Indiana Dunes Tourism celebrates its achievements and upcoming initiatives for the State and National Parks at its annual State of the Indiana Dunes event

On Thursday, March 19, Indiana Dunes Tourism welcomed members of the community to its visitor center at 1215 N. State Rd. 49 in Porter for the annual State of the Indiana Dunes event. This event recognized tourism’s improvements, accomplishments, and upcoming initiatives, with both the National and State Parks also providing updates.

Christine Livingston, president and CEO of Indiana Dunes Tourism, values the opportunity to share with the community why this is a place to be celebrated as it continues to develop.

“When we talk about the Indiana Dunes, we’re not just talking about a destination; we’re talking about a world-class natural resource,” Livingston said. “It’s a shared asset that draws millions of people to our county, to our Region, and to the state of Indiana. This strengthens our economy and connects our community.”

Livingston also provided an update on the Indiana Dunes Indigenous Cultural Trail, which won Best Advocacy Initiative at the 2026 Indiana Tourism Association’s annual conference. She shared phase one of the trail, which includes the five acres where the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center sits.

“We’ve been meeting with both the Potawatomi and Miami tribes for over 10 years,” she said. “We’ve raised over $500,000 in grants, donations, and gifts. We have a solid brass land acknowledgement that talks about the people who were here before us. We also have our new, 15,000-pound limestone turtles out there. All the decisions about this trail were made with the tribe’s guidance. We also have a welcome and interpretative sign out there. Some of the things incorporated into that—sandhill crane, snapping turtle, male monarch. We have graffiti murals as well.”

Another key point of emphasis for Indiana Dunes Tourism has been community partnerships. Working regularly with every Porter County community through collaborative digital marketing campaigns and video marketing strategies is one of the ways they work with their partners. One of these partners is FLUID Coffee, which opened a new location at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center on January 26 and provided coffee to everyone at the State of the Indiana Dunes event. Journeyman Distillery and Old World Market were among other businesses providing food and drink at the event.

In terms of what’s coming up for Indiana Dunes Tourism, one of the most exciting projects is the Sand + Steel initiative. This campaign serves as an opportunity to work closely with Lake County and other organizations in Northwest Indiana, such as South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, NWI Regional Development Authority, and Northwest Indiana Forum, among many others. 

“We have a lot of good work happening here, so we don’t need to reinvent the wheel; we need to build on what’s already going on,” Livingston said. “We have the Marquette Greenway, Calumet Regional Heritage Area, South Shore Line Discovery Hubs, RDA Strategic Plan, and Ignite the Region. We’re doing a South Shore Line Sand + Steel Poster. We are working on a South Shore train car wrap with welcome kiosks and ads within the train stations. The Scenic Route 12 highway designation is just getting started, but we’re feeling good about it. We also have the Portage Sand + Steel Pavilion and the Steel Museum.”

Indiana Dunes State Park has plenty of land for people who desire to go running, walking, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. As such a wide space, the Indiana State Parks System has helped provide an opportunity for people to have the best experience of the Indiana Dunes State Park, even if they have limited mobility.

“Accessibility is going to continue to be important for us as we make updates to the park,” Doug Lang, the Property Manager of the State Park, said. “Thank you to the Lilly Endowment, as the Indiana State Parks System was able to purchase 45 new all-terrain track chairs, which makes it possible for folks with limited mobility to experience parts of the park they never thought were possible. Our park is fortunate enough to be receiving two of those.”

Lang believes that with some of these plans ahead for the parks, it will continue to drive growth, much like the past few decades.

“Since 2008, our visitation numbers have increased approximately one million visitors, and 300,000 since 2020,” Lang said. “One thing that’s important to me is that our parks are for everyone—whether you are in-state, out-of-state, international, or a local resident. Visitation is the driver for economic impact. Indiana State Parks are 91% self-funded through user fees such as camping, daily entry, and annual pass sales. Our sales drive our ability to maintain our parks and facilities at Indiana Dunes State Park. We are proud to help fund other parks so that everybody can enjoy their favorite park.”

Some historical sites in the Region are expected to be celebrated with renovated features and community gatherings near the end of the spring season.

“We’re going to host a welcome back party for people who went to Camp Good Fellow as kids,” said Jason Taylor, Superintendent at Indiana Dunes National Park. “That will be the first public event we’re going to have here, and that should happen sometime this summer. We also have the Bailly Homestead, where the idea here was to rebuild or rehabilitate the superstructure, and the outside of the building is being completed. We’re working on the House of Tomorrow as well. All three of these structures are expected to come back to the park service sometime in May.” 

Following the State of the Indiana Dunes presentation, everyone left the main auditorium room for a ribbon-cutting celebration in the Indiana Dunes Visitor’s Center’s Beaches and Beyond Gift Shop. They also showcased an otter-themed bench. After being successfully reintroduced to Indiana in the 1990s, Indiana Dunes Tourism wanted to help share the conservation story of the otter—an animal that has relevance and history within the tribes.

Being a national park requires a lot of attention to detail to ensure it is a space where every visitor can come and enjoy with their friends or family. There’s a lot of excitement for the direction of Indiana Dunes Tourism, the Indiana Dunes National Park, and the Indiana Dunes State Parks for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

“We became a national park in 2019, and we’re still trying to figure out how to live in that designation,” Taylor said. “Other things that we’re looking at are housing, parking lot redesign and expansions, and testing shuttle services. We’re trying to make this happen right now to improve the visitor experience, and there are still others we’re thinking of for a few years ahead.”

To learn more about Indiana Dunes National Park, visit nps.gov/indu/index.htm. For more information about the Indiana Dunes State Park, visit on.in.gov/indianadunes. For more information about Indiana Dunes Tourism,  visit indianadunes.com.