Barns Brews & Back Roads

Okay, it’s been a minute. The last place I visited was Madison, Indiana – at Christmas.

Needless to say… it’s a GREAT place to visit, and shop, especially for Christmas. But this blog was inspired by a philosophical question asked by my friend Abby while she was visiting Indiana for the first time.

“What is your favorite part about living in Indiana?”

Uhhhhh – I really had to think about this one, because the first thing that popped in my head was “not the weather.”

I took another bite of fried biscuits and apple butter, thought for a second, and then came up with the most brilliant answer EVER. What I love most about Indiana is that up in north west Indiana there is a big city Chicago vibe. Down south along the Ohio River towns have a southern feel. And in between there’s Amish, German, French, Irish, Scottish and Native American influences. Indiana was a well known stop on The Underground Railroad and we love to claim a part of Abraham Lincoln history. It truly makes Indiana a unique state to visit.

For this blog I’ll try and divide Indiana geographically into quadrants. For north of I-70 I’ll use US31 as a an East West divider and for south of I-70 I’ll use I-65. It’s a little lopsided but It will work 😏.

Hoosiers base everything on if it is north or south of I-70. Even the weather. I’ll admit it’s a little weird.

North West

Known as “The Region”: Merrillville, Schererville, Hobart, Valparaiso, Michigan City and LaPorte. Heavy influences from Chicago, and as such Polish, Italian, Hungarian immigrants brought incredible food traditions to the manufacturing and steel industries that used to dominate the area. What do I love about The Region? Food for sure. I’m not a deep dish pizza girl but you can get some authentic Chicago style deep dish here. I’m 100% all in on a Chicago-style “glizzy” and you can find Chicago dogs and Italian beef sammies everywhere. I always stop at Albanese Candy Factory and Outlet for their famous gummy bears but they have amazing chocolate too. Like dark chocolate amaretto pecans – they are life changing.

Beaches: Who knew there was a beach in Indiana?🙋‍♀️ There are about 13 beaches along Lake Michigan most of them are part of Indiana Dunes National and State Park. On Lake Front Drive in Michigan City you can also see the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair Century of Progress Homes. Washington Park Beach in Michigan City has a cool lighthouse and a view of the Chicago skyline.

You really can see the skyline – just not necessarily in this picture.

There’s this interesting place called The Shrine of Christ’s Passion (just south of Schererville) that is a walking path of bronze statues depicting the crucifixion and resurrection. I’ve driven by it, but I’ve never stopped. It sits under the shadow of St John the Evangelist Parrish which is one of hundreds of beautiful and historic churches you can find all across the state.

On the outskirts of The Region, just off of I65, is one of my favorite places in the state – Fair Oaks Farm. You can tour a working dairy farm that produces over 300 thousand gallons of milk every day. There are multiple interactive kids areas, a cheese shop (need I say more?), restaurants and a modern hotel that looks like a barn, complete with a silo suite. I have eaten a lot of food there – it’s literally all good so I recommend it all. I’ve even stayed at the hotel, which is affordable and fun.

As you keep travelling south from the region you come upon Lafayette and West Lafayette (split by the Wabash River) and home of Purdue University. I’ve never been a Purdue fan but… it’s known for agriculture, engineering and astronauts. Thirty US astronauts are Purdue alumni with the most famous being Neil Armstrong. You can visit Tippecanoe Battlefield which depicts the historic 1811 battle between the United States’ forces, led by William Henry Harrison, and representatives of Tecumseh’s Native American confederation. For animal lovers there is Wolf Park – another one of my favorites – which is a research and conservation park for wolves, foxes and a bison herd. And if you’re hungry you have to go to Triple XXX Family Restaurant. I know, it sounds weird, but trust me, they’ve been famous for their Root Beer and burgers since 1929.

From West Lafayette all the way to Terre Haute covers a lot of geography. And in that area is acres and acres of farmland speckled with small towns. I love driving through the small towns because as much as they are all the same they are equally unique. In October there is the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival which is a huge 2 week event that showcases the county’s 31 covered bridges. You know I never miss a chance to highlight an Indiana DNR park and there’s two big parks in this area. Cecil M Hardin Lake (affectionately known as Raccoon Lake) has boating, fishing, camping, hiking and more. Also, Turkey Run State Park which has unique hiking, a saddle barn and one of the states amazing inn’s.

