ourn

DH & I will be traveling from OKC, OK to Bristol, IN soon on business with 8yr old. We will travel I-44 from OKC, OK to St Louis, then I-70 to Indianapolis, then north on smaller hwy or sideroads. We are going to take two to three days, stopping for points of interest along the way. I am looking for "not to be missed spots" of interest to adults as well as 8yr old. Not so much interested in cities as much as historical, natural type attractions. Also, looking for "not to be missed" eateries along the way!
Thanks!

capxxx

Well, I can help a little with the IN part:

The Children's Museum in Indy is world-class. There is also a great Zoo and butterfly house. You could spend some quality time on the lake beach, playground, woods and trails at Eagle Reservoire. If kiddo likes race cars, go to the Indy 500 museum and take a ride around the race track. The Indy art museum has a big outdoor sculpture garden and park.

If you are going in early august, don't miss the State Fair.

There are some nice small restuarants in the Broad Ripple area of Indy.

North of Indy, hmmm. Wow. Maybe Lafayette?

There is a huge nice city park, Columbia Park, in Lafayette -- it has lots of green space and playgrounds, and rides, and a huge swimming pool with lots of little-kid space. There is a minor league ballpark there too. Be sure to stop at the Frozen Custard across the street from the park.

Great resturaurants in Lafayette: Arnies/Pizza King for pizza and salads; Dog n Suds or the Triple XXX for old fashioned drive-in Root Beer (they have websites). I am a big fan of MCL Cafeteria. I heard once that Lafayette is among the nations highest in restuarant seats per capita, so you won't go hungry.

You might also enjoy Battle Ground, IN. The site of the Battle of Tippecanoe, between Tecumseh's forces and W. H. Harrison, is now a very interesting park with a small museum about the battle. You can wade in the nearby creek.

Battle Ground also has Wolf Park, a nonprofit wolf and bison preserve. I am told it is pretty cool to go at night and hear the howling.

capxxx

Spelling: Its Eagle Creek reservoir, and Columbian Park.

Also consider Indiana Beach, an amusement park in Monticello, IN.

ourn

Thanks capxxx, the childrens museum sounds interesting. We've already planned to stop at Indy 500. My uncle used to race the same leage as A J Foyt, and I want to see how things have changed since my last visit in the mid 70's

Anyone else with road side attractions and outstanding eats?! TTT

dfr4848

Well, this is a little north of your route (in between I70 and I74), but the covered bridges in, for ex., Parke County, IN are very interesting and take you through a lot of nice small towns, which are filled with great mom-and-pop cafes and restaurants. It's pretty easy to see many of them in a few hours (which may be more time than you have). But we really enjoyed them and is certainly different than you'll find in OK.

Slw

Meramec Caverns just west of St. Louis is interesting. Also Cahokia Indian Mounds just east of St. Louis near Collinsville, IL.

MinnieNo1

Bristol is about 20 miles from Shipshewana, home of one of the largest flea markets (Tues and Wed) in the area. It also is home to the Amish. Your 8 yrd old might find the horse and buggies interesting - they're everywhere. There are lots of shops in the town (closed on Sunday) and the Davis Mercantile has a huge merry-go-round on the 3rd floor. A new water park is opening on July 1st on the south side of town. As for eating, try the Blue Gate restaurant downtown or Das Essenhaus in Middlebury, just a few miles away. Bonneyville Mill is a few miles east of Bristol and is open 10-5 daily. It's an original stone ground mill you might find interesting.
I drive through Bristol every day on the way to work and would be glad to offer any other tips for the area.