Fun Things To Do In Merrillville Indiana

Merrillville, Indiana, is the kind of place that doesn’t brag loudly. It just quietly hands you a giant gummy bear and points you toward a water slide. If you think it’s only a blur of US 30 traffic and chain restaurants, you’re about to be pleasantly wrong.

This northwest Indiana suburb has surprising pockets of fun. You can fish, golf, float, shop, and eat your weight in chocolate—no passport required.

Get Soaked at Deep River Waterpark

Deep River Waterpark is Merrillville’s summer crown jewel. It’s big, splashy, and full of slides that make your stomach drop in the best way. You’ll find a wave pool, lazy river, and enough water to forget your adult responsibilities for a few hours.

The park is actually in Merrillville, which surprises people. They assume such a watery playground belongs somewhere tropical. Nope—Indiana just decided to have a waterpark with a serious attitude.

Go on a weekday if you can. The lines shrink, and you can claim a lounge chair like a sunbathing monarch.

Visit Albanese Candy Factory

Albanese Candy Factory is a wonderland of sugar, right here in Merrillville. The retail store is packed with gummi bears, chocolates, and candy so fresh it practically giggles. You can watch some production action through viewing windows.

Here’s a surprising fact: Albanese is famous for making some of the best gummi bears on the planet. They also sell enormous versions that look engineered for giants.

Buy one bag for the road. Then buy another because the first vanished before you hit the parking lot.

Shop Until You Drop at Southlake Mall

Southlake Mall is the region’s retail heavyweight. It has more than a hundred stores, a food court, and enough walking distance to count as cardio. You can buy shoes, candles, phone cases, and a pretzel the size of a hubcap.

It’s also prime people-watching territory. Teenagers roam in packs, parents carry bags like pack mules, and someone is always eating orange chicken with great urgency.

Best Things to Do in Merrillville, Indiana

If you hate malls, fine. But Southlake is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter.

Chill Out at Hidden Lake Park

Hidden Lake Park is Merrillville’s mellow escape from strip-mall chaos. There’s a lake, walking trails, picnic shelters, and green space to pretend you’re a nature enthusiast. You can fish, play volleyball, or judge the ducks for their poor life choices.

The park hosts community events, including summer concerts and Fourth of July festivities. Fireworks, food vendors, and crowds of locals make it feel like a small-town celebration with big-time enthusiasm.

Bring bug spray. The mosquitoes have never heard of personal boundaries.

Hit the Links at Turkey Creek Golf Course

Turkey Creek Golf Course offers 18 holes of golf in Merrillville. It’s public, affordable, and forgiving enough for people who swing like they’re fighting a bee. Water hazards, trees, and sand traps seem personally offended by good shots.

Even if your game is terrible, the cart ride is fun. You can pretend you’re a pro, adjust your glove, and slice the ball into another time zone.

Golf is basically a walk with existential crises. Turkey Creek makes those crises scenic.

Best Things to Do in Merrillville, Indiana

Splash Around Indoors at the Merrillville Aquatics Center

When the weather turns chilly, the Merrillville Aquatics Center keeps the fun afloat. It’s an indoor pool facility with lap lanes, open swim, and programs for kids and adults. You can exercise or float around like a human pool noodle.

It’s a solid option for families on gray Indiana days. The water is warm, the lifeguards are watchful, and the locker room echoes with someone’s dad yelling, “Where are my goggles?”

Eat Like You Mean It on US 30

Merrillville’s US 30 corridor is a buffet of chain restaurants and local spots. You can find steaks, tacos, sushi, burgers, and breakfast served at hours that suggest nobody sleeps. It’s not fancy, but it’s reliable—and reliable food is beautiful.

For a classic northwest Indiana experience, grab a giant breakfast and waddle to your next activity. Pancakes are basically carb-loading for shopping.

If someone recommends a restaurant you’ve never tried, say yes. The Midwest runs on casseroles, coffee, and unearned confidence.

Remember the Star Plaza Theatre

The Star Plaza Theatre was once a Merrillville legend. It hosted big-name performers, Broadway shows, and enough nostalgia to fill a warehouse. It’s gone now, but locals still talk about it like a beloved relative who told great stories.

You can’t buy a ticket anymore, but you can honor its memory. Stand near where it used to be, whisper “I saw a legend here,” and let the wind carry your dramatic pause.

Merrillville may not have the flashiest attractions, but it has grit, gummi bears, and water slides. That’s a solid combo for weird, wonderful fun.