At the very south of our North West quadrant is Terre Haute. If you’re not from Indiana I’ll help you pronounce it: Tear-uh (tear like rip paper + Uh) Hote (rhymes with boat/coat). To be honest, I only visit Terre Haute for work and don’t really know much other than Indiana State University is there – famous alumni Larry Bird. There is a Larry Bird Museum and several outdoor experiences along the Wabash River. There’s a new casino too…. I feel bad I don’t know more!

North East

Probably the most interesting mix of city and county you’ll find anywhere. South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart are all cities that blend quickly into not just countryside but Amish country on the outskirts. There are also hundreds of lakes in this area, of all sizes. One of my favorite drives, especially around county fair time, is on the Plymouth Goshen Trail. You pass Amish farm after Amish farm all of them selling food and dogs (yeah it’s a thing) and plants. Once, if I would have had cash, a puppy was in my future. But there’s not a lot of ATM’s in that area. 😏

OK, lets start with food because I do love food. South Bend has everything you could want, it is a college town. The college town. Dave loves to stop at Eby’s Meat Market, they have 60 different flavors of bratwurst. East of Elkhart in Middlebury is Das Dutchman Essenhaus, an Amish Country Kitchen where you can have family style meals or eat at the buffet. If you’ve never eaten Amish food you’re missing out. Amish noodles should be their own food group. If you see an Amish lady selling baked goods by the side of the road, you need a Whoopie Pie. Trust me. Also in Middlebury is a place called Rise ‘n Roll Bakery, famous for Cinnamon Carmel donuts – I’m not sure I can describe them but locals call it Amish Crack. The original owners were Amish, and the first store didn’t have electricity, and everything was hand mixed. It’s now owned by “English” and has expanded to 15 locations, and yes they do have electricity (and more importantly refrigeration).

What is there to see? Let’s start with my favorite – The University of Notre Dame.🍀Even if you’re not Irish, not Catholic and not a football fan the campus is stunning. Take a walk around to see the Golden Dome, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, “Touchdown Jesus” at the library, the and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. I fell in love with this place at age 17. South Bend was the home of Studebaker Automotive from 1926 to 1964 and today you can visit the Studebaker Museum which houses the carriage Abraham Lincoln rode to Ford’s Theatre the night of his assassination, and a carriage used by the Marquis de Lafayette during his farewell tour of United States in 1824.

And then there’s Shipshewana, home to the largest flea market in the Midwest. How large? The equivalent of 30 football fields. It’s only open Tuesdays & Wednesdays, May 5 through September 30 from 8am-4pm. But the town of Shipshewana has plenty of hand craft and antique stores to visit. There’s also Nappanee, which has similar shops and restaurants.

In the far northeast corner is Pokagon State Park, which offers classic lake activities in the summer and a famous toboggan run in the winter (I’m not a winter “fun” person). If you’re a serious hiker, you can tackle their “Hell’s Point Challenge” to the park’s highest peak. Just a few miles south is Chain O’ Lakes State Park, where the ultimate goal is the “9 Lake Challenge”—a five-mile paddle through nine connected kettle lakes.

Fort Wayne is Indiana’s 2nd largest city and yes it was an actual fort (1794), named after General Anthony Wayne. Sadly Fort Wayne is also a city I usually only visit for work, so I don’t know too much about it. The downtown area is filled with unique local restaurants, coffee shops and pubs in both historic buildings and more modern ones. A few years ago, the only thing I could have told you about Fort Wayne is that it’s home to Vera Bradley. One place I’ve wanted to visit is the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo – which has over 1500 animals and is consistently ranked in the Top 10 best zoos in the nation.

Much like the western part of the state, between Fort Wayne and I70 there are acres and acres of farmland and small towns. If you enjoy the circus, you need to visit Peru, home of the International Circus Hall of Fame. The third week of July is the Peru Amateur Circus which is a week long celebration of the towns history of being headquarters to many historic travelling circuses. In nearby Bunker Hill adjacent to Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base is the Grissom Air Museum. Both sites are named after Virgil “Gus” Grissom, one of the Purdue alumni astronauts who was one of the first seven NASA astronauts and was the command pilot for first 3-man Apollo flight.

Muncie is home to Ball State University – famous alumni David Letterman. Ball State is named after the Ball family who owned the Ball Corporation (Ball canning jars) in Muncie. They purchased a failing local teachers college and donated the land and buildings to the State. The state reopened the teachers college – eventually naming it Ball State Teachers College. You would think there would be a Ball Mason Jar museum, but there’s not. There is the Bob Ross Experience though where visitors can paint in the building where The Joy of Painting was filmed. All those happy little trees!

