State park is $7 per car for Indiana residents and $20 for all other. Great nature views. Dunes…read moreare fun to climb and run/walk down. Beaches are beautiful and water is cold early in the season. The day I went there was a high wave advisory so they didn't let people in the water. Best views of the lake are from observation tower located west of the pavilion. Waves are loud if the wind is blowing from the north. You can see the City of Chicago skyline from anywhere on the beach when it is clear weather conditions. No pets on the beach and it does tend to get crowded when the weather is nice. Walking/hiking paths are available and some go the the highest points in the park where the views are breathtaking.

Driving between Cleveland and Chicago, we like to make time for a stop at Indiana Dunes State Park…read more This time it was a blustery chilly day (Nov 2025), so it wasn't going to be a swimming or hiking day. But we didn't mind the $12 vehicle fee just for the view. South of the park on SR-49, you'll see a Visitors Center, and if we were staying longer, it's a nice stop for local park info, campground reservations, souvenirs, and refreshments. The drive into the state park to Porter Beach takes you through thick woods, and we saw a buck crossing the road, which was a real treat and a reminder that these parks are wild enough. At the end of SR-49, there's an ornate pavilion, and it was closed due to the upcoming holiday, even the cafe and store were closed. The restrooms outside on the boardwalk were open. And we brought our lunch in from Culver's down by I-80. There were only a couple other cars during the time we were there. We pulled up and braved the blowing sand to get a look at the thrashing waters of Lake Michigan. With gusts up to 40mph from an approaching storm, the eaves were spectacular! But it was difficult to stay upright in that wind, not to mention the light sand-blasting we were getting. And we were on the road heading for a holiday visit, so we didnt stay long, only an hour or so. It's a beautiful park, even in the winter. We want to sled down the 170ft dune-canyon known as Devil's Slide!

Beautiful beach bordering the Induana dunes. Twe came here on Juneteenth and thr beach had families…read moreand groups of friends, allowed tents and small grills. It's a no frills beach with soft dune sand and a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline

A great park with amenities for a picnic, a hike, a beach adventure and for just listening to the…read morewaves. We found parking quickly and we're able to download the app and pay for an hour to sit and have our picnic lunch near the water. They had plenty of pavilions and tables for eating, as well as benches along the paths. We loved the various play equipment and options for families and especially the green spaces right next to the dunes. Something for everyone! We only saw portapotties, so that might be the only small issue but we were also there before the official start of the season. A fun spot and will definitely return when in the area!

Great place to visit if you need a little nature. Be sure to look up the hours before you go if…read moreyou want to get the full experience.

Deep River County Park is a really nice park to visit. We've been here numerous times. Sometimes…read morejust to walk the trails, other times to visit the museum and gift shop. During the summer the Deep River Grinders play vintage baseball on scheduled Sundays. They are so much fun to watch and interact with. It's a great time for all, young and old alike! We highly recommend you come and watch a great game of baseball!

I thought this was a great park! There's a beach, zoo, and more…read more The beach was beautiful! The boardwalk was nice to walk along the beach. Plus there were lots of picnic and seating areas. The parking is nice and there's plenty of it. But I ended up having to pay twice since each lot had a different zone code even though we were in the same park.

My husband and I went to Washington Park to see Lake Michigan and take our pictures in front of…read morelighthouses. Unfortunately, the parking was really expensive. So we got out of the car, took some pictures, and left quickly before we could be ticketed. High prices sucked the fun out of Washington Park.

Beautiful park for sports, take a nature hike, great place for kids…read more Peaceful. Love to visit around September/October when the leaves change color. Have a open mind and enjoy yourself!

Imagination Glen has some of the best hiking and biking trails in NW Indiana. A great deal of care…read morehas gone into their planning and execution. There are over 10 miles of outback-style single-track bike trails, which range from very easy to quite challenging. The well-paved Prairie Duneland Trail and Iron Horse Trail run along the edge of the park. These easy asphalt trails can be used to hike or bike all the way into Chesterton (to the east) or Hobart (to the west). The backwoods hiking trails are perfect for those who enjoy getting close to nature. I have watched beavers and muskrats working the banks of Salt Creek here. If you enjoy hiking or biking, you will find a wide range of difficulties here, one of which will surely capture your interest.

