What to pack for a week at Beachwalk Resort

What the house already has

A full kitchen with cookware, dishes, a coffee maker and the usual small appliances; bed linens and bath towels; a full-size washer and dryer (so pack lighter than you think); air conditioning; TVs in the lounge and the first-floor master; a gas grill on the deck; the fire circle; and, in season, the four-seater golf cart. Check-in is 4 PM, check-out 10 AM, and there is parking for 5 cars.

For the beach and the lake

• Beach towels. The house supplies bath towels only; bring one per person plus a spare.
• Sunscreen, hats, sunglasses. The lake reflects.
• Water shoes. Parts of Sheridan Beach are stony, and the Lake Kai dock is easier with them.
• A beach wagon if you own one. The golf cart stops at the Lake Shore Drive gate and the boardwalk to Stop 7 is on foot; a wagon carries the chairs, umbrella and cooler.
• Chairs and an umbrella or shade tent. Sheridan Beach has no rentals.
• Sand toys and a bucket for Lake Kai's beach, which is calm and shallow at the edge.
• Goggles and floaties for the heated pool. Pool noodles travel badly; buy them at the outlets if you need them.
• A dry bag or zip bag for phones on the kayaks and paddle boards.

For the evenings

• Layers. Lake Michigan evenings drop into the 60s even in July, and the screened porch is where everyone ends up.
• Bug spray for the fire circle and the Dunes trails.
• S'mores supplies and long skewers; the house has the fire, not the marshmallows.
• A deck of cards or a board game for the porch table on the one rainy night.
• A rain jacket. Lake storms are short and dramatic.

The first-night grocery run

Saturday check-in at 4 PM means dinner is the first decision. Al's Supermarket, Meijer and Walmart are each about ten minutes away in Michigan City; a short list for the first night and breakfast saves a second trip. Coffee, milk, grill food, buns, fruit, cereal, paper towels and trash bags beyond the starter supply, and whatever your kids will actually eat. Grocery delivery also reaches the house.

For the resort

• Driver's licenses for anyone who will drive the golf cart.
• Resort Band and parking-pass details from your Beachwalk Vacation Rentals arrival email (in season, everyone four and older wears a band; each car needs a pass). See the resort page for how that works.
• Tennis or pickleball gear if you play; the courts are a cart ride away. Basketballs and volleyballs are worth bringing too.
• Bikes if you have a rack. Beachwalk's lanes are quiet and flat.
• Phones charged for the treasure map; it runs in the browser, no app.

Leave at home

• Pets. Sandy Shores is pet-free.
• Glass for the beach and the pool deck.
• Most of the toys. Between the pool, the lake, the playground, the courts and the sand, the house ones stay in the bag.

Everything about arrival, the summer week rule and the house is on the plan your stay page, and the first-timers' guide to Beachwalk explains how the resort works.