You will find a lot of old drive-in diners in this area, which legend has it is where the pork tenderloin sandwich was born. Most importantly though in this area there is not one but TWO Uranus Fudge Factories. One in Anderson and the other on the state line in Richmond. The fudge and ice cream are top notch (see S1:E7). Also in Anderson is Mounds State Park which has 10 unique earthworks built by prehistoric Indians known as the Adena-Hopewell people.

South West

Bloomington, Vincennes, Evansville – Where to start? Vincennes is the oldest city in Indiana, founded in 1732. Originally owned by France, then Great Britain until 1776. Its location on the Wabash River made it a good headquarters for planning the Midwest known as the Indiana Territory in the 1800s. Also in this quadrant just north of Evansville is The Log Inn – Indiana’s oldest still operational restaurant built in 1825 as a stagecoach stop. It’s famous for hosting Abraham Lincoln while on the campaign trail.

Evansville is also a city I usually only visit for work and back in the day for soccer tournaments. It sits on a “meander” along the Ohio River and like Vincennes was occupied by French as well as the Delaware tribe. Similar to Mounds State Park, there is Angel Mounds Historic Site which features 11 unique mound structures from the 1250 A.D. city known as Angel. The downtown and riverfront area has a lot of shops and restaurants to explore and you can tour the USS LST-325, the only fully operational WWII Landing Ship in existence. I can’t recommend any great restaurants because sadly I’ve only eaten at chain restaurants when I’ve been there.

Let’s move to an area I do know better, Bloomington. Home to Indiana University – famous alumni Mark Cuban, Mark Spitz and authors Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) and Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries). There’s a lot more, including my daughter-in-law. 😉 Oh yes, and currently the reigning National College Football Champions. Google them. Bloomington is my go-to Saturday farmers market location and favorite places to eat are Mother Bear’s Pizza, Big Woods, Buffalouies, FARM and Bloomington Bagel Company. There are a lot of bars – you’d have to ask my kids which ones are best. IU is really a beautiful campus filled with tons of limestone, like the famous Sample Gates which mark the entrance to the Old Crescent, the historic site of IU’s original buildings from 1884.

Moving along, there’s Nashville (where this blog started – with a question at lunch 😄). Originally known as an artists colony, the small village has now evolved into a destination with hundreds of unique craft, specialty & antique shops, and great music & theatre venues. I have way too many favorites to list them here. There are magnificent views of rolling hills around the town – which inspired the original artists to come there. It’s super popular in the fall because of the turning leaves. Nearby is Brown County State Park, where I spent a lot of time as a kid. Hiking and biking trails, camping, horseman camp and the Abe Martin Lodge make this state park a great place to visit.

Hoosier National Forrest occupies 202,000 acres of land through nine counties. There are nearly 266 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. The Hemlock Cliffs National Scenic Trail is the forest’s most popular attraction, a 1.2 mile loop with rock overhangs and a waterfall.

Paoli and French Lick are two huge staples of this area. First, yes, there is a ski resort in Paoli—no, I’m not kidding! It has 11 ski trails including a black diamond and a snow tubing area. Paoli is also memorable for being the first place I ever witnessed an Amish horse and buggy tied up at a Walmart hitching post. Once you travel more through Indiana you start to see horse and buggies in a lot of places you wouldn’t expect – including gas stations.

Just down the road, French Lick is famous for its stunning historic resorts. The West Baden Springs Hotel features an jaw-dropping 200-foot dome, while the nearby French Lick Springs Hotel started back in 1845 as a mineral spa. It was legendary for its “Pluto Water”—which was essentially a bottled laxative sporting a literal devil as a logo. Today, the two world-class properties sit a mile apart, offering incredible golf, spas, and casinos without the sinister spring water.

If you need to ride a roller coaster – head to Santa Claus which is home to Holiday World (S1:E5 and E:6). My great nephew will give it rave 5 star reviews! But seriously even if you aren’t eight it’s a great amusement park, with a lot to see and do around the area. In nearby Huntingburg there is historic League Stadium, originally built in 1894 and home to the Dubois County Bombers, it’s Hollywood famous for being the Rockford Peaches home stadium in the movie A League of Their Own. Every year they host a Peaches vs South Bend Belles specialty game.

Corydon was Indiana’s first official state capital, and it’s the perfect base camp if you want to go spelunking. The area is packed with incredible cave systems, from the underground boat tour at Indiana Caverns to the ziplines at Squire Boone. Afterward, grab a table at The Overlook restaurant. It sits right on the Ohio River, and every single seat gives you a perfect view of the barges navigating the bend while you eat amazing homestyle fried chicken.

