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Any tips on visiting the Indiana Dunes?


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We don't really have the $ for a vacation this year so after a lot of brain storming, I think we settled on visiting the Indiana Dunes for a couple days. We're near Indianapolis so it won't be too much of a drive. We've never been there before so if anyone has any tips, I'd very much apreciate it!!! :)

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Hi, we're in the Indy area too and have been to the dunes. We actually went 5 years ago.

 

We went in the fall and absolutely loved it. Had a lovely time and plan to go back again.

 

The first question would be where are you staying? Will you be camping? We camped and stayed in the IN Dunes State Park. It was very nice -- they had just update/redid the modern facilities when we were there.

 

What do you like to do? Hike? Play in the sand? Swim in the water? The answers to those questions will help me give you more specific info.

 

Feel free to pm me if you'd like.

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I'll reply here in case it helps anyone else with info/advice. We aren't camping people so we're going to stay in a hotel. I have spent way too many hours trying to find a hotel - I can't decide exactly where to stay.... Porter, Portage, Chesterton, Michigan City, etc. I just don't know which part of the beach we should go to so I can't figure out where to get a hotel. (Plus I'm really picky about hotels and need to keep it cheap.) A couple people have told me the Michigan Dunes are better so that's only added time to my searching. I've looked at Warren Dunes and accommodations in that area but I just can't tell enough to know if it's really better than the IN Dunes.

 

Anyway, we like short hikes and we want to play in the sand and water. I don't know about actual swimming, though. ;) I think we'll go up there for two days and we'd like to spend one day at the beach/dunes and one day doing other indoor stuff - pool, restaurants and shopping, arcade for kids, etc. So I'm struggling to find the right area to stay that will have everything we want.

 

Ugh...wish I wasn't so OCD and could just decide and be done with it lol!

 

Thanks for your reply and I'd love to hear any other thoughts you have.

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We just spent a few days at the Dunes this summer. We went when it was hot, so we did several hikes in the early part of the day, and then we went to the beach for the rest of the day. It is a great little area to explore, and we all had a wonderful time. :001_smile:

 

I just saw your post, so I thought I would add to mine. If it was me I would probably stay in Chesterton or Valparaiso. Valpo is a little more of a drive, but it is a great little city in its own right. It has a nice historical downtown that is fun to explore. There is a fun city park down there with sprinklers for the kids to play in, and there is a great ice cream store called Valpo Velvet. You could make a nice little vacation out of it if you stayed there.

Edited by Jilly
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Jill, I would LOVE it if you could share more details with me. Seems like there are several different beach areas and they have different things to offer. Which beach/what area did you go to? And what trails did you hike? If you don't mind, any details would really help me. :)

 

Oh, and glad to hear it was a nice trip for you. That's encouraging. :)

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Well, unfortunately I'm not going to be of much help to you then. :001_unsure: Sorry!

When we went we camped in the state park and didn't really leave that area at all.

 

Hiking Mt. Baldy is worth doing and definitely play on the beach there at the state park. We didn't get in the water at all.

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Hiking Mt. Baldy is worth doing and definitely play on the beach there at the state park. We didn't get in the water at all.

 

:iagree:This was the kid's favorite thing to do. The hike is not that bad, and once you are at the top it is so much fun to run down. Then once you get to the bottom it is a great spot for the kids to play in the water.

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Jill, I would LOVE it if you could share more details with me. Seems like there are several different beach areas and they have different things to offer. Which beach/what area did you go to? And what trails did you hike? If you don't mind, any details would really help me. :)

 

Oh, and glad to hear it was a nice trip for you. That's encouraging. :)

 

One of the hikes we did that everyone liked was the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm. The buildings weren't open, so that was a disappointment, but it was still a nice hike. It is historical and fun to see even if you can't go in (but you can peek in the windows). We also went from there to the Bailly Cemetery which was interesting. It was on this hike that we saw several deer.

 

The one thing to watch out for is poison ivy. It was everywhere, so I would make sure everyone has socks and close toed shoes on.

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My family goes frequently to the dunes. We usually go to the Indiana dunes because they are closer. There is a decent bathroom there. The one drawback is that the area is not that nice for tourists. We think the Michigan dunes are waaaaaay better for vacationing because there are decent restaurants and other fun resources in the area.

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