A historic port city located on the curve of Lake Michigan as it winds north in Michigan, MC as it's known was a stop on the Underground Railroad and was once heavily industrial. Now it's a go to destination for visitors from Chicago, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Detroit as well as closer to home. Attracted by the beach, recreational water sports, the downtown Arts District, shopping at the outlet mall, museums and wonderful restaurants, MC is the place to be.

The lighthouse

For 43 years, starting in 1861, Harriet Colfax, the lighthouse keeper for what is now the Old Lighthouse Museum in Michigan City, climbed the narrow steps leading 40 feet up to the lantern tower at least twice a night depending on the weather, to trim the wick of the beacon that alerted sailors to the perils of the shore.