2025, Can You Believe We're Still Alive? Travels Far & Wide From a Year That We Survived

Well, well, well; w-e-l-l. You know, that’s one of those phrases I picked up somewhere along the way that I return to again and again, but for which the source material is lost to the ages. Where the hell did I get it? Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know. But can you guess what the world is about to know? That’s right! The deepest, darkest, most intimate thoughts, recollections, and reminiscences on the year that was right here on All Things Wanderful.

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2026travel, travelogue, travel blogging, travel guide, travel recommendations, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel writing, travel reviews, travel tips, travel appreciation, travel diary, travel planning, year-in-review, Universal Studios, Universal Studios Hollywood, Jaws, Steven Spielberg, Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace, NPR, Las Vegas, Sin City, Luxor Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Cajun, Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis, Biloxi, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nelle Harper Lee, Harper Lee, Monroeville, Monroe County, Old Monroe County Courthouse, Gregory Peck, Mrs. Teresa' Homemade Treats, Los Angeles, City of Angels, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Dodger Stadium, Freehand Hotels, Freehand Chicago, Freehand Los Angeles, Freehand, hostel, hostel stays, Boston, Boston Calling, Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, All Time Low, The Maine, Cage the Elephant, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, all-nighter, Disney World, Orlando, Florida, Tron, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror, Guardians of the Galaxy, Expedition Everest, Alice in Wonderland, Euro trip, cheap airports, cheap travel, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Alert, Canadian Forces Station Alert, All Things Wanderful, Chicago, Miami, New York, George Washington Hotel, Flatiron District, Bourbon Street, French Quarter, Ruby Slipper, The Natchez, Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gale, Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Gary, Indiana, Michiana, Chicagoland, West Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, South Shore Line, Maycomb, Maycomb County, Truman Capote, Confederacy, 2026, 2025, ten-year anniversaryComment

All Beach Bums Report to Beverly Shores, The Lakefront Hideaway Tucked Inside a National Park

It feels wildly unlikely that I would ever come across a Lake Michigan beach that didn’t tickle my fancy, but the 4.5-mile stretch of sandy shoreline belonging to Beverly Shores, Indiana, is increasingly becoming one of my new favorites. The “town” of Beverly Shores, which is tucked between Gary and Michigan City and surrounded by Indiana Dunes National Park, isn’t much of a town at all — what you will find here on the underside of Lake Michigan is mostly a mix of beachfront, forest, marshland, and sand dunes. But, honestly, what more do you need?

North AmericaLogan T. HansenAugust 30, 2025travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, Indiana, Hoosier State, Lake Michigan, Great Lakes, Indiana Dunes National Park, Beverly Shores, beach, beach day, beach life, lake life, sand dunes, summer, summer travel, nature, the great outdoors, Mother Nature, outdoors, outdoor recreation, Michigan City, Gary, Northwest Indiana, Midwest, hidden gem, International Dark Sky Community, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, US Route 12, US-12, Beverly Shores Depot, Beverly Shores Depot Museum & Art Gallery, South Shore Line, Chicago, Chicagoland, South Bend, Insull Spanish, Insull Spanish architecture, architecture, Mission Revival, California, 19th century, Beverly Shores Heritage Trail, Wes Anderson, South Broadway, East Lake Front Drive, Century of Progress, Century of Progress Historic District, Century of Progress Homes, 1933 Chicago World's Fair, I Love Lucy, America's First Glass House, Cypress Log Cabin, Florida Tropical House, Armco-Ferro House, Rostone House, House of Tomorrow, Robert Bartlett, Frederick H. Bartlett Company, Atlantic City, Save the Dunes, Save the Dunes Council, Indiana Landmarks, National Register of Historic PlacesComment

Turn the Page at These Enchanting Used Bookstores in Chicago

Vintage books are by no means a necessity, but if you’re in the market for some classic tomes — if, perhaps, you have a collection going, or are looking to begin one — there are a few spots around Chicago that need to be on your radar. Here are three of them.

The Latest