This colorful Greek family diner sits right in front of a steel mill, whose workers pile in for the cheap, hearty pancakes, chopped steak burgers, bacon-pecan brownies and whatever else features on the whiteboard of daily specials. It’s located a short distance off the highway, before you reach the national lakeshore.
Great Lakes Cafe
Indiana
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.22 MILES
Built in 1914, Wrigley Field – aka the Friendly Confines – is the second-oldest baseball park in the major leagues. It’s home to the Chicago Cubs and…
18.55 MILES
The MSI is the largest science museum in the Western hemisphere and a place to completely geek out. Highlights include a WWII German U-boat nestled in an…
24.47 MILES
The second-largest art museum in the country, the Art Institute houses a treasure trove from around the globe. The collection of impressionist and…
24.56 MILES
There's free admission to Millennium Park, the playful heart of the city. It shines with whimsical public art, both permanent and temporary exhibits, and…
24.83 MILES
Willis Tower is Chicago's tallest building (and one of the world's loftiest). Breathe deeply during the ear-popping, 70-second elevator ride to the 103rd…
Field Museum of Natural History
23.56 MILES
The Field Museum houses some 30 million artifacts and includes everything but the kitchen sink – beetles, mummies, gemstones, Bushman the stuffed ape –…
24.68 MILES
Half-mile-long Navy Pier is one of Chicago's most-visited attractions, sporting a 196ft Ferris wheel and other carnival rides ($9 to $18 each), an IMAX…
National Museum of Mexican Art
25.05 MILES
Founded in 1982, this vibrant museum – the largest Latinx arts institution in the US – has become one of the city’s best. The vivid permanent collection…
Nearby Indiana attractions
5.27 MILES
West Beach, nearest to Gary, draws fewer crowds than the other local beaches and features a number of nature hikes and trails. It’s also the only beach…
2. Grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery
9.35 MILES
Polish monks built a series of trippy, fluorescent shrines at this Carmelite monastery hiding in suburban Munster. First came 250 tons of sponge rock that…
9.9 MILES
To the right, an oil refinery spewing fire and brimstone, to the left a beautiful lakefront park with views to Chicago – why not put the new Mascot Hall…
4. Indiana Dunes National Park
13.65 MILES
The Dunes, which became the USA's 61st national park in 2019, stretch along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Swimming is allowed anywhere along the…
13.74 MILES
The state park is a 2100-acre, shoreside pocket within the national park; it’s located at the end of Hwy 49, near Chesterton. It has more amenities than…
6. Pullman National Historical Park
16.04 MILES
Part of the National Park Service, Pullman offers a rare look at a capitalist's fallen utopia. The community's design and architecture make for a…
17.83 MILES
Artist-activist Theaster Gates bought a tumbledown bank building for $1 in Chicago's neglected South Shore neighborhood, and transformed it into a…
18.14 MILES
This 550-acre, lakefront green space is a gem. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, renowned creator of New York City's Central Park, it comprises bird-rich…