Near Chicago And The Indiana Border Is A Vibrant Village With Local Sweets, Scenic Parks, And Live Music

For most, the word "village" conjures an image of a small, rural community. But that's not what you'll find in the village of Lansing, Illinois. This community of over 28,000 people is in the Chicago Southland, less than an hour's drive from downtown Chicago. But that village designation starts to make more sense when you wander Ridge Road in Lansing's downtown, which is brimming with independent businesses and has the tight-knit community and peaceful atmosphere you'd expect from a small town. You can feel this at events like the annual Good Neighbor Day Parade held in early May, a tradition that started back in 1968 and has celebrated businesses in downtown Lansing ever since.

Local music lovers know Lansing for Fox Pointe, an outdoor venue that has hosted a wide variety of local musicians, touring acts, art shows, and community events since it opened in 2018. This includes free events like the summer Wednesday Concert series that puts on weekly shows from June through September. It's also become a hub for holiday festivities like Lansing's annual tree lighting ceremony and Santa parade.

Lansing was first settled in the 1840s, and it grew into an industrial area in the late 19th century. It also had a role in early aviation as the location of the Chicago area's oldest airport, the Ford Hangar. Built in 1926, the hangar was designed by Albert Kahn and pioneered features like a cantilevered ceiling and designated passenger waiting areas that are common in modern airports. It continued to operate until 2011 and today serves as an event space, with plans to add an aviation museum. This combination of history, music, and a charming downtown gives visitors plenty to explore during a visit to Lansing.

Lansing is directly across the Illinois-Indiana line from the historic Midwest suburb of Munster, and the two towns share a similar vibe. The locally owned businesses along Ridge Road give downtown Lansing a small-town feel. One of its best-known shops is Gayety's Chocolates, which has become a local institution. Established in 1920, Gayety's serves up nostalgia along with hand-dipped chocolates and ice cream — or, as one Google reviewer described it, "A true slice of history with that traditional ice cream shoppe feel."

If you're more in a coffee mood, Mugs & Magick is a unique café and metaphysical shop that sells incense, candles, and crystals along with coffee, tea, and specialty lattes with witchy names like The Coven and Black Widow. Kdulche Café serves coffees, shakes, and crepes inspired by the owner's childhood in Jalisco, Mexico, along with sandwiches and breakfast dishes like chilaquiles and huevos rebueltos. For pizza or pasta, you can stop at the Lansing location of Beggars Pizza, a regional chain that started as a mom-and-pop shop in the artsy and historic Southland suburb of Blue Island in 1976. If you want a more fine-dining experience, Cork + Oak is a wine, whiskey, and tapas restaurant serving seafood, steak, and other elevated cuisine.

History fans should stop by History Plaza at the corner of Burnham Avenue and Ridge Road to see four metal panels depicting the town's past. You can learn more at the Lansing Historical Museum, located on the lower level of the Lansing Public Library and open during select hours on Thursday and Saturday. Or, for more active nostalgia, you can head to Strikes & Bites, an old-school bowling alley with events like Sunday karaoke and step-n-bowl nights with DJs on Thursdays.

The Forest Preserves of Cook County is one of the largest such districts in the country – and a portion of it is in Lansing. Lansing Woods is one terminus of the Thorn Creek Trail, a 23-mile multi-use trail that starts in the artsy Southlands haven of Park Forest. The trail splits just west of Lansing Woods, where an unpaved trail following North Creek branches off from the main paved path. Along with hiking and biking, the trail is used for cross-country skiing in the winter. The Thorn Creek Trail also comes close to Brownell Woods, just to the west, where you'll find a mix of forested trails and open spaces.

In addition to these forest preserves, Lansing is home to 20 parks managed by the Lan-Oak Park District. Erfert Park, near Lansing Woods, has a fishing pond, walking paths, and even a footbridge, making it a peaceful spot for a scenic stroll. Parents exploring downtown Lansing can take their kids to the centrally located Lan-Oak Park to burn off energy on the playground, and there are plenty more green spaces to play or picnic sprinkled across town.

If the fish aren't biting at Erfert Park, head a few miles west of downtown to Wampum Lake. This 35-acre lake is a year-round fishing destination for species including bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, and bullheads. The lake is particularly colorful in the spring, when wildflowers like phlox and wild geranium bloom. Birders can visit in the spring to spot migrating warblers and water birds like grebes, loons, and buffleheads. Wampum Lake is also home to bald eagles, ospreys, and other birds of prey, as well as many species of woodpeckers and colorful songbirds like bluebirds and orioles.