Beachwalk Resort for first-timers: bands, carts, the boardwalk and the pool

What Beachwalk is

Think of it as a small beach town with no cars needed once you have parked. Homes are privately owned; many, including ours, are rented through Beachwalk Vacation Rentals, the resort's own rental office. The amenities belong to the homeowners' association, which is why guests wear a Resort Band in season. The resort sits on the north edge of Michigan City between Lake Shore Drive and the dunes, about ten minutes from downtown, the outlets and the South Shore Line station.

Resort Bands and parking passes

From mid-May through September, everyone four and older wears a Resort Band (about $15 per person for the stay) to use the pool, splash pad, Lake Kai beach, courts and activity center, and each car carries a parking pass (about $5). Beachwalk Vacation Rentals arranges both with your booking and tells you where to pick them up; it is usually the first thing you do after the door code. Prices are the resort's and can change by season. Outside band season the pool and Lake Kai are closed, but the lanes, parks, courts and the boardwalk to the beach are open all year.

The golf cart

A four-seater golf cart comes with Sandy Shores in season (roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day), and it is how everyone gets around. Three rules: licensed drivers only, the resort's speed limit applies, and carts stay inside the resort. The cart goes as far as the gate at Lake Shore Drive; from there the boardwalk to the beach is on foot. There is cart parking at the pool, the clubhouse and the gate.

Two beaches

• Lake Kai is the resort's private lake, a few minutes' walk from the house: a sandy beach with loungers, calm shallow water for small kids, kayaks, paddle boards and paddle boats at the Activities Dock in season, and catch-and-release fishing from the pier.
• Sheridan Beach is the public Lake Michigan beach outside the resort. Cart to the Lake Shore Drive gate, then follow the boardwalk over the dune to the sand at Stop 7, about five minutes in all. Check the beach flag before swimming; the lake has real rip currents and stays cold into June. Bring a wagon for chairs and the cooler.

The pool, the courts, the parks

The heated pool has a kiddie pool alongside and the lighthouse splash pad next to it; on a hot afternoon this is where the whole resort is. Around the lake and the lanes you'll find tennis and pickleball courts, a basketball court painted Beachwalk blue, a sand volleyball court, lakeside shuffleboard at the activity center, a putting green under the trees, Central Park with its fountain, and Cason Park, the wooden castle playground. The clubhouse has the Beach Hut café for coffee, ice cream and snacks in season, and on summer evenings there is live music in the park.

Small things that help

• Michigan City is on Central time. Cross into Michigan for dinner and it is an hour later.
• Summer stays at Sandy Shores run Saturday-to-Saturday, 7-night stays; check-in 4 PM, check-out 10 AM.
• Quiet lanes mean kids on bikes and carts everywhere; drive the resort like a neighborhood.
• Groceries, a pharmacy and Walmart are ten minutes away; the packing list covers what the house doesn't supply.
• Resort amenities are run by Beachwalk, so hours, fees and seasons can change. Your arrival email from Beachwalk Vacation Rentals is the current word.

Photos of everything above are on the resort page, and the plan your stay page answers the booking questions.