Indiana Dunes National Park and Chicago

Okay, there’s been lots going on, so we have some catching up to do! We’re going back three stops to Indiana Dunes State Park. 

We stayed at the nicest campground yet!  It was really close to the national park and only about an hour from Chicago, so of course, we went there too. Our campsite was super cute, with a little porch and picnic table right by a creek. 🏕️ And across from us was a huge field that was perfect for watching and catching fireflies! The campground even had a really nice pool, which we played in every day.🛟I mean, who could resist a pool with a giant smiley face painted on the bottom? 

On our first day, it was super hot, so we headed straight to Lake Michigan. That turned out to be a great idea, because the lake was FREEZING! Okay, technically it was 64 degrees, but when you’re used to swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, where it’s more like 80 in the summer, it felt like an ice bath! 🧊

To get to the beach, we had to hike up a huge sand dune. Once we got to the top, we had to sort of half-walk, half-slide down the other side. After we cooled off, we decided to hike up another nearby dune called Mt. Baldy.🧑🏼‍🦲 Climbing it was kind of like walking up a giant sandy escalator that was going the wrong way. Every step you took up, you slid partway back down! When we finally made it to the top, the view was amazing, but we couldn’t stay long because we got attacked by these insane biting flies! 🪰 We ran all the way down the dune and jumped into the water to escape them.💦 

One of the best parts about Indiana Dunes was that it was really dog-friendly.🐕 Sully had the best time of his life! He was jumping in and out of the water, digging holes, and rolling all around in the sand. He absolutely loved it! 💖

The next day, we rode the South Shore Line train into Chicago. 🚂It was my first time ever visiting a real city! 🏢 We got off at Millennium Station and walked straight to the Bean.🫘 It’s a giant shiny metal sculpture that looks like…yep, you guessed it, a bean. Later we found out its real name is Cloud Gate, because it reflects the clouds and kind of acts like a gateway into the park. ⛅

Then we checked out another awesome art piece called Crown Fountain👑 It was so fun! It’s made up of two giant towers with video screens showing faces. Every five minutes or so, the faces open their mouths and spit out water! Since it was 97 degrees that day, it was both fun and a total lifesaver. 

For lunch, we got Chicago dogs (although mine was just a regular hot dog) and then went looking for a museum. We found a tiny free one that wasn’t super exciting, but hey, it had air conditioning! 

After that, we walked to Amorino, a really cool gelato shop known for its pretty flower-shaped scoops with macarons on top. Yum! 🍦

Once we finished our gelato, we were ready to head back outside. We crossed this amazing, twisty bridge and found the most magical playground I’ve ever seen.🛝 It felt like it was in the middle of a forest, even though we were clearly still in the city.🌳 It had water play areas too, so we stayed and played until it was time to catch the train back home. Oh my gosh, I’m calling this home now!🏡

On our last night, we went to West Beach to watch the sunset. This spot was more crowded but pretty cool because we got to see the Chicago skyline across the lake. Mom, Grier and I walked up the 250 steps to the top of another dune for an even better view! 🌇