Cabela's Hammond on 179th Street is the region's flagship outdoor-gear store — a football-field-sized indoor aquarium display, taxidermy dioramas and everything for hunting, fishing and camping. It draws day-trippers from Chicago and northwest Indiana year-round. Horseshoe Casino Hammond on Lake Michigan is a full casino floor with slots, table games, poker room and lake-view dining.
Downtown Hohman Avenue is Hammond's historic Main Street with early-20th-century architecture and a couple of walkable blocks of cafes. Wolf Lake and Wolf Lake Park on the west side straddle the Indiana-Illinois state line for fishing, walking paths and summer events, and Whihala Beach on Lake Michigan is Hammond's lakefront strip for a summer beach afternoon.
Little Calumet River runs through Hammond for kayaking access, and the Hammond Sportsplex offers indoor ice for hockey and figure skating.
More within easy reach — Chicago Museum Campus 30 minutes northwest for the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium; Indiana Dunes National Park 45 minutes east for Lake Michigan beaches and dune trails; and Southlake Mall in Merrillville 20 minutes east for full-service shopping. Spring pulls Cabela's spring gear sales and downtown Hohman events, summer runs on peak Horseshoe Casino and Whihala Beach, fall brings Cabela's hunting season peak and football-Sunday demand, and winter drops to off-season Chicago-corridor rates with indoor Cabela's trips and holiday shopping. Seasonal highlights include Horseshoe Casino Hammond year-round, Cabela's seasonal sales (Black Friday, spring), and Wolf Lake summer events (June–August).
There is more within easy reach: Wolf Lake and Wolf Lake Park; A Christmas Story House.