Gem of the Dunes: The Schoolhouse Shop

Tucked away amongst the woods of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a lovely little shopping treasure called the Schoolhouse Shop.

Located in an old homestead school dating from the 19th century, the Schoolhouse shop specializes in antiques, art, clothing and food.

It’s a lovely place to find gifts and artifacts that you can only find in the area around the Indiana Dunes.

At the back of the store is a lovely place called the Magic Pantry which has fine foods from all over the world including fresh pies and bread from the famous Marilyn’s Bakery.

My favorite part of the store is the Tree House Toy Room which has a dizzying array of cool toys. They are not the kinds of toys you’ll find at Wal-Mart. Many of the toys are handmade. My favorite purchase from here is a set of lovely little music boxes.

There is now a florist on site and every week they have a farmer’s market where you can pick up fresh produce grown all around the region.

They are pretty famous for their art show, held annually in September. It’s a juried art show that brings in the best artists from the surrounding area and state. It’s a great time to find beautiful paintings of the Dunes, sculptures, jewelry and other unique works of art that you won’t find anywhere else.

The School House Shop is open 10:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday and 11:00 to 5:00pm on Sunday. Located off the beaten track a bit, but it’s easily accessible from US Route 12 and US Route 20.

Check out their website here.