At least a few times a week, someone asks me, Where’s a great new place to eat in Southwest Michigan or the Indiana Dunes? What’s closed during January? Did that new restaurant lose its chef? Which trail has the biggest displays of lupines in spring? Know of any houses coming up for sale? Where can I stop to eat in Indiana on the way to New Buffalo? What’s the deal with The Great Marsh? What’s new in Three Oaks since I visited last year?
I’m Jan Parr, and I’m here to answer all those questions and more. Since I was basically keeping tabs on all things new in this area anyway, I decided to make it more official with this blog.
Gathering and sharing info is second nature to me. I spent more than 30 years in Chicago as a journalist and magazine editor before moving to Beverly Shores in 2017, a tiny town in the middle of the Indiana Dunes National Park.
Here, my husband and I have been renovating a midcentury house on the top of a dune.
I started my career as a reporter for Forbes magazine, created Online Investor magazine, and spent a couple of decades at Chicago magazine, where I launched Chicago Shops, Chicago Visitor, and Chicago Home + Garden.
Most recently I was assistant managing editor at Crain’s Chicago Business, managing lifestyle coverage and overseeing breaking news, opinion pieces, and the publication’s popular 40 Under 40, Coolest Offices, and other features. I taught magazine editing at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism for 12 years and published a couple of books for young adults: Amelia Earhart: First Lady of the Skies and The Young Vegetarian’s Companion. I also headed the team behind Chicago Spaces: Inspiring Interiors.
I love living in the Dunes and can’t wait to share all I know about this special place with you–whether you’re a visitor, weekender, new or long-time resident.
And: I’m not in this for free stuff, drinks or meals. I don’t accept freebies and adhere to journalistic standards.
DUNES DIVA 