It has been a new tradition to take a day trip from Chicago each fall. Last year, my mom, sister, and I did Fennville, MI which was a blast. This year New Buffalo, MI was chosen by my Instagram followers. Only 90 minutes from Chicago, it’s the perfect distance for a fun day out.
The Stray Dog Bar & Grill
New Buffalo is located in the Eastern time zone so if you leave around 9am, you’ll arrive in town right at noon for lunch. Every one recommended The Stray Dog Bar & Grill or Redamak’s. We chose The Stray Dog because it had a wider variety on the menu. There was a line of people waiting before they opened at noon so I recommend getting there right at the time. We were lucky enough to snag one of the last tables on the rooftop without a wait.
I had a frosé to drink which came in the cutest glass ever. We then split the whipped feta which was so garlicky and good. A total surprise for us! Then I had the smokehouse burger on a lettuce wrap. It was a great meal to start the day!
The Beach
The Stray Dog is so close to the water that we headed to the beach right afterwards. They have a self-pay parking lot which made it very easy to get to. What is so fun about a day trip from Chicago is that you can still stay along the lake and get those fun views. They had a picturesque viewing spot that you could walk up to that gave unobstructed views of Lake Michigan. The beach also had a playground for the kids and a cute lighthouse to remind you where you were.
The Shops on Whitaker Street
After we spent some time at the beach, we ventured back up into town. Whitaker Street is the main drag and contains tons of cute, little shops for you to explore. We popped in every shop (it’s about 2 blocks). It was so hard not to buy anything. My favorite stores were the New Buffalo Farmstand and Eastern Standard Time.
Beer Church Brewing
After all that exploring, it was time for a drink. Housed in an old church, Beer Church Brewing was popping when we arrived. We were able to snag a seat at the bar. One of the best things about Beer Church was how easy it was to try samples of all their unique beers. Their menus rotate, but I was able to step outside of my comfort zone and tried the Crooked Cross and Euripedes. Both hit the spot. This would also be a great spot to go for a meal (next time!) because the food looked great. Overall, the vibes were 10/10 and it was a fun place to watch the college football games.
Oink’s Dutch Treat
Once we finished up at Beer Church, we drove around town a little big to check out the houses and views. I definitely want to come back in the summer! To end our perfect afternoon, we finished up at Oink’s Dutch Treat. Again, this was highly recommended and has been visited by locals and celebrities alike. When you walk in, you’ll be transported back in time with so many ice cream flavors to choose from. I got the Key Lime Pie ice cream and it was the perfect combination of tart and sweet.
We packed so much fun and activities into our day in New Buffalo. I’m already looking forward to next year’s fall day trip from Chicago! Don’t forget to let me know your favorites.
Xoxo
Janelle
FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Leave a Reply