When an area has a colorful past, you know you’ll learn some fun stories at the local history museum. Illegal casinos…health resorts for the wealthy…winter home to the circus…water that made you feel good. We found out about all of these things, including what was in the water that made people feel so good, at the French Lick West Baden Museum. Read more
Indiana
How Historic Newburgh Celebrates Halloween
Small town festivals have a charm that you don’t see with bigger city festivals. It seems everyone knows everyone else and the festivals are an all-town party. I had the pleasure of visiting historic Newburgh, Indiana, a town of about 3,300 people, during their Ghostly Stroll Halloween Parade and Harvest Festival in the Park. It was actually the second weekend of the Newburgh Halloween celebration, which began the prior week with Ghostly Walks. Read more
Kokomo Automotive Museum Showcases Early Indiana Autos
The Kokomo Automotive Museum started as a dream of the local Pioneer Auto Club. To fund their dream museum, the club initiated the annual Haynes-Apperson Festival, now held over the July 4th weekend. They held the first festival in the late 1970s. Twenty-two years later, their dream museum became reality. Today the Kokomo Automotive Museum houses about a hundred cars, many of which were built in Indiana. The museum highlights Haynes and Apperson automobiles, both made in Kokomo. In fact, the museum is home to the world’s largest collection of Haynes and Apperson automobiles under one roof. Read more
Koteewi Archery Range: A Hamilton County Bullseye
The only time I tried archery before was a couple of weeks in high school P.E. class. Not one of my arrows hit the target. They all landed in the grass only a few yards from where I stood. So you would think when I was asked whether I’d rather go horseback riding or to the Koteewi Archery Range in Hamilton County, Indiana, I’d choose horseback riding. But I had been on a horse a couple of times over the past few years. I wanted to give my readers something different. So for you, my dear readers, I chose to embarrass myself the way I did over four decades ago. Read more
Blue Gate Restaurant and Theatre: Dinner and a Show in Shipshewana
If you visit Shipshewana, Indiana, chances are you’ll eat at least one Amish-style meal at the Blue Gate Restaurant, enjoy a show at the Blue Gate Threatre, or treat yourself to some goodies at the Blue Gate Bakery. We doubled-down during our Shipshewana visit, eating two meals and taking in two plays at the Blue Gate Restaurant and Theatre. Read more
Dining at German Café in French Lick, Indiana
It seems lately we’ve been coming across more German restaurants in our travels than we ever did before. Most of them have been around for a long time, so apparently we just hadn’t been traveling in the right areas in the past. When we saw the German Café was TripAdvisor’s top rated restaurant in French Lick, Indiana, we decided to try it. Read more