South East

This corner of the state is packed with charm, especially as you head down toward the Ohio River. Right across from Louisville, you’ll find Jeffersonville and Clarksville. A major highlight is the Big Four Bridge, a pedestrian path where you can walk right over the river to Kentucky. Well, most people can—I personally only made it halfway (pro-tip: don’t look down!). The riverfront area is bustling with great shops, local restaurants, and my absolute favorite historic candy shop, Schimpff’s (S1:E10)

From there, take the scenic drive along the river to Madison. It’s a gorgeous town full of historic sites, boutiques, and wineries. It’s also home to possibly my favorite state park: Clifty Falls. While it has great hiking trails like most DNR parks, this one boasts six stunning waterfalls to hunt down, and the Clifty Inn offers an unbelievable view right over the river.

Keep traveling along the river and you’ll pass through Vevay (pronounced Vee Vee) where in the spring you can see approximately 15,000 black tulips in front of the Schenck mansion owned by Kat Von D. If you keep following the river you end up in Lawrenceburg which has a riverfront casino and Indiana’s other ski resort. Perfect North has 23 ski trails – 1 double black diamond – as well as snow tubing and three freestyle terrain parks.

There are so many towns that have a lot of unique things in this area. Oldenburg which hosts an annual Freudenfest each summer featuring a dachshund race. Did I agree to work the festival this year just to watch the dachshund race? Maybe. There’s Milan (not like Italy – Meh-lawn, this is My-lan) – home of the 1954 Indiana High School Basketball state champions which was the “inspired by real events” story behind the 1986 movie Hoosiers.

In the middle of the areas I just described is the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge which was the former site of the US Army’s Jefferson Proving Grounds. There’s 50,000 acres dedicated to conserve many species including bats, owls and multiple bird species.

Central

Indianapolis and it’s surrounding areas offer A LOT of things to do. Sports seem to dominate the area with the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Fever, Indiana Pacers and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We also have the Indianapolis Indians Triple A baseball and Indy Eleven USL soccer team. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the largest children’s museum in the world and features two outside life size dinosaurs that get “dressed up” for special occasions. Indy also has the unique Eiteljorg Museum where you can experience arts, histories and cultures of the past and present Indigenous Peoples of North America and the American West. Other unique museums in Indy are the Madame CJ Walker Legacy Center and the Kurt Vonnegut Library.

There’s so much more – but it would take several blogs to cover it all!

Brews

I didn’t include the microbreweries in any of the sections above. Or the wineries. Indiana has around 200 microbreweries and 100 wineries. Do I have favorites? Of course.

https://www.indianawineries.com/index.htm

• Mallow Run Winery
• Buck Creek Winery
• Easley Winery
• Oliver Winery

https://drinkin.beer/

• Sun King
• Upland
• Metazoa
• Quaff On!

Food

There are foods that are traditional here. The most famous being the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. The unofficial state sandwich – although there was a bill this legislative session to make it official. A massive, pounded-out pork cutlet breaded, deep-fried and served on a bun that is usually dwarfed by the pork. If it’s the size of a hubcap it’s normal.

Corn – and popcorn. Not surprising if you pick any destination above you will likely drive by a cornfield. Indiana is one of the top popcorn producers in the nation. Shoutout to Orville Redenbacher – Hoosier native and also Purdue alumni.

Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie – my husbands favorite and actually designated as the official state pie (sorry tenderloin). It’s made from cream, cornstarch, sugar, butter, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. People claim it’s Amish, but the modern version is actually a version of a Bob Andy pie. Also, it sounds simple to make, however there is a key to getting the filling to ‘set’ and sometimes I get it and sometimes I don’t.

Beef Manhattans – I did not know this was a Hoosier dish until this blog. An open face roast beef sandwich served with gravy over mashed potatoes was served in a Indianapolis deli in the late 1940s. The owners named it a Beef Manhattan because they had worked in Manhattan during WWII and had a similar open faced sandwich there.

And finally – Fried biscuits and apple butter originally served at The Nashville House – where this blog started.

It was a long trip, but hopefully, you can see both the incredible diversity and the shared Hoosier spirit that ties the state together. Now you know that Indiana isn’t just cornfields and race cars. It’s home to gorgeous beaches, unexpected ski resorts, world-class breweries and wineries, incredible museums, stunning waterfalls, and even a theme park dedicated entirely to holidays.