Visit Highland Lake Indiana and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Discover the "Highland Indiana Amusement Park"! Experience the exciting roller coasters and attractions. Eat American specialities in the traditional park restaurant. Walk in the idyllic surroundings. A great place for families with children and friends of amusement parks!
What makes highland sights so special is the unique mix of rustic history and modern small town ambivalence, which you can only feel right when you cross the old railway bridge over Lake County Creek and suddenly hear the silent ratter of the past. I have always wondered why the founders chose a piece of land here in 1835, which was barely more than a bunch of trees and a few field paths – probably because they had the dream of their own piece of America that is not suffocated by big cities. Today, Highland is located in the heart of North Township, embedded in the vast Lake County, and you can feel it immediately when you depart from the I‐90 and the signs “Welcome to Highland” appear, which sound more like a friendly eye-catcher than after a promotion.
Honestly, the streets here have character: Main Street is lined with old brick buildings that tell more stories than any brochure, and the people who do their daily care there seem to know that the real highlight is not a shiny amusement park, but the authentic coexistence. When you arrive by train from Chicago, just get off at the Lake County Station and take the local bus that takes you directly to the center – no stress, no crowd, just a short chat with the driver who recommends you the best cafes that are not in any guide. And while you sit there, you can hear the quiet sums of the city that floats between the old barns and the new housing estates – a sound that says: “There is more to discover here than you suspect at first glance. ‘
The history of Highland begins long before the first house I have ever seen – it lies in the old bricks of Main Street, which winds like a sloping smile through the town. I remember standing there for the first time, a rainy Tuesday, and the cracking sign of the former Highland Theatre looked like it had experienced more dramas than I had years of life. Today, the building is a café that tries to save the old cinema by serving Latte Art, which is barely better than the popcorn that was once sold here. Parking is usually easy as long as you don't get the weekly flea market chaos on the corner 5th and Main – then parking becomes a little adventure.
A short walk further leads to St John the Baptist Catholic Church, a stone relic from the 1860s that radiates more candlelight than tourist magnet. I took part in a Sunday Mass there, just to see that the organ is more snoring than an old tractor. Nevertheless, the church has a charm that you can't buy – the benches are uncomfortable, but this is part of the experience, and the windows show glass paintings that bring even the most sceptical Instagram influencers to amaze.
If you are looking for a place where you can read a book without a child chasing a remote car through the shelves, the Highland Public Library the right address. I spent more time there than I would like to admit, because the staff always sits on a smile that looks almost as real as the smile of the Stadtmayor at election promises. Wi-Fi is faster than the city newsletter system, and parking behind the building is an open field – perfect if you don't want to turn your car in circles.
A real highlight for the summer heat is that Highland Community Center with its oversized outdoor swimming pool. I once tried to swim a few lanes, just to see that the water treatment smells more chlorine than a hairdresser's salon after a continuous wave. Nevertheless, the swimming pool is a magnet for families, and the adjacent gym offers enough equipment to make even the most lavish visitors easy to sweat. On weekends there are often yoga classes outdoors – I tried this once, but unfortunately my flexibility is not as “high-land” as that of the locals.
For those who prefer to stay on solid ground, there is the small, but fine Highland Park. The park has a pond that is populated in autumn by ducks who have more interest in bread than visitors. I made a picnic there, while an older gentleman told me that he has been fishing here since his childhood – and that, although fishing here is strictly forbidden. The park is well signposted, and parking is right at the entrance, which means that you don't have to walk half a mile around the block to find a place.
When you ask yourself what Highland Attractions you really must have seen, then that is North Township Historical Museum the answer. The museum is a small building that shows more photos of old tractors than an agricultural fair. I have seen an exhibition on the railway line that once drove through the village – a piece of history that hardly mentions anyone today because the trains have long gone. The museum is free, and parking is an old parking lot that has more potholes than a field road, but that makes the charm.
Finally, I have to mention the annual “Highland Harvest Festival” which does not take place all year round, but is a good example of how the city tries to preserve traditions while at the same time trying to attract a little more visitors. I was there last year, had eaten corncaps, which tasted more like plastic, and asked me if the organizers had ever thought about marketing the festival not only as a “vent for locals”. Nevertheless, the festival has its own, slightly inclined attraction – just what Highland is.
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