards, which are there from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. told them they had to put it away. Instead, they played ball in the water. They also built a sandcastle, ran down the sand dunes and then sled down the dunes!
We (the adults) sat in our beach chairs and read books most of the day while the kids played. There is a lot to do in the Indiana Dunes State Park area, but we decided to just rest. Sometimes we can take vacations and try to pack in everything-and we end up leaving more tired than when we arrived. Sitting and enjoying the sunshine, scenery and my family was wonderful, and I suggest this type of day for everyone.
We did hike up one of the sand dunes, which was very difficult, but #worthit when we got to the top. There is a 1.5 mile trail called the “3 Dune Challenge.” I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to do this hike, as I was winded getting up one dune. But the “3 Dune Challenge” is named for the trio of dunes, called The Tremonts, which highlight the trail. Mt. Jackson, Mt. Holden and Mt. Tom. Two of these dunes are 200-feet above lake level and above the treeline. If you complete this trail, you can buy a t-shirt to show off your accomplishment.
There were food trucks lining the pavilion selling lunch items and ice cream. Also near the pavilion there were port-a-potties. I’m not a port-a-potty fan, so we drove to a bathroom not too far from the nature center where they had plumbing.
We ended our day at the nature center where we learned about how the dunes are made, how trees grow on the dunes and we learned about the wildlife in the dunes. We even learned about the Lion Ant, which is gross, weird and interesting all at the same time.
I would suggest beginning at the Nature Center to pick up guides for the area and a bird guide. There is so much to do in the Chesterton area.
The “3 Dune Challenge” trail begins at the nature center. My husband and two youngest children took off down the path, though to look at the wetlands nearby. My husband really enjoyed seeing the lily pads begin to sprout.
If you are wanting to extend your trip, there is also a campground on the 15,000 acre site!
Additional Things to Do in the Area
[one_half]Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm
Cowles Bog
Heron Rookery Trail
Broken Wagon Bison Farm
Chesterton’s European Market
Hoosier Bat Company[/one_half]
[one_half_last]Valpo Velvet Ice Cream
Memorial Opera House
Seven Peaks Waterpark Duneland
Taltree Railway Garden
Zao Island Amusement Center
49er Drive-In Theatre[/one_half_last]
Places to Eat
Like I said, we brought a picnic, which was great for on the beach. We were actually going to picnic for dinner, too, but we drove a bit to get away from the flies, and found AJ’s Pizza in Chesterton, IN.
Although they didn’t want to leave the beach, I think the kids were happy to get out of the sun. AJ’s Pizza in Chesterton looks fairly new, but I do think this establishment is a local chain restaurant, which means it’s seen success. Everything was very clean and the booths were big enough to fit the six of us comfortably.
We ordered two orders of cheese bread for appetizers, a large pepperoni and sausage pizza and a Chicken Pesto and Margherita Flatbread. Unfortunately, the cheese bread took about a half-hour to arrive at our table and the pizza took about 50-minutes to an hour. We were a little antsy.
The cheese bread was amazing, though. It wonderful how garlic, butter and fresh cheese work together. Personally, I liked the pizza crust, and the sauce was okay-but I really think things like sauce, crust and toppings are a local thing. What you grew up with is what you really like. I grew up on Bruno’s pizza in West Lafayette, so I compare everything to that.
I will say that their flatbreads were outstanding, though. They were small-personal size, but I can tell their ingredients are fresh and the flavors were balanced well.
Another local option is Barlett’s Gourmet Grill and Tavern located at 131 East Dunes Highway. This is not really a place for kids, as they serve mostly gourmet food. But you would not know this by looking at the outside of the building. It looks like a rural building that has been abandoned to serve fried food. Instead, they have a wonderful assortment of fresh meats and vegetables prepared in surprising ways.
This restaurant is expensive, but if you’re looking for a quality meal, find this place. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
