Arts & Entertainment

The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, often referred to as the crown jewel of the area’s cultural scene, features a semi-circular 370-seat theater for live theatrical performances. The 70,000-square foot facility also houses two art galleries, a rehearsal hall, classrooms and a stunning banquet facility. The center is home to the Northern Indiana Arts Association’s art exhibits, performances and other special events. The NIAA provides more than 300 classes in visual arts and media at three locations, one of which is the Center in Munster. Classes for adults include photography with darkroom instruction, calligraphy, airbrushing, pottery, painting and drawing. Children’s classes include cartooning, pottery, painting, drawing and drama.

The Munster Library is one of nearly a dozen branches of the Lake County Library System. In addition to more than 68,000 volumes, the library offers the use of large-print books, movies, music, books on tape or CD, and a host of magazines and newspapers. The library also offers an extensive business reference collection, on-line catalog, a quiet study room, a meeting room that can accommodate 75 people, and a variety of children’s programs and services.

Sports enthusiasts can take in a Gary Southshore Railcats baseball game at the U.S. Steel Yard in Gary (a minor league baseball field with major league amenities) and enjoy the fast-paced excitement of a Gary Steelhead basketball game, one of the newest teams in the Continental Basketball Association. Proximity to the interstate makes it convenient to travel to Chicago to enjoy the city’s vast variety of world-renowned museums, theaters, art galleries, nightlife and professional sport teams’ home games.