Gary: Recreation
Sightseeing
For those interested in architecture, there is plenty to see in Gary, including two Frank Lloyd Wright houses. The Genesis
Tours of the Gary Works, one of the largest steel plants in the world, are available by appointment. The Chanute Glider, which made the first sustained flight off the Indiana dunes in 1896, is on display at Gary Regional Airport. Orville Wright credited Octave Chanute with building the prototype of the plane that the Wright Brothers flew four years later, under power for the first time at Kitty Hawk, NC.
The Indiana Dunes pop up intermittently along the shore of Lake Michigan from Gary to Michigan City, IN. Poet Carl Sandberg described the dunes as being "to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona and Yosemite is to California. They constitute a signature of time and eternity." The dunes, refuge for woodland hikers with miles of trails believed to be left from indigenous peoples before the white pioneers, have been recognized as a national treasure by the U.S. Congress. The Paul H. Douglas Environmental Center at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore educates people in the fields of ecology and environmental science. Also at the Dunes are the Bailly Homestead, which offers a look at pioneer and Native American life, and the Chellberg Farm, where visitors may catch a glimpse into early 1900's farming. The Brunswick Park Savanna, a 49-acre park on Gary's west side, features rare plants such as black oak, bluejoint grass, and prairie sunflowers that have been safeguarded in the preserve. Brunswick Park also has tennis courts and picnic areas.
Festivals and Holidays
In June the U.S. Steelyard Stadium hosts a gospel festival with plenty of food, activities for children, and top gospel singers and groups. The Fourth of July is one of the biggest festivities of the year in Gary, with an Independence Day parade, fireworks in most parks, and a two day Independence Day Music Festival which always features a nationally known recording artist. In mid-July everyone is treated to the Gary Air Show. The free show is held in Marquette Park, where about 20 acts including every branch of the military plus civilians perform acrobatics in the air. In August there's a Jazz Festival and in September the Labor Day Blues Festival is held.
Sports for the Spectator
Minor league/semi-pro teams have recently come to Gary. The Continental Basketball Association includes a team in Gary as of 2000, named the Gary Steelheads, who play in the revamped Genesis Center. The Gary Southshore Railcats are a Northern League of Professional Baseball expansion team who began playing in 2002. The following year the Railcats' home stadium was completed, dubbed the U.S. Steel Yard. The Steel Yard seats about 6,000 and is used for concerts and conventions in the off season.
Sports for the Participant
There are 57 parks in Gary, plus Lake Etta, which is a Lake County park whose waters are stocked with a variety of fish. Opportunities abound for swimming, hiking, biking, tennis, hayrides, basketball, horseback riding, running, cross country skiing, softball, and golf. Lake County also offers 20 public golf courses. For those who wish to enjoy 12,000 acres of carefully preserved nature, there is the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park, which stretches across both Lake and Porter counties.
Shopping and Dining
Gary and Lake County offer a wide variety of shopping venues, from quaint antique shops and specialty stores particular to the Miller beach neighborhood, to strip malls with national chain stores.
Restaurants abound, from casual "soul food" places and fast food chains to new upscale establishments popping up all around the gaming and marina spots at Buffington Harbor.
Visitor Information: Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 5800 Broadway, Suite S, Merrillville, IN 46410; telephone (219)980-1617; toll-free (800)ALL-LAKE