The wealth of attractions in Chicago is only minutes from Northwest Indiana, but residents don't have to cross the state line to find a great variety of opportunities. For example, families enjoy spending the day at the Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, located along the Washington Park lakefront, which also has a marina and Indiana's only working lighthouse. Northwest Indiana is a center for outdoor recreation, culture and shopping.

As for shopping, once again the well-known choices of Chicago are nearby, but residents rarely need to travel downtown to find what they want. In fact, Illinois shoppers have been known to take their sprees in Indiana, in part to take advantage of the 5 percent sales tax, compared with up to 8 percent in Chicago.

The area near the Interstate 65/U.S. 30 interchange is a shopping mecca, featuring the Southlake Mall, The Crossings at Hobart and a number of other centers. The Highland Towne Center is another growing shopping destination in Lake County. Michigan City for some time has been a haven for bargain shoppers, thanks to the Lighthouse Place outlet mall.Northwest Indiana isn't on the coasts, but it has spectacular beaches. Thanks to the movement of glaciers long ago, the region enjoys a spectacular range of sand dunes along Lake Michigan.

The beauty of the dunes - including the 123-foot-tall Mount Baldy - may be enjoyed from both the and Indiana Dunes State Park, with recreational activities including swimming, camping, hiking and cross-country skiing. The region's residents also enjoy more than 250 parks and 40 golf courses, plus dozens of freshwater lakes and streams that are perfect for canoeing and fishing.

Lake Michigan itself provides a wide range of recreational opportunities, the newest of which is casino gaming. Floating casinos are located in a number of Northwest Indiana sites, including Michigan City, East Chicago and Gary. For those who prefer sailing or yachting, the Northwest Indiana shoreline features several public and private marinas. And public beaches can be found in various lakeshore communities as well as the national and state parks.

Likened to "a luxury cruise ship on land," the 3,400-seat Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville showcases more than 150 performances each year, drawing half a million visitors. In 1994, both Performance magazine and Pollster nominated Star Plaza for the prestigious Theatre of the Year award. Performance also ranked the facility among the top five theaters of its size in North America in both 1992 and 1993. Entertainers who have played at Star Plaza include B.B. King, David Copperfield, Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, the Oak Ridge Boys, Donna Summer and Liberace, whose three highest career grosses outside Radio City Music Hall in New York were at the Star Plaza Theatre.

Munster is the home of the The Center for Visual and Performing Arts Home. Surrounded by gardens, the 72,600-square-foot facility is the home of the Northern Indiana Arts Association and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.