On a recent Saturday morning hubby and I packed up our beach bag and headed off for a day at Indiana Dunes State Park, which is part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.  Despite living within an hour’s drive, I hadn’t visited the lakeshore since childhood. We picked the state park as an entrance point because we get FREE access and parking with our Indiana Parks 2010 pass.  Unfortunately, it turns out I haven’t been missing much, at least as far as well-kept trails and user-friendly facilities go.

Parking was a bit of a mob scene the weekend we visited.  Although there were literally dozens of volunteers and/or employees in brightly-colored DNR shirts, not one of them seemed to be able to tell us how to gain access to the trailhead we were looking for.  We ended up snagging one of the last parking spots by the main beach. 

The dunes and beach are nice enough, although we did see quite a bit of litter floating around.  Still, part of this can be chalked up to the busy weekend and it was great to see so many families outside enjoying the weather.  If you go, be sure to put in the effort necessary to climb up a dune – the fun, fast jog down makes the trek worth it!  If you truly like to live dangerously, consider tucking in your arms and enjoying a good roll.

We thought we’d take a break from the heat associated with direct sunlight by searching out a wooded trail.  Trail 2 seemed to fit the bill.  Advertised as “the best trail for early spring flowers and ferns,” this trail was perhaps past its prime when we hiked it in the balmy summer heat and observed nothing but swarming bugs, a dried up creek, and a discarded can or two.  In short, the scenery didn’t compare to that available at other popular Indiana parks like Pokagon, Clifty Falls, Brown County, or Tippecanoe.  After just a half mile or so of slapping mosquitoes along the poorly-maintained trail, we gave up and headed back to the beach.

Things went from buggy to worse when we returned from our hiking adventure and began searching for a restroom.  All such facilities are in a large brick building near the waterfront.  While the building looks historic and kind of cool from the outside, it’s a dirty, disgusting mess inside.  Cigarette butts and discarded french fries lined the stairs.  The concession area smelled funky.  Worst of all, the two-stall bathroom (Really?  For this giant state park?) was so dirty as to be nearly unusable and the sink barely functioned.  I left the facility feeling dirty and slightly nauseated.

In the park’s defense, a new visitor’s center of some sort is clearly under construction, as is an appealing-sounding “beach walk” trail.  While I can’t recommend a visit to Indiana Dunes State Park in its present condition, I may give the place another try once these improvements are made.  In the meantime, I suggest heading north to Michigan’s beautiful Warren Dunes instead.

Due to a Saturday night social engagement, we ended up spending Valentine’s weekend in South Bend, Indiana.  Unfortunately, it didn’t occur to us until several days before that restaurant occasions would be absolutely essential.  Fortunately, Parisi’s Restorante Italiano had fairly last minute availability for a 7:00 p.m. dinner.

This was our first time at Parisi’s.  Despite the restaurant’s close proximity to Notre Dame I’d really never heard much feedback about it while I was a student there.  Overall, this little-hyped Italian eatery is actually a relatively pleasant surprise.  It has a cozy houselike feel with sports-related photos lining the walls and diners separated into several different dining spaces.  The food is quite affordable.  Our four-course meal for two, with drinks, cost right around $60.00 and there was even a $30.00 dinner-for-two menu for those willing to choose from specified entrees.  My only major complaint regards service – our server seemed a bit flustered and disorganized, but this could be chalked up to the extremely busy weekend. 

We started off our Italian Extravaganza with an antipasto platter, which we almost always order when available.  It included salami, soppressata, provolone, pepperoncini, olives, cucumber, and peppers atop a scattering of lettuce.  The meats were particularly good.  Our second course consisted of fresh baked bread and butter (delicious) and iceberg salads (boring).  I barely touched my salad in the interest of saving room for the main course.

For our main courses, the hubby had chicken parmesan and I ordered gnocchi with tomato sauce.  As you can see, the presentation wasn’t anything special.  Food quality, however, was solid on both dishes.  The breading on the chicken was perfectly cooked and the gnocchi seemed homemade.  I was a proud member of the clean plate club and found the portion to be ideal for my hearty appetite.  While gnocchi was the obvious choice for me, I did notice an extensive “design your own pasta” section of the menu as well as plenty of pasta, chicken, fish, and veal dishes.

Finally, we couldn’t end our meal without dessert – a heart shaped tart that was described as “strawberry” but tasted more “cherry Poptart.”  This dessert was definitely the weak link of the meal, thanks to the liberal use of a sweet, artificial tasting filling in lieu of fresh fruit.  If you need dessert at Parisi’s, do yourself a favor and stick with the spumoni instead! 

Fortunately, we were stuffed enough that the lackluster dessert didn’t spoil what was overall a pretty tasty and pleasant meal.  Parisi’s is definitely a safe bet for a quick, affordable Italian meal post-game or while passing through South Bend.

