Beautiful spaces. http://www.edenspringspark.com/…read morehttp://www.israelitehouseofdavid.com/ http://www.maryscityofdavid.org/

Constructed in 1862 as a hops barn, this establishment was converted into a church in 1876. Then…read morere-sold in 1915 to a local farmer, the livestock barn existed on the site from 1915 to 1998 before it was purchased by members of the Pokagon United Methodist. Rev. George Bennard was visiting the area to take part in a series of revivals, and his famous hymn "The Old Rugged Cross" was first publicly performed in 1913. The hymn did not make Rev. Bernard rich. However, he sold the rights to the Rodeheaver Company of Winona Lake, Indiana, for $500, and the copyright was renewed years later for $5,000. The Old Rugged Cross Church is located on Vermont St. in Pokagon, about halfway between Dowagiac and Niles, where my partner's sister and I stopped off the beaten path before heading to Shipshewana.

My husband and I found out about this church by accident! We were simply searching for things to…read moredo in Niles, Michigan. We were determined to find something to do close to dark and finally found this on the Internet. The hymn, The Old Rugged Cross, was first performed in this church many years ago. The hymn is near and dear to our hearts because our grandparents used to enjoy singing this song and my husband has enjoyed playing it on the piano for our children. We decided to check it out! The outside of the church is stunning! We were not able to view the inside but if we ever make it back to this area of the country we will certainly stop to see it! You should do the same especially if you enjoy this old hymn!

We loved this roadside stand! I personally thought the hot dog was delicious and the root beer…read morefloat is made with one of my favorite root-beers! This made for a really fun stop! Glad that the history of this will continue.

Iconic! Root beer float is the way to go in my opinion, a cool, easy, and quick stop on the road…read more Really nice to hit after the beach!

I just got back from the Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, and it is a total five-star hidden…read moregem tucked right into the lakeside sand dunes. The workout is real with all the steep dune trails, but climbing the limestone tower rewards you with a crazy panoramic view of Lake Michigan. For a smaller zoo, the animal encounters are incredibly close up; I got right near grizzly bears, wolves, a lion, and an awesome lynx that was acting like a giant housecat, bouncing around and playing with branches. It only takes about one hour to explore, completely skips the exhausting crowds and high prices of big city zoos, and sits right across the street from the beach, making it the perfect kickoff for a lake day.

The variety of animals was nice and it's a good size for a quick trip. It took us about 45 minutes…read moreto go through the whole thing. It's accessible, but I would say not easily accessible. They have signage for an accessible route through the zoo but it was blocked and closed in several places. The free wheelchair rental was awesome but the ground was potholey in a lot of places and the grade of the hills made it nearly impossible to use. It was $12 for adults which I guess is reasonable. I wish that price included something else like parking as well.

I was very happy to be included in the group that was invited to tour Big Red today. It is usually…read moreoff limits to the public, so it was very nice to be able to walk around and explore inside Big Red. It is much bigger inside than it looks from the outside. There are two bedrooms on the second level. On the ground level there are displays that tell the history of Big Red. Fun fact: Big Red was not always red. It used to be yellow. Some of the original color can be seen inside the lighthouse. The top floor is amazing. It is worth the long climb up the narrow stairs to be able to enjoy the views from the top. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend visiting Big Red.

You can't tour this lighthouse, just see it from a state park across the inlet. Be careful what…read moreaddress you use - we tried to go to the lighthouse but ended up at a private club (which IS where you'd go to actually get to the lighthouse, but it's private so you're not allowed unless you're a member).

123 year old monument to Civil War veterans. Incredible little piece of history that still stands…read moretoday.

To look at the Soldiers & Sailors Monument now, you might think it looks a lot like the monument in…read moreIndy. The reason is that back in 1903, sculptor Rudolf Schwarz created the five bronzes for this monument after having completed many of the bronzes down in Indy. You might also think that this monument must have been here for over a hundred years. But it wasn't. It was originally located on the south east corner of the courthouse and was dismantled in 1967. After sitting in storage for five years, the monument was reconstructed at this location and dedicated in 1973. The bronzes that you see include a 10' flag bearer on top, and statues of Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, and Navy on a lower ring. When this monument was reconstructed, it displaced the miniature bronze Statue of Liberty that was built in 1951 as part of a Boy Scouts of America program. There are six of these mini statues around northern Indiana. The South Bend mini was moved to the east side of the courthouse. This is one of many stylish memorials erected over 100 years ago that commemorates those who fought to save the Union. South Bend's is in remarkable condition and is worth visiting the next time you are downtown. Review #3108

This movie theater's really cute. I think it's a hidden gem in the Glen. Located right next to Yard…read moreHouse in Glenview, IL. The guy was very helpful getting me a cup for water and had the whold theater to myself. Definitely coming back.

Can you turn the freaking air on? Maybe at least the fan to circulate air. If you want to watch a…read moremovie in great seats but hot stuffy air and warm and musty this is your place. I get times are tough but it makes for a miserable experience

Super SUPER cool theater and great prices (if you go on Tuesday). Love that the box office is on…read moreone of the upper levels, and you have to keep going up the ramp to get to the theaters! Never seen a movie in a place like that before and it's pretty unique. Saw a movie there last Tuesday with family. We signed up for the membership and go tickets for about $7 each which is pretty good. There's a lot more space that I was expecting in each theater, and our movie was packed. Definitely going to consider getting tickets online next time so we can get better seats. I recommend this spot if you live in the area and want to see a movie!!

This theater is fine. I'm a bit biased towards the one closer to my place that has newer seats and…read morean imax screen but this one has a nice retro charm. It's hidden away inside a semi kind of shopping mall? The escalators were broken so it took a maze of elevator and going to the wrong place to find it. Popcorn was yummy and salty, seats were not great, but the employees were friendly.

I've driven past Gary, IN soooo many times but never stopped to see Michael Jackson's childhood…read morehome. On our way back from Indiana Dunes, we decided why not just check it out since it's on our way back to Chicago anyway. I was honestly surprised how many people were there when we came, but maybe it's because of the recent movie. It looks like people bring gifts and sign their names on the sidewalk and street. There's not much else to do besides look at it. It's surrounded by a fence, which is understandable. It's a neat stop if you're on the way to or from something, but probably not something to go out of the way for unless you're a huge fan. The street is on has a few abandoned houses and right behind his house is what looks to be an abandoned high school. People do live in the nearby houses so visitors should all try to be respectful and keep noise down!

We made the trek to the city of Gary for this house. It's not just anyone's house, it's The Jackson…read more5's house! We didn't see much in the area outside of people just coming to this home. It was gated, so there wasn't much you can see except for knowing that this was once a house that the Jacksons lived in.