We visited Millennium Park during our weeklong stay in Chicago. We cut through the park a few days…read moreto get to the Art Institute and Symphony Center. However, we also spent a longer amount of time at Millennium Park for Chicago Blues Festival 2026. It's home of the Bean. I'd been telling my husband about Cloud Gate/the Bean for a while leading up to our trip. So it was a treat to point out the landmark to him on his first trip to Chicago. It's so nice that the city holds CBF there, what a great music fest experience with the Pavilion and all the other stages set up.

Cloud Gate aka The Bean & Millennium Park are some of my favorite things to do and see in Chicago…read more I try to swing by on each visit. There's just something so timeless and incredible about the sculpture by Anish Kapoor. The stainless steel structure is over 100 tons. It's a beauty and as you can imagine an extremely popular tourist attraction much like the park itself. Millennium Park is 25 acres and it includes other noteworthy sights: Crown Fountain-Created by Jaume Pensa. It's a water feature with two glass towers that projects faces of folks. Very cool thing to see. Lurie Garden-I love this space. It's close to 4 acres of flowers, shrubs, trees, and plants. An amazingly peaceful get away in the heart of a thriving metropolis. Pritzker Pavilion-This is one of my favorite Frank Gehry creations. It's magnificent. The design is impeccable. They have an incredible sound system so if you're there for a live music performance you're able to hear it from across the lawn. Great place to catch a movie in the park or a band. All-in-all it's a spectacular place to visit & wander whether a local or a tourist.

I was here for the lighthouse and enjoyed much of the walk. I would have gone the whole way but the…read morewind was too strong for my comfort. And also, I hadn't purchased a park pass and didn't want to stay long enough that they might notice. The park and the riverwalk are lovely. The view of the lake is amazing. Well worth the visit. If you're planning on buying an annual park pass, it's even better. [Review 20619 overall - 150 in Indiana - 1600 of 2023.]

It's ok for Indiana. It's small, next to steel mills. Water kinda gross. Too bad Indiana doesn't do…read moremore with their shoreline compared to Illinois and Michigan.

A beautiful park, playground and experience. I came here for a few hours because the Plugshare app…read moreindicated that they have Level 1 power outlets here. Yes, they do. All along the fenceline. While the Sprinter van was charging, I took the time to enjoy this space. It was originally a fully functioning farm that was purchased by Colonel Robert Heffron Murray and his wife in 1934. After Colonel Murray passed away in 1972, his estate donated the land to Porter County. Now, it has walking trails, an accessible playground, some learning and caption signs and even cross-country skiing. The park offers seasonal tent camping. No RVs or cars or trailer campsites. But the parking lot is huge and you can certainly park here to visit. [Review 20602 overall - 136 in Indiana - 1583 of 2023.]

This is a great park. There are a lot of events in every season. My favorite is Touch A Truck and…read morethe drive thru Christmas tree viewing. There is also a harvest festival in the fall.

The views here are spectacular. We've often seen the platform as we drove past on Red Arrow. It's…read morea great place to chill and pass some time. There are a few short trails that you can hike and high and low platforms where you can get a good look at the Galien River marshlands. Free to the public with lots of parking

Very nice and accessible friendly park. It's a short stroll but peaceful and beautiful. Great place…read morefor fishing and bird watching. Only thing is that parking is very limited.

Underrated and beautiful. It's got a fantastic view of the city skyline and there's a whole…read moreindustrial vibe going on but I don't mind it. It's serene and if it wasn't so warm I'd go to it more often. It's good for a long walk but there's no trees along that walk so I'll be frequenting more in the fall va the summer.

Check out this incredible transformation of a quarry into a park in Bridgeport. In between it was a…read morelandfill. Palmisano Park has went through a lot of changes to be sure. A lot of nature of course. There's trails and an interpretive wetlands among the many things to come across while going through. Best to know about the transformation before going. It used to be the Stearns Quarry. The city purchased it in 2008, cleaned it up, and opened it the next year. Has lots of nature to see and more to do. There's more than a mile of paths, including recycled timber boardwalks, and walkways. At first this was the site of a coral reef if you can believe it. Limestone was formed, and there's been fossils discovered here that are now in the Field Museum. In the 1830s it became a quarry, and operated until 1970 when it became a landfill. There's a fishing pond that still has the old quarry walls. After opening this park there was cause for celebration. The community before this had a lack of green space. Have to go here if you like parks that have been restored from abandoned areas. It's quite impressive. There's all kinds of plants and wildlife.