JT Shrimp: Raising Shrimp Naturally in Indiana

Connie Agritourism, Indiana September 11, 2015December 30, 2015aqua farming, aquaculture shrimp, backyard shrimp farming, crawfish farming, farm shrimp, farming shrimp, farming shrimp at home, freshwater prawn farming, freshwater shrimp farming, home shrimp farm, home shrimp farming, how to farm shrimp, how to raise shrimp, how to shrimp farm, Indiana shrimp farm, indoor shrimp farming, JT Shrimp, jt shrimp farm, prawn farming, saltwater shrimp farming, shrimp aquaculture, shrimp farm, shrimp farm in indiana, shrimp farm indiana, shrimp farming, shrimp farming at home, shrimp farming in indiana, shrimp farming in usa, shrimp farming indiana, shrimp farms, shrimp farms in Indiana, the shirmp farm, usa shrimp 12 Comments

Indiana, like most Midwest states, is big in agriculture. Soybeans, corn and cattle are common. But shrimp? Shrimp are salt water creatures. Indiana doesn’t have salt water. To my surprise, I found out there are a few shrimp farms in Indiana, including JT Shrimp in Wheatfield, where co-owner Scott Tysen gave us a tour. Read more

John Dillinger Museum: Crime Doesn’t Pay

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana August 7, 2015April 27, 2016dillinger, dillinger john, dillinger museum, Dillinger Museum Crown Point, john dillinger, john dillinger death, John Dillinger Museum, John Dillinger Museum Indiana, johnny dillinger, Lake County Indiana attractions 18 Comments

Crime doesn’t pay. That’s the underlying message of the newly reopened John Dillilnger Museum in Crown Point, Indiana. The museum had been located in the Indiana Welcome Center in Indiana since 1999. The move to the Old Lake County Courthouse brings you that much closer to the Dillinger story, since the notorious gangster escaped from the county jail a short block away from the courthouse in 1934. Read more

Shiojiri Niwa: The Story of Mishawaka’s Japanese Garden

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana July 20, 2015July 29, 2015Japanese garden Mishawaka, Japanese garden Mishawaka Indiana, Shiojiri Niwa, Shiojiri Niwa Japanese garden 2 Comments

Shiojiri Niwa, the Japanese garden in Mishawaka, Indiana, covers only one and a third acres of land, but the symbolism is much larger than that. The serene strolling garden is a symbol of a special bond between sister cities Mishawaka and Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan that began with a chance meeting in Indonesia in 1937. Read more

13 Fascinating Facts about Michigan City and the Old Lighthouse

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana June 11, 2015Attractions in Indiana, Indiana attractions, Indiana lighthouses, Indiana museums, Lake Michigan lighthouses, Michiga City, Michigan City IN, Michigan City Indiana, Michigan City lighthouse, Old Lighthouse Museum 7 Comments

Whenever we stumble across a lighthouse, I have to take a photo. There’s something romantic about lighthouses, perhaps the beacon of light welcoming sailors into a harbor or warning them of hazards. Maybe it’s the romanticizing of the keeper’s job, as backbreaking as it was. Or maybe it’s just that the splash of color—often red—against the blue of the sky and water makes a great scenic photo. Having taken the photo of the beacon that stands at the end of a pier in Michigan City, Indiana, we were surprised to find the light keeper’s house, the original Michigan City lighthouse. Refurbished, it’s now a museum run by the Michigan City Historical Society. We visited the museum earlier this year and came away with several fascinating facts about the lighthouse and the city during our self-guided tour. Here are 13 of them: Read more

Whitewater Rafting in the City

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana, Iowa May 14, 2015May 14, 2015Charles City, Charles City Iowa, Charles City Whitewater at Riverfront Park, East Race Waterway, man-made rapids, South Bend, South Bend Indiana, whitewaterrafting 6 Comments

There’s nothing more refreshing than cool water splashing on your skin on a hot summer day. Add an adrenalin rush as you navigate challenging rough white waters in your raft or kayak, and you have a perfect summer sport. It used to be Midwesterners had to travel to mountainous areas or at least to remote areas in northern Wisconsin or southern Indiana to go whitewater rafting, but now you can experience the rapids in two Midwest cities. Charles City, Iowa, and Sound Bend, Indiana, both offer man-made rafting adventures right in their downtown areas. Read more

Where to Eat in South Bend-Mishawaka, Indiana

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana April 9, 2015January 8, 2018Cafe Navarre, Evin Czech Brewery, Fiddler's Hearth Public House, Jeannie's House Diner, Restaurants in South Bend, South Bend Chocolate Cafe, South Bend restaurants, Tippecanoe Place 5 Comments

A salad of crisp mixed lettuces tossed with golden and red beets, all locally grown. A diner so small it has room only for a counter and a few tables. A Celtic public house where fish and chips are served wrapped in newspaper. Sunday brunch in a mansion. South Bend and neighboring Mishawaka don’t lack for dining options. With more than 400 restaurants in the area, you have plenty to choose from whether you’re looking a simple, casual diner or a more upscale fine dining establishment. Here are several South Bend restaurants that we tried during our three-day visit to the area. Read more