Beautiful lakefront! I loved every moment of it, I was able to capture some really nice pictures.read more

I had the opportunity recently to visit Whiting, Indiana, a community of just under 5,000 people in…read moreLake County and less than 20 miles from Chicago. It's a beautiful community that weaves together the wonder of Lake Michigan, the skyline of Chicago, and a historical vibe with a strong industrial influence. When most people think of Lake County, they think of Gary or maybe East Chicago. Crown Point, another underrated and beautiful community, is actually the county seat. I've done three of my Tenderness Tour events to Chicago and have wheeled through Whiting. I'm a huge Lake Michigan fan and always make a point of getting as much time near the lake as possible. Whiting Lakefront Park is, you guessed it, actually on the lakefront of Lake Michigan. It encompasses around 15 acres and includes play areas, walking paths, picnic facilities, a concessions area, two sand volleyball courts, a fishing pier, flower gardens, and a wonderful fish pond that is idea for peaceful contemplation. Because this is on Lake Michigan, it's a popular spot for events both private and public. As is true of nearly every public park in Lake County, it's also within view of some industrial scenes and, yes, this does somewhat detract from the entire experience. That said, it's still really amazing. The park is located adjacent to Whihala Beach, a public beach in Whiting. Whihala Beach has a floating water park, standup paddle boards, kayaks, fishing, restrooms, swimming, a public boat launch and ramp, and much more. Whiting Lakefront Park is open daily from 7am-8pm. It's my understanding that they definitely enforce the times and are known to tow unauthorized vehicles unless arrangements are in advance or there's a rental agreement. The park, and in fact the city, is named after Herbert L. "Pop" Whiting, a trainman who apparently was actually killed in a crash here. A little bit about the city - scenes from the movies "Rudy" and "Four Friends" were shot in Whiting. There's lots of historic buildings here including a Carnegie Library and the Hoosier Theatre. The community was developed largely out of the railroads and Standard Oil Company. It is considered a Southern Shores community. The park is a landing place for migrating birds and has Purple Martin houses. The park is friendly to both vehicles and pedestrian traffic. While accessibility isn't quite perfect, it's surprisingly good. Most parking is metered and dogs are allowed on the trails if leashed. It is important to note that dogs can only be on the beach during the off-season from after Labor Day to Memorial Day. They must be leashed. The park does have bathrooms, as well. The trails are all well cared for and quite wheelchair friendly I found. I also felt like the play areas were quite child-friendly, though not perfectly accessible. This park is the most popular park in Whiting with a combination of history, beautiful views, and great amenities. I definitely recommend giving Whiting a visit if you're in the Lake County area. Of course, you're also quite close to Indiana Dunes National Park.

Only reason I'm not giving a 5 star review is because all the garbage that was on the beach. We had…read moreto clean up other people garbage in order to even have a clear spot. Other than that we had a great time!​

The most beautiful beach close to Chicago This little town…read moreis part of Gary but looks like small key west style town Beautiful parks, nice beach and cute houses

A fantastic park is on the far South Side with some cool scenery including a beach. Calumet Park is…read moreone of my lesser appreciated favorites. It just about is as close as you can get to Indiana. Beach of course is the best part about here. The rest of the park has some gardens and hiking trails. Either in summer or winter it's a beautiful place for hanging. It has a few big parking lots. There's plentiful parking meaning it's usually easy to find somewhere. Beach is the most notable feature. This goes along a few miles. Certainly it isn't always pretty around here. There's some ugly old factories, including those across the lake in Gary, but besides that it's beautiful mostly. Be warned about the nuisances here, which include birds and bugs. It's especially bad in the summer. This park is most happening then and has features such as athletic facilities and other fun things.

Beautiful park! Plenty of stone walkways, views of the lake, and trees for a relaxing experience…read more The park is huge and plenty of open space and various amenities, and kiddie playgrounds too. We enjoyed walking the dog and the views

Indiana beaches are better than Chicago Lakefront!! I will say this for many reasons…read more 1. Clean 2. Crowds are well-behaved 3. Showers available. I like that they have multiple restrooms available as well. Things to keep in mind. Indiana dunes are classified as a national park, so you will pay accordingly to the park. At the time of review, single car pricing is $25. However, you can visit multiple times within 7 days. West Beach has significant parking available. However, I recommend arriving before noon. Otherwise, you will be circling the lot.

The beach was littered with trash when we first got on it, trash cans closest to the beach were…read moreoverflowing, there were gnats and flies eating us alive. The people there were uh weird.

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!

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.

On of my absolute favorite beaches in Chicago! Oak Street…read moreBeach has a very nice skyline view of Chicago. It's easy to get there by car or bus or train. Also walking distance from the nearby hotels. Right off of Michigan Avenue. Love the sandy beach area! You can rent a chair and/or beach umbrella for a very reasonable fee. Or you can bring your own! There is a restaurant on the site, and a shack where you can get hot dogs and drinks. There was dj music on the restaurant patio in this August when I was there. I really loved this beach and I will definitely return when I come back to Chicago.

What an amazing vibe and relaxing experience. Was definitely packed but it had the feel of a…read moreclassic summer city afternoon in the park. The only thing I wish was better was the rules on how to rent the volleyball courts and nets. It's a little difficult to navigate the website. Other than that, it was perfect!

This is a very active beach with kayak and paddleboarding rentals as well as a volleyball league!…read moreThere are public restrooms and bus 72 picks you up right in front so it's very convenient.

North Ave is one of the main beaches up in Chicago. It is always extremely busy, especially during…read morepeak sun hours on really warm days. If you plan a trip, go earlier rather than later otherwise you will not be able to find any type of parking (the zoo would be your best second option for parking outside of beach parking) otherwise have an expectation to be walking a mile plus from a parking spot more inner city. However, definitely deserves four stars because of the vibe and the variety of things to do. You can go to the beach and eat at a food truck and just have a chill day or go to the beach and then end up at an extremely nice restaurant! There is tons of places to eat spread throughout the coast. There is also Lincoln parked attached across the bridge with tons and tons of trails to walk along for free. There are so many memories to be made there in multiple types of ways! Just depending on what you are wanting the day to feel like.