10 minute read
Discover Michigan City
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Summer is the perfect time to Discover Michigan City! Visit this city by the lake to explore unique shopping, dining, cultural and recreational experiences. We invite you to DISCOVER Michigan City this summer and can’t wait to share what makes our beloved city so special!
DISCOVER A DESTINATION
No matter your interests, there is something here for you. Looking for a hiking, biking, kayaking, outdoorsy destination? Outdoor recreation is abundant with boating on Lake Michigan, biking near the Indiana Dunes National Park, or bathing on the beach. You will find Michigan City a great place to stay a while. Choose from national chain hotels and independent inns and resorts. Michigan City offers a variety of lodging options. Locations for your weddings, reunions, or corporate retreats here will please you and your guests with the convenience of being near major highways, airports and rail lines.
For more information on all that Michigan City has to offer, visit DiscoverMichiganCity.com, email info@mcachamber.com or call 219-874-6221. DISCOVER SHOPPING
You’ll find farmer and flea markets, independent boutiques, and art galleries as well as your favorite national brands in Michigan City’s diverse retail scene. Stroll through the city’s historic downtown or head to the city’s south side with local retailers of organic foods, home furnishings and antiques.
DISCOVER FOOD
Searching for ways to please your palate? You will find them all in Michigan City. Italian beef, deep-fried pork tenderloin sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs and lake perch are just a few specialties you’ll want to try at one of the local establishments. Add the fun of local breweries and wineries, along with old fashioned drive-ins and ice cream shops - Michigan City’s food satisfies any taste.
Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets
601 Wabash St, Michigan City (219) 879-6506 • premiumoutlets.com Welcome to Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets ®. Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets is nestled in an out-door village like setting and is home to 100 stores from some of the world’s leading designers and brand names: Adidas, Aeropostale, Brooks Brothers, Columbia Sportswear, Eddie Bauer, Kate Spade New York, Le Creuset, Michael Kors, The North Face, Vera Bradley and Under Armour to name a few. Located in Michigan City, Indiana, just one mile from Lake Michigan, Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets is only 45 minutes from South Bend, Indiana, 60 minutes from downtown Chicago and approximately two hours from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets is the area’s main shopping destination with shops ranging from designer fashion, shoes, and gifts to specialty items. So, from the entire team at Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets, we look forward to your next visit
Good News Vintage
613 Franklin St. • Michigan City 219-256-9963 Welcome to Good News Vintage, located in the historical Staiger Hardware building, in beautiful downtown Michigan City! We take pride in offering you hip, hand-picked curated collections of original vintage finds! Featuring a closet FULL of sustainable fashion…walls covered in mid century art and 2000 sq. ft. of vintage, vintage…and MORE vintage! Check Facebook and Instagram for current shop hours.
Unsalted No Sharks®
523 Franklin St. Michigan City, IN 20 N. Whittaker St. New Buffalo, MI nosharksgear.com
Unsalted No Sharks® is a shopping destination to look forward to offering unique finds, gifts and more. It’s lakeology; fresh water, sweet life. Stop by one of our locations today to get Unsalted. 10% donated annually to clean water initiatives. Rhythm, Lucky Brand, Carve Designs and More!
Friendship Botanic Gardens
2055 E. US Hwy 12 friendshipbotanicgardens.org Forge a lifelong connection with nature at Friendship Botanic Gardens! Explore our 105 acres of formal gardens, wooded hiking trails, paved pathways, educational children’s garden, health and wellness garden, and more! Open to the public 9-5 Tuesday through Sunday from May-October. $10 general admission. Children 12 and under are always free.
Antique Market
3707 N. E. Frontage Rd • Michigan City 219-879-4084 • theantiquemarketmc.com Facebook @theantiquemarketmc Hours: Mon-Sat 10 am-5 pm CT • Sun Noon-5 pm CT. Home to over 140 quality antique dealers from the tri-state area and beyond. The Antique Market prides itself on the quality of antiques it sells as well as their excellent customer service. Whatever your interests of collecting might be, The Antique Market, Michigan City’s very own antique mall is sure to have it!
Harbor Adventures
269-231-5867 • harborcountryadventures.com Wines and Whiskey, Beers and Busses, Kayaks and Cruises, Fast or Slow, whatever your speed. Harbor Country Adventures is your go to source for adventure and excitement. Whether you hop aboard one of our relaxing cruise ships, book an adventure on our “Searocket boat” or choose to explore the Lake on your own with one of our rentals we have something for everyone. We also offer luxury coach for wine and brewery tours. Whatever your speed we have a ride for you.
Plan Your Next Road Trip Along INDIANA’S SCENIC BYWAYS
story by GLENDA WINDERS
As every traveler knows, the journey is often as much fun as arriving at the destination. And nowhere is this more true than along Indiana’s byways – routes mapped out by the state department of transportation “to preserve, protect, enhance and recognize transportation corridors of unique character.”
