Good guess! But which 2 counties? 
You are going to be closer to Hobart (pronounced HO - burt) than Valpo. To the NW. A shorter ride from O’Hare - just over an hour. Take 294 down to 80/94 across.
No reason (IMO) to continue on to Valpo. I think there is much more of interest around the Lake.
I imagine it is only a little less interesting hereabouts than Afghanistan.
Yeah, our plan is to arrive a couple of days early, fart around Chicago (literally, I have a weakness for Chicago dogs and Italian beef), then go to the wedding and the next day head off to the beach somewhere and finally head back to the airport for the flight home.
used to be.
i think there will be some again out of Michigan.
I recommend Muskegon, but only because I was born and raised there. If you go there, the USS Silversides is a pretty cool tour to take. It doesn’t go anywhere, it’s moored in the channel, but it’s a genuine WW II sub. The beaches in Muskegon are nice, I recommend spending the money for a state park visit as I think the P.J. Hoffmaster state park has the nicest beach in the area. ALL of the beaches are great, Lake Michigan sand is the finest sand in the world, very easy on the feet.
Go further north, and I recommend Bill’s Dune Rides at Silver Lake. (Mears is the closest town). Nice way to see the dunes without the killer climb. There are also some nice climbing dunes at Silver Lake, not as spectacular as Sleeping Bear.
Sleeping Bear dunes near Empire is truly awesome, though I caution you should be in decent shape for the climb. The sands are very hard to climb on. Take your shoes off for best results. At the crest, the view of Glen Lake is splendid.
Traverse City has great restaurants and a lot of traffic. Keep going north to Mackinaw City and don’t forget Fort Michilimackinac. Go over the bridge, go to Mackinac Island, get some fudge.
Further south, Grand Rapids isn’t technically a Lake Michigan city (though they seem to think so), the Gerald Ford Museum is pretty interesting and now features the grave of Gerry and Betty.
Given this agenda - bascally one day to spend - I’d say the Indiana Dunes state and nat’l parks are a no-brainer. A 20 minute drive compared to an hour or more, and plenty to do for a day. Just drive to the state park at the end of 49. It’ll cost you $5 to enter. There are a bunch of trails if you want to hike, and miles of beach.
Only downside is in the state park you are supposed to swim only in front of the beach house where there are lifeguards. I tend to head to the east, where there are fewer people, and you aren’t supposed to swim there.
The national park is “swim at your own risk.” So you could drive 10 min to the east to Mount Baldy. A nice dune to climb, and a nice beach to swim. No entry fee.
Afterwards, have dinner at Bartlett’s along 12.
Enjoy the trip.
How many days to fart around sw lake michigan?
Both state parks, short drive, are worth a trip, may have (short) lines at the entrance and have to buy a park pass, no biggie.
if you have a couple days, book now for Saugatuck. Hotel chain, B&B, condo rentals, lake houses etc etc. Picturesque by the river, charming crowded streets by the wooded dunes invading everywhere.
drive the back roads. Skip Holland unless looking for industrial corridor, traffic to city center, lots of boutiques, college town and lake macatawa. Otherwise go past the city, cross the river to Ottawa beach road and take that down to Holland state park and the lighthouse
Lake Michigan beach towns are not really like ocean beach towns. You have a river, harbor, city, then find the beach road to get to the public areas. Which are great and generally uncrowded. Sunsets are a magnet time for visiting the beach.
The big lake is refreshing rejuvenating she gets into your soul, enjoy!
My thinking is 2 days in Chicago; wedding in Valparaiso, 3-4 days for hanging around beachtown(s), back to DC.
Lots of time to roam among the dunes!
vacation rentals southwest michigan
I’ve used vrbo before, take a look around, many choices for a few nights stay. If just the two of you look at the small cottages in the dunes,some with and without water views but a short walk to miles of lake michigan shoreline.