Category: Beaches

A weekend getaway or a summer vacation destination, Michigan City, Indiana delivers big time!

A weekend getaway or a summer vacation destination, Michigan City, Indiana delivers big time!

By V. Lori Hedges

As far as I’m concerned, there is never a bad day to go to the beach. I would go every day if it were up to me. There is nothing more therapeutic than the sound of waves crashing on the shore. But since I live in southern Indiana, the only shoreline near my home is bordering the Ohio River. While our riverfront is beautiful and relaxing, it’s just not the same as the beach.

If my beach fix was limited to trips to the Atlantic, Pacific or Gulf Coast, I’d be in trouble. Luckily, there are miles of sandy, beautiful beaches just four hours to the north! From the Indiana Dunes National Park to the multitude of other beaches, Lake Michigan has sandy shoreline as far as the eye can see.

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Michigan City, Indiana – a town that is a perfect getaway destination. My husband was there on business, and I got to tag along, and we turned the down times into a two-day getaway vacation. Michigan City has historic sites, a Casino, theater, music venues, great restaurants and bars, parks, and (of course) beaches.

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Since it was such a quick trip, we didn’t get to go everywhere on our list. (I guess that just means we’ll have to go back again soon!) However, we had the opportunity to visit several amazing places, including Michigan City’s Washington Park Beach.

One of the things I love about beaches on the Great Lakes is you have the sensation of being at the Ocean without all the wildlife risks, meaning there are no sharks, jellyfish or stingrays to worry about! Like the ocean, however, you do have to pay attention to the water conditions. Big water is big water, and like the ocean, waves can get rough, and riptides form on a regular basis. So, use caution when swimming, and pay attention to the flags posted at the beach.

Washington Park Beach has life guards on duty during the day, which makes it the perfect place to take your family. The beach is beautiful and clean, with restrooms and concessions on the beach. It’s the perfect place to swim, wade and look for shells and sea glass.

Michigan City has lots to do!

Just a short walk down the shore is the Old Lighthouse Museum, located at 100 Heisman Harbor Road, in Washington Park where you can learn about Great Lakes history and the role lighthouses had in that history. The museum is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday from April to October. Admission is $5 for person age 14 and older, $2 for persons younger than 14, and free from preschool age and younger.

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If you want to see a working lighthouse, just follow the walkway along the shoreline to the Michigan City Lighthouse. The walkway is a great place from which to throw out a fishing line or kick back and watch the sunset – or do both at the same time!

If you need even more stuff to do, Washington Park also offers a zoo, a senior center, a splash park, picnic shelters, a boat launch, a marina, public fishing areas, a fish cleaning station, public art, and a restaurant. Also, if Washington Park’s beach isn’t enough for you, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is just west of Michigan City and offers many miles of beautiful beaches.

However, if your family is like mine, just going to the beach is not enough to keep active offspring happy. Michigan City has tons of things to do and see. There are several museums, including the Historic Barker Mansion, a beautifully preserved Victorian-era home built in the 1800s by one of Michigan City’s most important citizens, or the Hesston Steam Museum or the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.

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If art and theater is your thing, you’re in luck. Michigan City has a variety of art galleries, and the Canterbury Theatre offers a full season of plays, musical theater, and concerts. Need more excitement? The BlueChip Casino has a blackjack table or slot machine waiting just for you! (Just remember to play responsibly.)

Finding a tasty meal

After a full day of beach lounging, museum tours, and whatever else you manage to crowd into your day, a good meal is more than necessary. During our stay in Michigan City, we ate at several restaurants. A couple really stood out from the rest.

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Galveston Steakhouse food

First, let me suggest Galveston Steak House. A family-owned restaurant, located at 10 Commerce Square, Galveston believes in great food, big portions, and friendly service. Eating there was a great way to end a wonderful day.

I also had the opportunity to pop into Ryan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, located at 401 Franklin Street. I was just looking for a snack and something to drink, but boy did I get more than I bargained for! I had skipped lunch so I asked for an order of deep-fried cauliflower, thinking it would be a little something to get me through until dinner. What came to my table was a huge heaping bowl of deliciousness! Stop in for a snack, but you may want to bring someone with you to help eat it!

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Staying in Michigan City

Accommodations in Michigan City run from one extreme to the other. We stayed at the BlueChip Casino in a room which I consider to be a typical no-frills hotel room. I recommend you check out the other accommodations offered in the town as the walls at the BlueChip are thin, making for a noisy abode.  If you’re visiting on a budget, there are campgrounds and RV parks available, with some offering cabins. On the other end of the spectrum, there are several hotels, including the BlueChip, that offer luxury suites. The city also has a variety of beautiful B&Bs, or you can opt to rent a beach house through a site like HomeStay.

