Weekend Trips from Indianapolis
May 13th, 2004, 09:58 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Head up north to the Middlebury/Shipshewana area. Shipshe is know for its Amish crafts and stores and crafted furniture. The entire town is dedicated to this. The only down side is they pretty much close down on Sundays, but if you come on Saturday, I would stay in Middlebury at the Essenhaus on Saturday night. A wonderful hotel/bakery/restaurant and shops. From there I would go to South Bend on Sunday and visit the NCAA football Hall of Fame and walk around the Notre Dame campus. That may sound silly, but it's an amazing experience. It's a very laid back area, just be sure to watch out for Amish buggies everywhere and people riding bicycles.
May 13th, 2004, 12:47 PM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Columbus Indiana has more buildings designed by famous modern architects than just about any other city. It's amazing to see all the architecture in such a small town. They have a couple of tours and they are well worth taking.
May 14th, 2004, 06:02 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,026
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Most of my ideas have already been covered but I wanted to add the West Baden/French Lick area. If you haven't been down there to check out the fabulous renovation on the West Baden Resort, it's worth the trip and only a couple of hours from Indy.
West Baden's resort is closed to guests but the one in nearby French Lick is open.
And if you are looking for a fun festival to attend, Whiting, IN (about a 1/2 hour from Chicago) has a Pierogi Festival every year that's a lot of fun, this year it's July 23-25. You could combine a visit there with Chicgal's suggestion of Michigan City/New Buffalo or a visit to the Indiana Dunes State Park.
West Baden's resort is closed to guests but the one in nearby French Lick is open.
And if you are looking for a fun festival to attend, Whiting, IN (about a 1/2 hour from Chicago) has a Pierogi Festival every year that's a lot of fun, this year it's July 23-25. You could combine a visit there with Chicgal's suggestion of Michigan City/New Buffalo or a visit to the Indiana Dunes State Park.
May 14th, 2004, 01:53 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 503
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Auburn, Indiana is moderately crazy on Labor Day, but worth it just to see great automobiles which come in from all over the country. There's also an auction of fine cars. If Labor Day is out, the Auburn-Cord-Deusenberg museum is open year-round. Call to verify their hours.
Wyandotte Cave is close to Corydon, Indiana--not far from you.
Consider a drive through Indiana that follows the Ohio River--"Friendly Persuasion" country. Ohio roads paralleling the river are interesting too, and somewhere close to Cincinnati is U.S. Grant's birthplace, although it's not much to see. Sorry I can't remember exactly where this is; a good road atlas will tell you.
In a summer with low water levels, the Falls of the Ohio, close to Clarksville, Indiana, is an exposed fossil bed. Sorry, no dinosaur bones, just ancient-sea plant life if I remember correctly. This park hasn't been utilized as much as Indiana expected, so check to see if and when it's open.
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky (and many other caves in that general area)shouldn't be hard to reach.
Lincoln's birthplace is near Hodgenville, Kentucky, and there's a shrine enclosing a replica of Tom Lincoln's log cabin. Lincoln's boyhood home and (I think) Nancy Hanks Lincoln's grave is near Gentryville, Indiana.
Berea, Kentucky is known as a place to shop for arts and crafts items, furniture and weaving. In the early 20th century, young people from the mountains had few prospects. Berea became a place for both higher education and training in art and craft work, and that tradition has held.
Cumberland Gap, on the Kentucky/Virginia border is beautiful, historic country.
Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky gives tours. Likely others do too (Jack Daniels in Lynchburg, Tennessee for sure, but that might be getting far afield for a weekend). Be sure to check that tours are still indeed available, and when. This certainly doesn't seem like a Sunday sort of thing in the Bible belt. Don't go expecting to buy whiskey at the distillery, either. It's been many years, but if I remember correctly, whiskey wasn't available in the same (dry)county it was made.
Remember that none of these places--with the exception of Mammoth Cave--is a world-class attraction. Chicago or Nashville they ain't. Maybe they're only excuses for trips with someone whose company you enjoy, but Hey! that ain't bad!
Wyandotte Cave is close to Corydon, Indiana--not far from you.
