Things to do in Michigan City, Indiana with kids

Start with Washington Park

Washington Park is the city's lakefront park, about ten minutes from Beachwalk, and it covers a whole day on its own. The beach is wide and sandy with a gentle slope, which is what you want with little ones, and the splash pad and playground sit just behind it for when the water is too cold (it usually is until late June). There is a per-car parking fee for non-residents in summer; it is cheaper than a day anywhere else on this list.

From the beach, walk the pier out to the Michigan City East Pierhead Lighthouse, the red-roofed one on every postcard. It is a flat, easy walk with big waves on windy days (keep hands held near the end). The Old Lighthouse Museum, in the 1858 keeper's house on the park side, is a short stop that older kids like for the shipwreck stories and the Fresnel lens.

The zoo on the hill

Washington Park Zoo climbs the wooded dune above the park, so the paths wind uphill and the enclosures appear between the trees: otters, big cats, monkeys, a reptile house and a farmyard section. It is small enough to finish in under two hours, which is exactly right for a four-year-old, and the stone observation tower at the top has a view over the lake. It is seasonal (spring through fall) and the hill is real; bring the stroller with the good wheels or a carrier.

Mount Baldy and the Dunes, close to home

The nearest piece of Indiana Dunes National Park is Mount Baldy, about ten minutes west of the resort. The dune itself is closed to climbing except on ranger-led hikes, but the trail from the parking lot down to the beach is a short walk and the beach at the bottom is one of the quieter ones. For the full dunes day, with lifeguards and the stair-climb everyone talks about, see our Indiana Dunes with kids guide.

Gardens, art and the outlets

• Friendship Botanic Gardens: 100-plus acres of woodland trails and gardens along Trail Creek. Kids treat it as a nature walk; adults get a quiet hour. Seasonal.
• Lubeznik Center for the Arts: a free contemporary art center a block from the lakefront, with changing exhibits and, in summer, family art days. Twenty minutes well spent when it is raining.
• Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets: open-air outlet mall downtown. Not an attraction, but it is where the forgotten swimsuit and the second pair of sandals come from.
• The South Shore Line: for kids who love trains, the ride into Chicago is the day out. Our train guide has the details.

Back at Beachwalk

Honestly, on a hot week the kids will vote for the resort. Beachwalk has a heated pool with a kiddie pool, a lighthouse splash pad, Lake Kai with a sandy beach and kayaks, the Cason Park castle playground and basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, and the boardwalk to Sheridan Beach on Lake Michigan, all a golf-cart ride from Sandy Shores. The treasure map turns the whole resort into a scavenger hunt with a passport to stamp, which is how we get ours to walk anywhere.

When it rains

Lubeznik, the Old Lighthouse Museum and the outlets cover a wet morning in town; Valparaiso, 40 minutes away, covers a whole wet day with go-karts, an arcade and a proper downtown. We put it all in the rainy-day guide.

A sample day with kids

• 8:30 Breakfast on the screened porch, then the golf cart to the pool when it opens.
• 11:00 Drive to Washington Park: the zoo first while legs are fresh, picnic lunch in the park.
• 1:30 Beach and splash pad, pier walk to the lighthouse if the wind is down.
• 5:00 Back to the house for the grill and the fire circle, s'mores at sundown.

The town guide to Michigan City has the full list of places with addresses, and the plan your stay page covers check-in, Resort Bands and the golf cart.