Regardless of where you decide to stay, your visit to Michigan City is sure to be a highlight of your summer. I know my family is excited to spend a couple days this summer enjoying the beaches near Michigan City.

 

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It’s fun watching boats sail in and out of the marina at Washington Park.

 

All photos are the property of V. Lori Hedges, and may not be used without permission.

Discovering Cuba: From beautiful Santa Maria Beach to busy Havana, we miss it all

Discovering Cuba: From beautiful Santa Maria Beach to busy Havana, we miss it all

By V. Lori Hedges

I knew before we left for our trip, that Tyler and I had to reserve at least one day to visit a beach in Cuba. After all, you can’t go island and not go to the beach!

Months before I had watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown which highlighted Santa Maria Beach in one of his story segments. “That’s where we are going,” I told Tyler. So, toward the end of our trip, we called up our friend, Pedro, and asked him to take us to Santa Maria Beach for the afternoon.

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We were not disappointed! Although it was a hot day, the water was perfect. And because it was in the middle of the week, it was not at all crowded. According to Pedro, most Cubans go to the beach during the late afternoons on the weekends.

I really think it is the most beautiful beach I’ve ever visited. You could see straight to the sandy bottom; the water is that clear. The day we were there, the water was very calm with minimal undertow – a perfect place to take young children for a dip in the ocean.20170427_123823

Large portable beach umbrellas and chairs are available for rent or you can just claim a spot under one of the fixed palm-leaf umbrellas dotting the shoreline. We chose to do the later and spread out a blanket on the sand underneath it.

At the beach entrance is a bar and restaurant where you can purchase everything from sandwiches and soft drinks to cocktails and beer. The bar’s restroom is also conveniently available for changing into your swimsuit.

We swam, lounged, and people watched (most of our fellow beach goers were European and Canadian tourists) for more than four hours. After the hustle and bustle of Havana, Santa Maria Beach was a soothing balm to the soul.

For sure, this beach tops my list of favorite oceanside places! If you make it to Havana, make sure you set aside some serious time to check out this jewel of a beach!

 

Last thought

As I sit and reflect on my 10 days in Havana, there are a few thoughts I’d like to leave with you before I go onto my next adventure. To begin with, I just want to say that the people of Havana are wonderful, friendly people. They welcome you with open arms.

 

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With our host family (from left) – Lori, Yanara, Tyler, Yeny, Anibal, and Maluma (the puppy).

 

Our host family, Yeny, Anibal, and Yanara feel like family, and we miss them like crazy. Our new and wonderful friends, Julio and Tomasa, opened their home and lives to us, and we so cherish them. Pedro is so much more than a taxi driver to us, and we loved our conversations together as he took us from place to place. There are so many others that we were just barely getting to know – Sylvia, Sisi, Leo, and Felix – we can’t wait to come back and get to know you all better.

 

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Tyler and me with our friend, Pedro.

 

I’ve never traveled to a place where I’ve gained so many friendships so quickly. I didn’t expect to feel so connected to this city, but it has become a part of me, and I am glad.

Havana is a major metropolitan city – yes, it’s literally crumbling in many places, but it’s also beautiful. There are signs of revitalization going on in just about every neighborhood as displaced Cubans are returning to invest in their country.Fruit

My only hope is that as Cuban nationals gain more and more access to modern amenities, they won’t forget that new is not always better. I hope they will never discard their neighborhood butchers, bakers, and produce stands that provide them with wonderful fresh foods and instead replace them with American-style supermarkets that specialized mainly in heavily processed foods with ridiculously long shelf lives.

I hope they will continue to repair and maintain the wonderful 1950s cars that are so famously Havana when new car dealerships begin springing up around the island. I also hope they will remain true to the historical aspect of architecture as renovations and new construction projects become more common around the city.

Havana, and the rest of Cuba, is going to experience growing pains as money and opportunities begin to flow into the country from the United States and elsewhere. This country that has struggled for more than 60 years is full of extremely resourceful and artistic people. They know how to “not just manage,” but to thrive with less, and they do it with an amazing zest-for-life attitude. I hope that as they experience gain, they won’t lose their strong character traits in the process.

Havana, even as large as it is, has a kind of “Mayberry” feel to it in that people still have a front-porch society. Everywhere you go, people are sitting in their doorways or on their balconies watching the activities around them. It is common to hear greetings shouted from the sidewalk, and neighbors spend time visiting each other daily. Families go to the neighborhood parks regularly to spend recreational time together and to meet with friends. They talk face to face. People there are connected, and not just on Facebook. I hope they never lose that.

Gracias, Havana. We will be back.

All photos and video are the property of V. Lori Hedges, and may not be used without permission.