Michigan City to Chicago without a car: the South Shore Line

The basics

• Station: 11th Street station in downtown Michigan City, about ten minutes from Sandy Shores by car or rideshare. The rebuilt station opened with the double-track project, so trains no longer crawl down the middle of the street.
• Time: roughly an hour and a half to Millennium Station, a little more on trains that stop everywhere. Both ends are on Central time.
• Fares: a one-way ticket from Michigan City to Chicago is in the low teens of dollars; buy in the South Shore Line app or at the station. On weekends and holidays the railroad has run a family fare where kids ride free with a paying adult. Check the current rules at mysouthshoreline.com.
• Frequency: about hourly through the day, more at rush hour, with the last train back from Chicago late in the evening. Screenshot the return times before you go.

A Chicago day that stays within a walk of the station

Millennium Station comes out under Michigan Avenue at Randolph Street, which puts most of the famous things within fifteen minutes on foot:

• Millennium Park is directly above you: the Bean (Cloud Gate), the Crown Fountain the kids will want to run through, and the Pritzker Pavilion lawn for a sit.
• Maggie Daley Park, across the bridge from Millennium Park, has the best playground downtown and a climbing wall.
• The Art Institute is at the south end of the park. Kids last about an hour; the miniature Thorne Rooms are the hit.
• The Riverwalk starts a few blocks north: architecture boats, ice cream and the Michigan Avenue bridge.
• Navy Pier (the Children's Museum, the Ferris wheel) and the Museum Campus (Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum) are a short bus or a long, pleasant walk along the lakefront.

Arriving from Chicago without a car

The same trip works the other way for guests flying into O'Hare or Midway, or coming out from the city for the week. Take the CTA or a cab to Millennium Station, ride to 11th Street, and a rideshare covers the last ten minutes to Beachwalk. Once you are at Sandy Shores you barely need a car: the golf cart reaches the pool, Lake Kai and the boardwalk to the beach, the Beach Hut café is at the clubhouse, and grocery delivery reaches the house. For day trips to New Buffalo or the Dunes you would want a rental car or a rideshare.

Driving instead

If you'd rather drive, it is about an hour and fifteen minutes from the Loop on I-90 or I-94 to the Michigan City exits, longer on summer Friday evenings. Parking in the Loop costs more than two train tickets, which is most of the argument for the train. Details for both, plus airports and time zones, are on the plan your stay page.