Dune Acres (Gary, Portage, Michigan City: hotels, zoning, rental)

[kattygirl27]

Does anyone know anything about Dune Acres Indiana. I found it while doing a web search of Indy and when I checked it out further it seems to not have anything for tourists just residents. Does anyone know if they have a hotel or how to get a beach pass so you can park and play on the beach?

[domergurl]

I think that Dune Acres is mainly a pocket of residential and a train station. You can find a website for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and I'm sure there are hotels in nearby Chesterton.

[regionrat1]

Well if you like camping during the summer then yeah its pretty rustic spot. Ah very small just more private then public your best bet would be Chesterton or Michigan City. Holiday inn and hampton inn in Michigan city and chesterton has the hilton and best western. We also have stuff for the summer look at festivals inthe summer in the surrounding areas. Michigan City, Chesterton, and Valparasio. Lots of stuff to do in the summer then the winter and spring. Thier is also stuff to do in the fall if you have kids.

[summer22]

Dune Acres, Ogden Dunes, Michiana Shores, and Beverly Shores are small enclaves. They were platted in the early part of the century as exclusive/resort communities.

I'm not sure why they stagnated. It seems like they never grew to their full potential. I believe I remember reading that more phases of building were planned, but due to financial reasons or market conditions were never built. Those communities were for the most part completely built by 1950/1960 and have been almost untouched since then.

So all four of those communities remain small, isolated, and self-governing. They each have their own town boards and extremely strict zoning. Only Beverly Shores allows any public access to its lakefront, and that is due to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (federal park) having the rights to build access and control roads.

If you're coming to this area for tourism, the National Lakeshore extends from Gary to Michigan City, over 20 miles, with 6-7 major access points for the lakefront, and parking. You'll want to check out the lake from at least 2-3 different places, because each beach access is different and has its own personality and offers different views. The State Park offers a nature center and facilities. The State Park is a small portion of the lakefront compared with the national park. Chesterton and Portage both have good quality hotels.

Our lakefront is a mix of industry and nature. Not a good mix. But the National Lakeshore has been steadily expanding and adding acreage since inception in 1962. That's another reason the four beach communities have stagnated, they are now hemmed in and surrounded by nationally owned parkland.

If you're looking to buy here, beach property prices are high. The most open of the lakefront communities would be either Gary, Portage, Michigan City, or Porter. Porter is a friendly small town that includes Porter Beach. Portage is a growing, and nice, city that is developing its first municipal beach and encouraging residential development near the lakefront. Michigan City has a great lakefront park, beach, and zoo, and is safe. Gary's Miller Beach section is worth looking into if you're so inclined and you're more the urban pioneer type.

East of Michigan City there is one public access place but it is not easy to get into unless you live there. You can occasionally find some good deals on off-season beach house rentals east of Michigan City. Navigating the streets is quite a task though and the communities there have pretty much banned any and all parking, standing, and stopping, making your time there very uncomfortable unless you know someone who's driveway you can park in.

[summer22]

Here's an article from the Sun-Times dated 11/18/2007 -


DUNES PARK CHIEF WANTS MORE VISITORS
PORTER, Ind. -- The new superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore hopes more people in the region will consider visiting the 15,000-acre park along Lake Michigan's southern shore.
''When people think of national parks they're probably going to say the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone,'' Constantine Dillon told the Post-Tribune. ''They probably won't say the Indiana Dunes, and yet you've got something that's an easy drive or a train ride away. We want people to realize they don't have to spend hundreds of dollars and a week off of work to go visit a national park.''
The national park, established in 1966, stretches from near downtown Gary to the edge of Michigan City, surrounding the Indiana Dunes State Park, several industrial plants along the shore and two towns.
The park's visitor center is about 50 miles from Chicago.
Lynn McClure, Midwest regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, said the park's dunes reach 180 feet high. Visitors can enjoy sunsets from the top of Mount Baldy or ride the Calumet Bike Trail. Families will want to visit the nature center. And with the arrival of lake-effect snow this winter, there will be cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the park.
''Although it is only a few miles from Chicago, the dunes make you feel like you're in a completely different landscape,'' McClure said. ''Every visit is different because the winds and the water keep changing the dunes.'

And some park info -
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan in Indiana

You may want to check these out too, pretty cool -
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - Century of Progress 1933 World's Fair Homes at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (U.S. National Park Service)

The Chicago Encyclopedia -
Beverly Shores, IN
Ogden Dunes, IN
Dune Acres, IN
Indiana Dunes

[RAZZEL]

Originally Posted by kattygirl27

Does anyone know anything about Dune Acres Indiana. I found it while doing a web search of Indy and when I checked it out further it seems to not have anything for tourists just residents. Does anyone know if they have a hotel or how to get a beach pass so you can park and play on the beach?

Hi Katy,
I grew up in Gary Indiana and lived in Hobart and Portage. Very familiar w/ Dunes Acres. Beautiful place-simply beautiful. Check out Beverly Shores and Ogden Dunes which is located right next to Dunes Acres. You don't need a beach pass to go to many of the beaches up there. I prefer to go into the State of Michigan just across the Indiana state line.
Stay away from Gary.
Miller beaches as well. Just not safe. Have fun!!!!! It is wonderful!!!!

[scarlett8]

I used to live in Dune Acres...it's a BEAUTIFUL-WONDERFUL lit'l community..private...you must be a guest or know someone to get by the guard...beautiful private residences, the beach itself is clean and taken care of. Properties are expensive-but well worth the prestige of this community.
I miss it..but then again, don't miss the climate, cold, snow, continuous rainy days---am in Sedona, AZ NOW!