“Our state’s scenic byways demonstrate the fabric of Indiana through its history, culture and people, in a way that connects the Hoosier spirit of independence and love for the open road,” said Kurt West Garner, co-founder and president of the Historic Michigan Road Association. “Our state byways cover 55 counties, more than 1,000 miles of Hoosier roadways, and countless cities and towns.”
The official routes and some more off the beaten path give new meaning and pleasure to the concept of a road trip.
The Historic Michigan Road with which Garner is most closely associated was built in the 1830s to connect the Ohio River to Indianapolis and on to Lake Michigan. It opened the state to commerce and settlement and was also a route on the Underground Railroad. Passing through 14 counties, it connects the northern and southern parts of the state, encompassing a variety of communities and topography. In the state capital it goes directly past Newfields (formerly the Indianapolis Museum of Art) in
Madison’s downtown business district is one of the country’s largest National Historic Landmark Districts, with more than 133 blocks of outstanding architecture. PHOTO: Bernie Kasper
Indianapolis as well as Crown Hill Cemetery, whose residents range from President Benjamin Harrison, Kurt Vonnegut and James Whitcomb Riley to John Dillinger.
The Heritage Trail is a scenic 90mile loop that goes through Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee, Bristol, Wakarusa and Shipshewana. Since it passes through the heart of Amish country, it provides excellent opportunities to pick up Amish-made furniture and crafts and stop at Amish restaurants for homemade chicken and dumplings topped off with a slice of pie. Summertime visitors on the route will get the added bonus of seeing the Quilt Gardens, more than a million blossoms in 17 gigantic designs. The new Heritage Trail Audio Driving Tour will allow you to live-stream stories, bits of history and suggestions about where to stop as you drive.
While you’re here, be sure to take in LaGrange County’s Barn Quilt Tour to check out more than 30 barn-quilt murals that celebrate local culture and the Amish lifestyle. Select one to take home for your barn or garage, or visit artisans who offer leather, textiles, pottery, baskets, jewelry and more.
The Historic National Road bisects the state from Richmond in the east to Terre Haute in the west on its route from West Virginia to Illinois. This first federal highway was conceived of by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who believed a trans-Appalachian road was necessary to unite the young country, and built between 1811 and 1834. Today its six-state path is rich with history, and the Indiana segment is no exception. Following it will allow you to make a stop at the Richmond Art Museum, the gym in Knightstown where “Hoosiers” was filmed and the Oasis Diner in Plainfield for a tenderloin sandwich. Wrap up the trip with a marshmallow Coke or cherry phosphate at the soda fountain in Lynn’s Pharmacy in Brazil.
The nation’s first transcontinental highway, the Lincoln Highway, crosses the country from New York to San Francisco along the route of what today is Interstate 80. The Indiana portion connects Fort Wayne and Hammond and passes through towns such as Churubusco, where you can stop for a “Magic Burger” at the Magic Wand; Kimmell, for a stay in the Victorian Kimmell House Inn; South Bend, to visit the Studebaker National Museum; and Plymouth, to learn about the influence of roads at the Marshall
TOP TO BOTTOM: Newfields, a 152-acre campus on the Historic Michigan Road, is home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. PHOTO: Visit Indy Also on Historic Michigan Road, Crown Hill Cemetery is a cultural landmark and the largest green-space inside the Indianapolis beltway. PHOTO: Visit Indy The Indiana Lincoln Highway Association installed a Historic Route Marker at a location in front of the Fort Wayne Visitors Center. PHOTO: Visit Fort Wayne Richmond, along the National Road, is known for its many murals including this one in the Historic Depot District. PHOTO: Richmond-Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau
TOP: While on the Heritage Trail, be sure and visit the Quilt Gardens, where you’ll find more than a million blossoms. PHOTO: Visit Elkhart County BOTTOM: The Tippecanoe Battlefield and Museum near West Lafayette is part of the Wabash River Scenic Byway. PHOTO: Indiana Destination Development Corporation County Museum and Crossroads Center.
The Wabash River Scenic Byway snakes along the waterway, giving visitors a real-life lesson in the art, culture and nature of the state as it demonstrates how important rivers were to the area’s development. In West Lafayette be sure to visit Prophetstown State Park and the Tippecanoe Battlefield and Museum.
Not to be outdone, the Ohio River has its own scenic byway, 967 miles across three states, with 303 of them in Indiana. Along the way you’ll find antique shops, artists’ studios and farm markets. One of the most inviting spots it passes is Madison, which is alive with river regattas, historic architecture and a vibrant downtown filled with can’t-miss shops and places to eat. Book-lovers will want to pop in to Village Lights Books, antique-seekers will love the three floors of treasures at WOW What a Find, and hikers will enjoy Clifty Falls State Park.
The Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway consists of three loops that trace the settlement of the Whitewater Valley between Lawrenceburg and Hagerstown. The oldest church in Indiana, the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church, is on this route, as are the canal town of Metamora and the Liberty Depot and Museum in Liberty. Finish off your day with dinner in Richmond’s Historic Depot District, where you can also take in the city’s iconic murals as you unwind.
If walking or biking sounds like more fun to you, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail is the place to be. Here eight miles of paved trails connect the city’s three major outdoor public spaces.
