Indiana Dunes National Park

March 19th

We headed out on Sunday to Douglas, with a plan to stop at The Indiana Dunes National Park - because who knew there is a National Park there! We only missed one exit in Illinois, resulting in an extra $2.50 in tolls but hey that isn't terrible!

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INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK

Overview:

> Very close to Chicago

> The layout of the park is very different because it crosses over a few cities and towns, making it so there are multiple access points.

> The road and the beach // dunes are part of the park, but the houses right across from it are not!

> It was very windy but we can see the appeal during the summer!

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Some Pictures:

View from a residential street out to Lake Michigan and the Dunes

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One of our favorite parts of the park was the Century of Progress historic district which has the original houses from the 1933 World Fair in Chicago.

We first drove by this pink house and I mentioned that I recognized it and while climbing around the Dunes I realized I had read a WSJ article about it last year (in my favorite section - the Mansion section, which Ryan decides not to read for some reason - it is great for showing you houses you will never be able to afford). Here is the link to the article if you have a subscription!

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Anyway, what is really intriguing about these homes is that they are leased out to people by the Indiana Landmarks association and the National Park Service, on the terms that the tenants pay to restore the homes themselves (and man have the 5 homes needed extensive repairs) and in return they get a 50 year lease. The 5 homes are:

THE ARMCO-FERRO HOUSE