The Mark Twain Hotel in Peoria, Illinois, was the first boutique hotel I ever stayed in. Boutique hotel. The term itself conjured up images of upscale décor and pampering amenities. I looked forward to our visit with excited anticipation. The experience was even better than I expected. The chic décor blends rich boldness with warm elegance, and the service is impeccable. Read more
The first thing I noticed about Science Central is color, bright colors in what reminded me of a mad scientist’s playground with giant yellow tubes and red hooks and a crazy looking red bicycle contraption on a rail overhead. At first glance you wouldn’t recognize Science Central as a museum. In fact, Martin Fisher, Executive Director, said he doesn’t like to think of it as a museum either, since museums are so often about looking and reading but not touching. The hands-on exhibits at Science Central are meant to teach by doing, and adults are as welcome to participate as kids.
Among over 120 interactive exhibits, you can zip through a two-story tube slide, participate in science demonstrations in the Demonstration Theater, or measure your foot against that of a mastodon.
On the High Ride Bicycle, balanced by a counter weight below it, you are strapped on to the bicycle before you take a ride around a rim high above. The safety net, we were assured, has only been necessary to catch items that have fallen out of pockets.
One of the newest exhibits is Science on a Sphere, a six-foot diameter sphere that seems to float in mid-air and changes from the moon to Earth to other planets like Jupiter or Mars, all in vivid color. Invented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a research tool, you can see the Earth’s storm systems projected real-time onto the sphere.
A separate area, Kids Central, includes fun activities for kids ages 2 through 7, like a water table, giant keyboard and indoor playground.
What better building to house Science Central than one that was originally a power plant? The 70,000 square foot 1929-era former City Power & Light building seems the perfect venue, with its high ceilings and rustic brick walls. Even the exterior seems appropriate, with smoke stacks rising from the roof painted in bright colors.
Science Central, located at 1950 N Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana, is open Wednesday through Sunday (and Tuesday during the summer). Check the web site for hours and admission rates. Note that some of the exhibits follow an exhibit schedule, which you’ll receive upon admission.
Disclosure: My visit to Science Central was hosted by Visit Fort Wayne and Science Central, but any opinions expressed in this post are strictly mine.
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The first stop when we visited the Caterpillar Visitors Center in Peoria, Illinois, was the 797 Theater. The theater sits in the bed of a 797f mining truck. Read more
Bill Humphries knew that more often than not women choose the place to eat when a couple dines out. So he wanted a lighter, airier atmosphere for his restaurant, an ambiance that would appeal to men and women alike. He felt that too many steakhouses are heavy with dark wood. The result is elegant richness in Eddie Merlot’s restaurant decor, much like the food they serve. Read more
When I first heard the name, I thought the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo might be a small petting zoo. But a petting zoo couldn’t be 40 acres in size with over 1,000 animals, including lions, tigers, zebras, and giraffes. It wouldn’t attract more than half a million people each year, and it certainly wouldn’t be rated “Indiana’s #1 Gotta-Do Summer Attraction.” I quickly discovered the zoo isn’t just for kids. It’s as fun for adults as for children. Read more
Fifteen miles north of Fort Wayne, in the unincorporated town of LaOtto, Country Heritage Winery & Vineyard has become so popular in the three years of its existence that it’s already in its second expansion. What makes it popular? Besides good wine, with live entertainment and special events, the winery has become a gathering place rather than just a winery with a tasting bar.
Jeremy and Jennifer Lutter opened the winery in April 2011. Head winemaker Kevin said they produced 3,910 gallons of wine that year. In May 2013 they expanded production to 20,000 gallons per year and added the Black Bear Event Center, in which they host events like Wine and Canvas, Cooking with Wine, and live music. They often bring in local food vendors so you can enjoy a meal with your wine. The event center is also available for rental.
Of course, wine is central to the winery’s success. The Lutters grow eight varieties of grapes in their vineyard and make thirty different wines. Their Traminette was chosen Indiana’s Traminette of the year in the 2013 Indy International Wine Competition, the nation’s largest scientifically organized and independent wine competition.
All of Country Heritage Winery’s wines are made on the premises in LaOtto. Since not all the grapes they use can grow in the northern Indiana climate, they import juice (never concentrate) from the grapes they can’t grow, mainly from the west coast. Fruits other than grapes (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries) that are used in the wines are sourced from family farms, many local. Honey comes from their own bees.
Winery tours are offered on Saturdays, on the hour, from noon until 6 p.m. On the tour, you’ll go into the production room and see the 1,531 gallon fermenting tanks and the oak barrels that the red wines are transferred into following initial fermentation. The new bottling machine bottles 1400 to 1500 bottles per hour. Previously, the bottling was done by hand. A new barrel room will be part of the newest expansion, with room for 64 barrels.
Wine tasting at Country Heritage Winery & Vineyards is free. You can taste up to five wines of your own selection plus the wine of the month. One of the wines I tasted was an ice wine, a wine I’d never had before. Ice wine is produced from grapes that are left on the vine to freeze and then pressed while still frozen to get the maximum sugar content. I tried a wine slushie, too, popular in hot summer months.
Besides the wine tasting bar, you can taste fudge made at the winery or browse other locally made items for sale in the showroom, from pickles and cheese to soaps and lotions, and of course, bottles of all of the Country Heritage Winery & Vineyards wines.
The winery isn’t just expanding their operation, adding a larger production area, a barrel room, a private tasting room for groups, and a wrap-around porch. They’re expanding their outside reach, too. You’ll be able to enjoy the wine at the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the minor league baseball team, and you can purchase the wine in local stores, restaurants and some bars.
Want to do a winery tour? Pick up a Northeast Indiana Wine Tour card and have it stamped at each of the seven wineries on the tour. After you get all seven stamps, you’ll receive a collector wine trail glass.
Country Heritage Winery & Vineyard is located on St Rd 3, ten minutes north of Fort Wayne. Check the web site for hours and event schedule.
Disclosure: My visit to Country Heritage Winery & Vineyard was hosted by Visit Fort Wayne and the winery, but any opinions expressed in this post are strictly mine.
Thank you for reading Midwest Wanderer. If you enjoyed this post and would like an e-mail notification when other posts are published, enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe. Be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm.
