Dunes and Tulips Road Trip: Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana Dunes became a National Park in February! What better way to experience the new NP than with Indiana Landmarks and their Logs to Lustrons Tour? Road trip!!

The tour focused on the buildings inside the Park, from log cabins to Lustrons, which was modular housing built of enamel-coated steel. They were manufactured after World War II until 1950, primarily to address the housing shortage. I did not know that the National Park Service is responsible for protecting and maintaining the built environment, in additional to all the natural resources, inside the Parks! Did you know that?!

On this tour, we saw 100 years of architectural history, from log cabins, to a Sears home, a repurposed barn into a really cool school, a sweet mid-century modern home, and two Lustrons. Thirteen homes in all, and attendees were able to visit inside nine of them. One Lustron was in rough shape, and the other was restored to its original glory. Lesson learned #2 was that private citizens lease these homes, and do all the preservation work on their own dime. They get to live there, but they can't own the homes in the NP perimeter. I highly recommend this tour the next time it is offered through Indiana Landmarks!





















We got to take a looksie at the Century of Progress Homes, also located inside the Park along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Five homes from the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair were relocated here; all were designed as predictions of what homes could be. Note that this is a separate tour that I plan to take! Interested in living in one? Our friends at Indiana Landmarks would love to talk to you!



And then there's the dunes, with 15,000 acres of ever-moving dunes, wetlands, prairies, rivers and forests. Gorgeous! And here's the view toward the Lake from this same spot:



Ahhhh!!!

Click here for Indiana Dunes National Park website.

And I can't have a road trip without sharing some chow recommendations.This time, it has to be The Port in Chesterton.



Totally old-school! That tray will clip to the side of your car! I said that I would eat at the picnic tables, since eating in the car is not a novelty to me! Delish!! This was their LA Streetdog - wrapped in bacon and grilled with peppers and onions. And the root beer was served in a frosted mug! What time warp did I step into?! Amazing! Definitely swing by when you visit the Dunes!

Click here for The Port's website.