Consider a drive through Indiana that follows the Ohio River--"Friendly Persuasion" country. Ohio roads paralleling the river are interesting too, and somewhere close to Cincinnati is U.S. Grant's birthplace, although it's not much to see. Sorry I can't remember exactly where this is; a good road atlas will tell you.
In a summer with low water levels, the Falls of the Ohio, close to Clarksville, Indiana, is an exposed fossil bed. Sorry, no dinosaur bones, just ancient-sea plant life if I remember correctly. This park hasn't been utilized as much as Indiana expected, so check to see if and when it's open.
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky (and many other caves in that general area)shouldn't be hard to reach.
Lincoln's birthplace is near Hodgenville, Kentucky, and there's a shrine enclosing a replica of Tom Lincoln's log cabin. Lincoln's boyhood home and (I think) Nancy Hanks Lincoln's grave is near Gentryville, Indiana.
Berea, Kentucky is known as a place to shop for arts and crafts items, furniture and weaving. In the early 20th century, young people from the mountains had few prospects. Berea became a place for both higher education and training in art and craft work, and that tradition has held.
Cumberland Gap, on the Kentucky/Virginia border is beautiful, historic country.
Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky gives tours. Likely others do too (Jack Daniels in Lynchburg, Tennessee for sure, but that might be getting far afield for a weekend). Be sure to check that tours are still indeed available, and when. This certainly doesn't seem like a Sunday sort of thing in the Bible belt. Don't go expecting to buy whiskey at the distillery, either. It's been many years, but if I remember correctly, whiskey wasn't available in the same (dry)county it was made.
Remember that none of these places--with the exception of Mammoth Cave--is a world-class attraction. Chicago or Nashville they ain't. Maybe they're only excuses for trips with someone whose company you enjoy, but Hey! that ain't bad!
May 14th, 2004, 03:09 PM
#6
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Check out Cleveland! Citysearch editors just voted Cleveland their #3 top summer destination. Lots to do, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, world class museums, the symphony (voted best band in the land by Time magazine), Playhouse Square with Broadway musicals, a host of first class accomodations downtown, The Flats and the Warehouse District for good eats and bands.
The infamous (for the best coasters in the world) Cedar Point amusement park and the Lake Erie Islands are nearby. Do a search here for lots more information.
Here's the link to the Citysearch picks:
http://local.msn.com/special/archive/travel_summer.asp
Have fun! Cleveland rocks!
The infamous (for the best coasters in the world) Cedar Point amusement park and the Lake Erie Islands are nearby. Do a search here for lots more information.
Here's the link to the Citysearch picks:
http://local.msn.com/special/archive/travel_summer.asp
Have fun! Cleveland rocks!
May 14th, 2004, 04:24 PM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,981
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
About 3hrs north is Michigan City. The harbor and beach there is great. You can walk out on the catwalk and also walk the beach. A good place to stay would be http://www.dunelandbeach.com or at the Blue Chip Casino Hotel.
May 18th, 2004, 02:06 PM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 503
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I forgot to mention Madison, Indiana, an old river town that languished once railroads became the main method of travel. Consequently, lots of the old homes and business buildings remain today.
I'll never forget the time my wife and I chanced on a little circus set up in a tent across the street from the river. That tiny circus took me way back, and to top it off, there was a little boy who looked just like Opie Taylor having the time of his life.
While the circus may not be a big attraction, Madison does have a big-time powerboat race sometime during the spring or summer.
Clifty Falls State Park is within five miles of Madison, and is enjoyable for wildlife and walks by the falls.
There is riverboat gambling at a few locations along the Ohio too, if you enjoy gambling. I can't be much help on locations, but a web search could help if you're interested.
I'll never forget the time my wife and I chanced on a little circus set up in a tent across the street from the river. That tiny circus took me way back, and to top it off, there was a little boy who looked just like Opie Taylor having the time of his life.
While the circus may not be a big attraction, Madison does have a big-time powerboat race sometime during the spring or summer.
Clifty Falls State Park is within five miles of Madison, and is enjoyable for wildlife and walks by the falls.
There is riverboat gambling at a few locations along the Ohio too, if you enjoy gambling. I can't be much help on locations, but a web search could help if you're interested.
