Northwest Indiana encompasses significant territory, from Lake Michigan’s southern shore to the slow curves of the Kankakee River, with a mix of inland lakes in between. This guide highlights easily accessible destinations perfect for a day trip or a weekend. Best Fishing Spots NEW ADDITION TO THE…
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Winter is here, and lucky for us we have so many fun things to do all around Northwest Indiana. If you are looking to get out and play in the snow, enjoy the sights, or simply spend time with your friends and family, check out these wonderful winter activities…
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Header photo by margot.ritaaaa on Instagram No matter if you want to grab a bite to eat, relax on the beach, get a brew, or just explore the South Shore with your pet, there is always somewhere to bring them along for the ride. Here are some of our pawsitively favorite places to bring your dog in Northwest Indiana…
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This October marks the ninth year that bison have graced and grazed our Kankakee Sands prairies. Even after nine years, it’s still a thrill to see them, isn’t it?…
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Some days you want to spend a rainy day indoors, sipping tea and reading a book or binge-watching your favorite Netflix shows, but other days you want to get out of the house and explore the town while it’s cloaked in grey clouds! No matter if you are getting out with the kids, or need an adult day out, here are some ways to enjoy your rainy day in NWI…
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It’s that exciting time of the year when the bison calves are born! At the close of 2020, we had 93 bison in our in our Kankakee Sands herd. As I pen this article, twenty-one calves have already been documented in the bison pasture, which means that for the first time in the history of Kankakee Sands, we have more than 100 bison grazing on our prairies…
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A Crowd Pleaser I overlook things all the time – but insects don’t. I walk, bike and drive the roadsides of Kankakee Sands every day, nearly oblivious to the thousands of hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) that I am passing. But the insects are keyed in--they know that this plant is a treasure. …
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Header photo byKathy Malone Nature isn’t always what it seems – a chatty little grasshopper sparrow taught me that. For the first ten or so years that I worked at the Kankakee Sands Nursery, I was always looking down, either at the native plants that I was planting into the soil, or at the seeds that I was harvesting for our prairie plantings. Yet all around me was a magical, buzzing symphony of insect life – bees, dragonflies, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, crickets, katydids – or so I thought…
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After a long gray Indiana winter, it’s a real joy to smell skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), one of Indiana’s native, fascinating flowers. The name says it all – it does not smell like roses! But seeing and smelling skunk cabbage is a sure-fire, sweet sign that spring weather is near…
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Trudging through the cold north winds on an early March morning, icy rains slashing my face, I make my way from the parking lot to the Kankakee Sands greenhouse. Clomp-clomp, clomp-clomp. I slide open the greenhouse door and am instantly transported to a state of bliss – the warmth, the fresh moist smell of dirt and seedlings that tickles my nose, and the gentle whir of the fan that makes the seedlings dance in the breeze. I take an enormous deep breath, and then it’s time to get to work…
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