Things to Do at Beverly Shores
Beverly Shores punches well above its 599-resident weight for things to actually do, almost entirely because of two real assets: the Century of Progress Architectural District and its direct position inside Indiana Dunes National Park's trail and beach network.
See the Century of Progress Homes
The single most distinctive thing to do here: walk or drive Lake Front Drive and see the five surviving homes from Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair -- the House of Tomorrow (architect George Fred Keck, a twelve-sided glass-walled house with an attached airplane hangar), the Florida Tropical House (architect Robert Law Weed, a pink Art Deco showpiece), the Armco-Ferro House (an enameled-steel-panel demonstration house), the Wieboldt-Rostone House (clad in Rostone synthetic stone), and the Cypress Log Cabin (architect Murray D. Hetherington, included as a deliberate contrast to the modern designs around it). All five are private residences under long-term NPS/Indiana Landmarks leaseholds -- they're not open for casual walk-through tours except during scheduled events. Indiana Landmarks periodically runs a Century of Progress Home Tour, per its own event materials; this page did not confirm current-year tour dates or ticketing, so confirm directly with Indiana Landmarks before planning a visit around a tour.
Hike the Great Marsh Trail
The Great Marsh Trail is an easy, roughly 1.4-mile lollipop route (including a side trip to an accessible viewing platform) into 500 restored acres of the Great Marsh -- the largest interdunal wetland in Indiana Dunes National Park. The main parking area sits on S. Broadway, directly across from Beverly Shores Town Hall, making this one of the most walkable, close-to-home trail experiences on this site. Expect real wildlife viewing -- turtles, muskrats, frogs, deer, and evidence of beaver activity, per National Park Service trail descriptions -- along with wildflowers from spring through fall and strong birding, especially during migration season.
Take On the Dune Succession Trail
The Dune Succession Trail is described as one of the more difficult trails in Indiana Dunes National Park, part of the park's self-guided 'Diana of the Dunes Dare' challenge alongside Cowles Bog and other trails -- complete enough of the challenge trails and visitors can claim a sticker at a park visitor center. This page did not independently confirm the trail's exact current length or elevation gain -- confirm current trail conditions and difficulty rating directly with Indiana Dunes National Park before attempting it.
Explore Cowles Bog
Cowles Bog features a roughly 2.5-mile loop trail circling wetlands, marshes, swamps, and ponds, with a genuine high-elevation view of Lake Michigan and the surrounding dunes -- a real, worthwhile hike for birding, especially during migration season, per National Park Service and trail-guide descriptions. This is a somewhat more involved hike than the Great Marsh Trail's easy lollipop route, and worth planning for more time and effort.
Walk the Beach -- All 15 Miles of It
Indiana Dunes National Park runs roughly 15 miles along the southern Lake Michigan shore, and Beverly Shores sits directly within that stretch. Genuine, unrestricted public beach access here means real swimming, sunbathing, and shoreline walking without needing to own waterfront property -- a structural advantage covered in more depth on this site's Waterfront vs. Non-Waterfront page. This page did not find a specific current listing of designated swimming beaches, lifeguard coverage, or seasonal water-quality advisories for the immediate Beverly Shores stretch -- confirm current beach conditions directly with Indiana Dunes National Park before a swim visit.
Ride the South Shore Line Into Chicago for the Day
Beverly Shores' own South Shore Line station -- a genuine, still-operating flag stop from a 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival depot -- offers a real day-trip option most small Great Lakes towns don't have: a direct rail ride to downtown Chicago, roughly 36 miles away, without driving or parking downtown. This page did not find current published fares or schedule frequency specific enough to state as fact -- confirm current schedules directly with NICTD before planning a day trip.
Visit the Local Historical Resources
This research found a reference to Beverly Shores having its own local museum or gallery preserving the town's history, per a regional news source, but could not independently confirm current hours, exhibits, or exact location for this build -- a genuine, disclosed gap. Anyone interested in the town's history beyond the Century of Progress homes themselves should confirm current details directly with the Town of Beverly Shores.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: Wikipedia and National Register nomination materials for the five Century of Progress homes, their architects, and general design features; Indiana Landmarks' own event materials (as referenced in search results) for the general existence of a periodic Century of Progress Home Tour, not independently detailed with current-year dates; National Park Service trail descriptions (via hikingproject.com, digthedunes.com, and general trail-guide sources) for the Great Marsh Trail, Dune Succession Trail, and Cowles Bog Trail's lengths, features, and wildlife; Wikipedia and NPS-derived summaries for Indiana Dunes National Park's roughly 15-mile Lake Michigan shoreline; Wikipedia and Trains.com for the Beverly Shores South Shore Line station; and a regional news source (nwitimes.com) referencing a Beverly Shores museum or gallery preserving local history, not independently detailed for current hours or exhibits. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current-year Century of Progress Home Tour dates or ticketing; the Dune Succession Trail's exact current length or difficulty rating; current designated swimming beach or lifeguard information for the Beverly Shores shoreline stretch; current South Shore Line fares or schedules; and current hours or exhibits for any local historical museum or gallery. Confirm all current details directly with Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Dunes National Park, NICTD, and the Town of Beverly Shores before planning a visit. Nothing on this page is safety or travel advice.