Indiana is not known nationally as a vacation state, but there are many things to see and do here, whether you are looking for family fun or just a nice adult getaway at a luxury vacation villa rental. For those that might be considering that villa rental, let’s talk about some of the activities that can be enjoyed in the area. We’ll start with best: plenty of summer outdoor fun:
- Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari in southwest Indiana has been picked as one of the best theme parks in the country by numerous organizations over the past few years. The Raven was voted the #1 wooden rollercoaster in America several years in a row.
- In Monticello in Northern Indiana, Indiana Beach with its amusement park and man-made beach is popular.
Indiana has a wealth of great parks:
- Brown County State Park near Nashville is renowned for its fall colors, campground and its hiking and horseback riding trail, not to mention covered bridges
- The Hoosier National Forest in the hills of south central Indiana is extensive and is known for its great hunting, fishing and camping
- Turkey Run State Park in Parke County in West Central Indiana has sandstone gorges that were carved out by glaciers hundreds of millions of years ago that you can hike and camp in
- Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell in south central Indiana is a beautiful park with a lovely inn, caves to explore, and a pioneer village. It was also the home of astronaut Gus Grissom and there is a memorial to him there.
- Indiana Dunes State park is in Chesterton in Northern Indiana and is right along the shore of Lake Michigan. There’s hiking and camping and, of course, Lake Michigan
- Mounds State Park near Anderson is known for its historic series of mounds built by a prehistoric Indian tribe dating back to 160 B.C. There’s great history, hiking and camping too.
- Pokagon State Park near Angola in northeast Indiana has an inn that is open year round and is especially popular in the winter with its toboggan run and cross country ski trails
Other places that are worth a weekend trip include:
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- Amish Acres in Nappanee in north central Indiana features an actual Amish community and nearby Shipshewana, a quaint town with lots of great shopping
- Nashville in south central Indiana is known as a tourist spot and art colony with lots of great shopping and beautiful colors in the fall
- French Lick is about 100 miles southwest of Indianapolis and has two beautifully restored historic hotels, a casino, and several golf courses including the world-class Pete Dye Course
All this and we didn’t even discuss Indianapolis with its Children’s Museum, NCAA Museum, Eiteljorg Museum, Speedway museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art, and Indianapolis Zoo to name just a few sites. We tend to take it for granted, but Indiana does have a lot to offer on all fronts and is worth spending some time exploring this year.
Ann Craig-Cinnamon is a 30 year Radio & TV Broadcast veteran. You may recall her as the host of popular radio morning shows in Indianapolis for many years. She and her husband, John are also business owners. Her lifelong love of world travel led them to start a travel franchise, CruiseOne, in Center Grove. Ann is a writer, travel speaker and author of the book “Walking Naked in Tehran.”
