You'll Love A Trip To Indiana's Longest Pier That Stretches Infinitely Into Lake Michigan
By Tori Jane|Published March 06, 2023
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Tori Jane
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Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Indiana might be a landlocked state, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t home to any boardwalks or piers. In fact, there are several different awesome boardwalks in Indiana worth checking out, and there’s even an incredible pier, too – right on beautiful Lake Michigan. It’s the ridiculously photogenic Michigan City Pier, and as if it weren’t amazing enough, there’s also an awe-inspiring lighthouse at the end, too. Does life get better? We submit that it does not.
Technically, there are two parts to the Michigan City Pier: East Pier, and West Pier.
East Pier is the longer of the two as well as the most photographed; the reason is fairly obvious: at the end of East Pier is the stunning Michigan City Lighthouse, which was originally built in 1904 and has seen different iterations over the century of its existence.
The elevated catwalk (walkway) was used by lighthouse keepers for almost 30 years to reach the heights of the tower.
In 1988, it was even added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it was eventually restored to its current glory in 1994. There are a great many photogenic places in Indiana, but this one is probably the single most unlikely one. You'd probably never guess that there's a lighthouse and/or a pier in Indiana, but here we are. Even some lifelong Hoosiers don't realize it exists!
The pier - and its surrounding hometown of Michigan City - is a beloved place among tourists and locals alike, though, and it's home now to many an excellent shop and eatery.
We think it's the perfect date night: take a romantic sunset stroll down East Pier, watch the sun go down, and then go have dinner in beautiful Michigan City. It's perfect! You can't go wrong.
...and even in the winter, it's a stunning force to be reckoned with.
When it comes to fun things to do in Indiana, this one is remarkably diverse; as we said, it makes for an excellent date night, but it's also perfect for photographers, shoppers, painters, families with kids, visitors to Indiana, and just about everyone with even a passing interest in its postcard-esque beauty.
Few things are as amazing as a sunset over the water - especially when there's a romantic lighthouse and pier involved.
For a more complete list of the shops, restaurants, and things to do in Michigan City, be sure to visit the official town website! What are some of your favorite Indiana landmarks? Let us know!
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