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Cliff Rice Elder Law Attorney Advertising Material
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
Vol. 26, No. 10
Northwest Edition R Reaching Seniors In Illiana: Cook, Lake & Porter Counties
Visitor Center provides gateway to region’s national treasure
7H[W DQG 3KRWRV %\ 67(9( (89,12 %\ 67(9( (89,12 6WDII :ULWHU If you find yourself driving along State Road 49 toward Lake Michigan, you’re headed for Indiana Dunes National Park. Your first stop may well be the park’s Visitor Center. Opened in 2006, the Visitor Center serves several purposes. Porter County Tourism operates the facility and Indiana Dunes is a tenant. The center provides information about the national and state parks, along with happenings around Porter County. Founded in 1966 as Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, the area spanning 20 miles along the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan and covering 15,349 acres received a promotion of sorts in 2019, becoming this country’s 61st National Park. According to William J. Smith, an interpretive park guide with the National Park Service, the biggest difference since the change has been attendance. “Visitors have almost doubled,” said Smith, 66, a retired science teacher of 38 years. “More people put national parks on their bucket lists.” The NPS reports that Indiana Dunes is the state’s most visited site, garnering 3.5 million visitors annually, mostly from Northwest Indiana. Smith noted that the area almost became a national park
a century earlier. The NPS planned to christen the area the Indiana Sand Dunes National Park in 1916, but World War I quashed those plans. Eventually, the Women’s Clubs of Indiana pushed for the creation of Indiana Dunes State Park in 1926. Today the national park is ranked seventh among national parks in native plant diversity, including 369 species of flowering plants. Studies of the area have revealed 1,200-1,300 species of plant and animal life. Those animals include whitetail deer, foxes, coyotes, raccoons and possibly bobcats, the park guide noted. “Even with all the industry here, this is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet,” Smith said. Going back to 1913, the area was voted the fourth-most desired place to visit by European scientists. Turning to winter, Smith reported the park is popular for hiking, with nearly 70 miles of hiking trails. Visitors also use the dunes for cross-country skiing. During warmer times, visitors can hit any of nine beaches, eight of them in the National Park. Visitors to the center drop to 100 daily in the winter, Smith said, with numbers rising to 2,000-3,000 daily by mid-summer. The Visitor Center features include a 100-vehicle parking
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612:< 9,6,725 ³ $PRQJ WKH YLVLWRUV WR WKH ,Q 23(1 <($5 5281' ³ 7KH 9LVLWRU &HQWHU DW ,QGLDQD 'XQHV GLDQD 'XQHV SUHVHUYHG LQ WKH 1DWLRQDO 3DUN LQ 3RUWHU RSHQHG LQ 7KH IDFLOLW\ RSHUDWHG E\ 9LVLWRU &HQWHU LV WKLV VQRZ\ 3RUWHU &RXQW\ 7RXULVP IHDWXUHV HGXFDWLRQDO H[KLELWV VDPSOHV RI RZO ZKLFK ZDV SUREDEO\ SDVV LQJ WKURXJK WKH UHJLRQ SDUN OLIH DQG DQ DXGLWRULXP VKRZLQJ YLGHRV RI WKH GXQHV UHJLRQ lot, artistic exhibits, activity room, bookstore and plenty of brochures. A mural depicts the succession of life from water and sand dunes to forests. An auditorium shows a 29-minute video on the dunes every hour. Also displayed are the remains and pelts of animals of
the region. These include foxes, coyotes, muskrats, minks and a snowy owl. Smith, who has been with NPS since 1984, said his favorite part of the center is the information desk near the entrance. “I get to see the excitement on their faces as they enter the
dunes area,” he said. The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center is located at 1215 N. SR 49, Porter. Admission is free. Current hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Call (219) 3951882 for more information.
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