Pit Stop Barbecue and Grill: Best Barbecue North of the Mason-Dixon Line

Barbecue is one of my favorite foods, really good barbecue, that is. The pork, beef or chicken has to be smoked slowly for hours over hickory, mesquite or other wood that adds a smoky flavor. The smoked meat must be juicy, not dry. I have found some great barbecue restaurants in the South, but they are a rare find north of the Mason-Dixon Line and east of the Mississippi River. So I was thrilled when we discovered Pit Stop Barbecue and Grill in Brownsburg, Indiana. Read more

Bread Basket Café & Bakery: My First Stop on the Hoosier Pie Trail

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana July 11, 2016August 24, 2016bread basket, bread basket cafe, bread basket menu, hendricks county, hendricks county restaurants, hoosier pie trail, the bread basket, where to eat in hendricks county 1 Comment

I ate breakfast at the Bread Basket Café & Bakery in Danville, Indiana, three years ago and loved their fresh spin on the meal. So when I was heading to Danville again this year for the third annual Mayberry in the Midwest Festival, I wanted to be sure to eat there again. This visit, however, wasn’t for a meal, but rather for dessert, to kick off my quest to complete the Hoosier Pie Trail. Read more

Touring Hunter’s Honey Farm: A Fascinating Look at Beekeeping and Honey Making

Connie Agritourism, Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, Indiana June 18, 2016August 18, 2023agritourism indiana, bee farm, Hendricks County IN, Hendricks County Indiana, hendricks county things to do, honey farm tour, honey farms, hunters honey farm, hunters honey indiana, what to do in hendricks county indiana 10 Comments

Not being a farm girl, I always thought beehives on bee farms were the natural ones. You know, the kind that Winnie the Pooh tries to steal honey from. Was I ever wrong, as I found out when I took the Honey Barn Tour at Hunter’s Honey Farm in Martinsville, Indiana. Read more

Marmalade Sky Bed and Breakfast: Home-Like Atmosphere near Downtown Danville

Connie Indiana June 1, 2016April 2, 2018bed and breakfasts hendricks county, danville indiana accommodations, Hendricks County Indiana accommodations, hendricks county indiana B&B, marmalade sky bed and breakfast, marmalde sky B&B, where to stay hendricks county indiana, where to stay in hendricks county in 0 Comment

I’ll let you in on a secret. My stay at the Marmalade Sky Bed and Breakfast in Mayberry Danville, Indiana, was only the second time I’ve stayed in a B&B. As a travel writer, you’d think I stay in them all the time, but it just hasn’t worked out that way. I loved my first B&B stay at Summers Riverview Mansion, so when I found out I would be staying at Marmalade Sky during Danville’s Mayberry in the Midwest festival, I was thrilled. Read more

Touring Broken Wagon Bison Ranch

Connie Agritourism, Attractions & Events, Indiana May 19, 2016August 3, 2016Attractions in Indiana, bison meat, bison ranch, broken wagon, broken wagon bison, broken wagon bison ranch, hobart things to do, Indiana attractions, things to do hobart, things to do in hobart, where to buy bison meat 1 Comment

The bison has been named the national mammal of the United States. It’s fitting, since it is estimated that 30 to 60 million bison lived in North America in the 1500s before huge slaughters took place as settlers moved westward. The bison was near extinction, down to about 300 head nationally before a handful of ranchers captured orphaned calves and began raising them. Today the population has grown, with bison found in national and state parks, as well as several private herds being raised for food. I toured the Broken Wagon Bison Ranch in Hobart, Indiana, where I learned more about bison and had a chance to meet the herd up close and personal. Read more

Ciao Bella: Northwest Indiana Chic Trattoria

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana May 6, 2016October 19, 2017chao italian, ciao bella, ciao bella italian, ciao bella italian restaurant, ciao bella menu, ciao bella northwest indiana, ciao bella pizza, ciao bella restaurant, ciao bella schererville, ciao italian, ciao italian restaurant, ciao restaurant, Indiana Restaurants, italian ciao, northwest indiana restaurants, nwi restaurants, Restaurants in Indiana, restaurants in northwest indiana, restaurants in nwi, restaurants northwest indiana, where to eat in Northwest Indiana 0 Comment

My meal at Ciao Bella was something I’d expect from a high-end Chicago restaurant. Baby lamb chops, standing bone-end up forming a tepee atop a mound of rapini and beans, topped with delicate purple microgreens, was as pleasing to the eyes as it was to the taste buds. Read more