Discover Gary: Beaches, Dunes, and History

Gary can be explored for trip planning through specific sites: the designated swimming beach at Marquette Park, trails through dune and woodland landscapes, and places connected to architectural and cultural history. If you’re looking for a hotel in Gary, these themes can help you decide what you’d like your stay to focus on.

Beach, loop trail, and seasonal lifeguard service

Marquette Beach is the designated swimming beach at Marquette Park. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, lifeguards are on duty there seasonally from sunrise to sunset. If a beach visit is part of your plans, check the seasonal service dates in advance.

For trails in the park, Marquette Drive and Oak Avenue form a 1.3-mile one-way loop. It includes a shared bicycle lane and a shared pedestrian path.

Dunes, woodlands, and trails

The dune landscape at Marquette Park includes dunes up to 75 feet high. The park also has about 54 acres of oak woodland and dry oak savanna. Paved trails and paths through natural areas provide access to these landscapes. This means different trail settings sit side by side in the park: paved routes and paths that wind through natural areas.

The Paul H. Douglas Trail in Miller Woods passes through wetlands, a globally rare black oak savanna, open dunes, and beach areas. It is 3.4 miles long and has an elevation gain of 46 feet. Along with the 1.3-mile loop at Marquette Park, this gives you a way to compare the respective trail lengths; these are two trails described separately, not one combined route.

The accessible Marquette Bike Trail leads to West Beach and runs through Gary. Surface and access conditions can vary, so it’s a good idea to check them before setting out. Marquette Park also has an accessible boat launch for kayaking or canoeing on the lagoon. The lagoon flows from west to east between Lake Street and Grand Blvd.; conditions at the boat launch can also vary.

Architecture and aviation history

The Gary Bathing Beach Aquatorium was built in 1921 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also in 1921, George W. Maher designed the pavilion at Marquette Park. The pavilion is characterized by the Prairie School and Italian Renaissance Revival styles. Together, the two buildings offer different architectural points of interest from the same year.

Another historical connection between the dunes and the past involves early aviation: in the summer of 1896, a biplane glider designed by Octave Chanute flew 350 feet in 14 seconds in the dunes at Marquette Park. For anyone interested in local history, this offers a specific link to an early glider flight alongside the area’s architectural history.

Art and civil rights history

The original Lake Effect project brought more than 40 artists to the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District in 2013. In the process, 19 walls and alleys were transformed into spaces for community art.

The beach’s history also includes an important effort for civil rights: in 1953, St. Augustine’s advocated for desegregation at Marquette Park beach as part of its social and civil rights work. Taken together, these historical milestones span a glider flight in 1896, architectural history, civil rights advocacy, and the 2013 art project. These varied themes can help you explore Gary in a way that suits your interests.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Saint John, Crown Point, Hobart, Cedar Lake, Griffith, Merrillville, Munster, Hammond.

For the main travel overview: Lake.