Hammond

Hammond is a Chicagoland city of some 76,000 people (2019) in Lake County, Indiana—bordering Chicago's Far Southeast Side. Most visitors will find themselves passing through or on business, but Chicagoans would do well to include it in a close-in Lake County day trip, if for no other reason than to get some good food, perhaps stock up on fireworks, and realize that Chicagoland doesn't stop at the state line!

Understand

Hammond's city center

It may come as a surprise to other Hoosiers that Hammond is the state's sixth largest city. Its history and culture, as with nearly all of Indiana's Lake Michigan coast, is inextricably linked to a big blue-collar industrial workforce. While the industrial economy is not what it once was, Hammond is still in decent shape, with a big new casino drawing in visitors from the Chicagoland area.

Get in

By car

The big highways cutting east west across the city are I-90 and I-94/I-80, both of which head east towards Gary and I-65 towards Indianapolis, and west towards Chicago and its south suburbs. The biggest north south streets are Calumet Ave (US-41) and Indianapolis Blvd (IN-152). Both lead into the city coming from Chicago in the north, and are a far more interesting drive than the big highways.

By train

The South Shore Line, which stretches from Chicago's East Loop to Indiana's South Bend, has one stop at 1 Hammond station , located at 4531 Hohman Avenue, and another literally on the East Chicago/south Hammond border. Tickets are $4.75 per way. Amtrak offers a limited service on its Wolverine route between Chicago and Pontiac via Detroit. These trains calls at 2 Hammond-Whiting station, located in the Robertsdale neighborhood of north Hammond at 1135 North Calumet Ave.

By plane

The closest airport is certainly Gary/Chicago International Airport GYY ^IATA, but there are a lot more flights coming into Chicago Midway MDW ^IATA, which is about a 30 minute drive without heavy traffic.

Get around

An old railroad tower on the IHB railroad cutting through Hammond

Do

• 1 Hammond Lakefront Park and Bird Sanctuary (Overpass from Route 41 towards Horseshoe casino, then double back under the ramp to the guard shack for entry.). Beautiful Lake Michigan beach access and woodland walking trail. Great for observing birds. Plenty of people swim here, and there are lifeguards in the summer. You can gaze out across the lake and see the Chicago skyline. (updated Nov 2020)
• 2 Wolf Lake Boardwalk (accessible from Wolf Lake Memorial Park on east shore.). For an interesting juxtaposition, try this boardwalk weaving through a tapestry of nature and industry as it courses through the Wolf Lake basin and articulates with several other trails. (updated Nov 2021)
• 3 Horseshoe Hammond, 777 Casino Center Dr, ☏ +1 219 473-7000. Gaming entertainment. (updated Nov 2021)
  • The Venue at Horseshoe Hammond, 777 Casino Center Drive, ☏ +1 219 473-6060. This performance hall has hosted national and international comedians, singers, musicians, etcetera. You must be 21 since it is in the casino. 

Horseshoe Casino

Buy

Hammond and the rest of the cities immediately bordering Chicago across the state line are well known among Chicagoans for fireworks and far cheaper cigarettes. Indeed, here you'll find big box stores selling cases of either—the easiest to reach being on Calumet Ave just north of I-94/I-80.

Eat

• 1 Cavalier Inn, 735 Gostlin Street, ☏ +1 219-933-9314. 9AM-8PM. Cavalier Inn serves many good Polish dishes, and many good burgers and roasts too. The bar has Polish beers and liquors. The inside is very pretty and there is a lot of parking adjacent. The restaurant is a pleasant, two-block walk from the Hammond South Shore Line train station, for those who want to take a day trip from downtown Chicago. (updated Feb 2019)
• Madvek's Dog House, 6923 Calumet Ave, ☏ +1 219 932-1060. Best known for serving great hot dogs, 50-year-old Madvek's also makes a hard-to-find "loose meat hamburger," where the hamburger meat is sauteed with onions and butter, and served loose in the bun, somewhat like a sloppy joe. It's an unassuming-looking place, but you'll be glad you stepped inside. 
• Schoop's Hamburgers, 7235 Indianapolis Blvd, ☏ +1 219 845-7090. M-Sa 10:30AM-9PM, Su 11AM-9PM. A Northwestern Indiana chainlet, Schoops has pretty great handmade burgers in another rare style you probably haven't seen before. The patty is thin, crisp, crunchy—almost sort of caramelized!. $3-8.  
• Taco Real, 935 E Hoffman St, ☏ +1 219 932-8333. Probably the restaurant to go to for Mexican in the region, this place has great chicken in mole, pork tacos, and queso fundido. It is a little on the pricey side, though—for Mexican in Northwest Indiana! Very surprisingly, they have good micro-brews on tap at the full bar. 

Drink

• Billy Bear's Bar & Grill, 1225 169th Street, ☏ +1 219 844-1441. Noon-2AM. Billy Bear's is also a good place to drink draft beer. They have Old Style and MGD, and a small pitcher is only about $3.00. There is also a pool table, and dart board, and jukebox that plays mostly Classic Rock. Decor is Harley motorcycles and bikers. Sometimes they close early so be sure to call ahead. 
• Flat Rock Tap, 6732 Calumet Avenue. 11AM-1AM. The Flat Rock Tap has a wider variety of beers on tap, although they charge much more per glass. They have fancy local beers like those from the Three Floyds Brewery, but also have European beers on tap and bottled. There is usually live music on Thursday nights. 

Sleep

The following hotels are located along Interstate 90, the Indiana Toll Road:

• Ramada, 4141 Calumet Avenue, ☏ +1 219 933-0500, fax: +1 219 933-0506. 
• Days Inn and Suites by Wyndham, 4000 Calumet Avenue, ☏ +1 219-802-5640. 

The following hotels are located along Interstates 80/94, the Borman Expressway:

• Best Western Northwest Indiana Inn, 3830 179th Street, ☏ +1 219 844-2140, fax: +1 219 845-7760. 
• Courtyard Chicago Southeast, ☏ +1 219 845-6350, fax: +1 219 845-5265. I-94 & Kennedy Avenue. 
• Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Southeast, 7720 Corrine Drive, ☏ +1 219 845-6950, fax: +1 219 845-7655. 
• Residence Inn Chicago Southeast/Hammond, 7740 Corinne Drive, ☏ +1 219 844-8440. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Accommodations include fully-equipped kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave, and stove. Guests also have access to high-speed wired and wireless Internet access. $160. 

Go next

Chicago is the obvious nearby destination, but if you are up for staying far off the beaten path, exploring Lake County a bit can be quite rewarding. Check out the historic planned industrial-utopian community of Marktown, Meyer's Castle in Dyer, the confounding ruins of Gary, or even the far-off-the-beaten-path parts of Chicago just west, in the city's Far Southeast Side.

Routes through Hammond

END ← Chicago ←	W  E	→ Michigan City → Battle Creek
Joliet/Chicago ← Lansing ←	W  E	→ Gary → South Bend/Michigan City/Bowling Green
Rockford ← Chicago ←	W  E	→ Gary → South Bend
Lake Geneva ← Chicago ←	W  E	→ East Chicago → Gary
Rockford ← Chicago ←	W  E	→ Gary → Michigan City
Milwaukee ← Chicago ←	N  S	→ Schererville → Terre Haute
END ← Chicago ←	NW  SE	→ East Chicago → South Bend