Don’t let the fear of lake effect snow and icy highways deter you from visiting the northern part of Indiana this winter. Avoid potentially dangerous road conditions and hop aboard the South Shore Line instead. The train runs all day long from South Bend to Chicago, seven days a week.
My family recently road the rails from the Carroll Avenue Station in Michigan City all the way to Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. It took less than 2 hours, and we avoided Friday morning rush hour traffic and steep parking fees in the Windy City. Our 1-year-old son rode for free, and he loved being entertained by his parents instead of being strapped to his car seat all by himself in the backseat of our car. We had a lot of room to move about, and plenty of storage for our stroller and bags. It was only $8 per one-way ticket for an adult. Prices vary based on the distance traveled.
While most of the passengers are likely to be commuters, there is still plenty to do along the line for casual visitors. Several Indiana attractions in the area offer free shuttle services to and from nearby stations, including the Dunes Walk Inn (from the Beverly Park and Dune Park stations) and the Blue Chip Casino (from the 11th Street station in Michigan City). The U.S. Steel Yard, where the Gary RailCats play, is a 3-block walk from the Gary Metro Center station. And the Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets are six blocks from the 11th Street station. More information about nearby attractions is available here.
For a detailed system map and information on the various stations, click here.