The Indianapolis Children’s Museum has always been amazing, and continues to invent and improve itself.  I personally consider this museum to be the biggest “must-see” attraction in our state for both adults and children.

While the museum is worth visiting year-round, it pumps up its offerings during late November and December.  This year’s “Jolly Days Winter Wonderland” celebration takes place daily (except for Christmas) between November 27, 2009 through January 10, 2009.  Despite having no kids in tow, we bundled up and made the drive to check out this holiday event.

The center piece of the Jolly Days activities is the “Yule Slide,” which is set up right in the middle of the museum atrium.  The line was short for the first half-hour after opening but seemed to hold constant at about fifteen minutes thereafter, so encourage your little one to bring his/her patience.  Adults can go down too although we felt strange doing it without any kiddos in tow.

From the atrium, we headed into the designated “Jolly Days” area, which is located in one of the special exhibit galleries on the second floor.  There are designated play areas for various ages, a tiny pond for “sock-skating,” an ice-fishing exhibit with velcro fish, a play kitchen (above, right) and a “stable” where children can groom fake reindeer.  This area is also home to Santa and a queuing area that leads to his home. 

While we are definitely “kids at heart,” this area was a bit much even for us.  Within an hour of museum opening time it was jam-packed with pushing, shoving, screaming, crying kids battling for space in the too-small exhibits. 

Fortunately, we fared better in the rest of the museum.  In fact, Jolly Days seems to absorb a lot of crowds, so the remaining areas of the museum were surprisingly empty for a Saturday morning.  We started by checking out Dinosphere, which was added to the museum around five years ago.  It has an actual working paleontology lab onsite and the scientist on duty was eager to answer our questions and let us touch a T-Rex leg fossil.  We also took advantage of the uncrowded craft area to create a couple of textured clay dino-heads.

We also stopped by three other major permanent exhibits: What If…, Take me There: Egypt, and The Power of Children.  What If… is one of our old favorite exhibits but, sadly, is currently the part of the museum which could most use a fresh coat of paint.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this exhibit is on someone’s list to be gutted, as several aspects of its displays (dinosaurs, Egyptian tomb) are dealt with elsewhere.

Take Me There: Egypt is promoted as the museum’s newest permanent exhibit, although I could swear some variation of it existed during my last visit a few years ago.  Be sure to take the “plane” into Egypt to maximize your immersion experience.  I think Egypt will be a huge hit with kids, as there are tons of opportunities for active play in model houses and markets.  Adults should be sure to catch the very interesting video featuring different Egyptian women and children discussing their views regarding wearing the traditional hijab.

The Power of Children is quite good, but very sad.  It follows the lives and stories of three children: Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White.  Proceed with caution if taking young children.  I think the content of this gallery is very important, but parents must be prepared to explain concentration camps, AIDS, and racism which may be a lot for a five year old to handle in a single afternoon.

Finally, art lovers should not miss the very interesting Fireworks of Glass featuring artwork by Dale Chiluly.  Much of the sculpture is tucked away on the museum’s bottom floor, next to the Lilly Theater.

Overall, while the Indianapolis Children’s Museum’s Jolly Days celebration was not entirely a hit with our group of childless adults, the museum’s regular offerings were more than enough to keep us busy and happy for several hours.  If you haven’t been to this awesome museum, or if you haven’t been lately, I highly recommend making the trip.

I love Indiana’s Amish country, and fall is just about the best time to visit.  We make a visit to Nappanee’s Amish Acres just about every year, sometimes to stay the night and sometimes just to eat and shop.  Most recently we stopped in to see Pirates of Penzance at the Round Barn Theater (HILARIOUS!) and to enjoy a gut-busting family-style Thresher’s Dinner.  As always, it was a wonderful day.

Here’s an exterior shot of the main barn which contains shopping, two films, and the entrance to the Round Barn Theater for plays.  Show tickets cost around $26.00.  Plain and Fancy plays all year, every year, with other shows rotating by the seasons.  Admission to the films is included with the Amish Acres admission fee which also includes a historic farm tour, hayride, and several other attractions.

This is the entrance to the restaurant barn where the serious eating takes place.  As you can see, there was all sorts of fun fall stuff going on during our visit including a pumpkin patch and a scarecrow competition. 

There were lots of beautiful and funny scarecrows, but I liked how this one looked like she had some spunk.  Actually, she kind of reminded me of my grandmother.

Pumpkins abounded during our visit.  We didn’t do the pumpkin patch tour this time, but we have once before.  The tractor-drawn wagon ride is fun and visitors can select their own pumpkins out of many in a designated field.  This is a great fall activity for anyone, particularly families with small children.

The Thresher’s Dinner takes place in a barn, but it’s a nice one.  There are white tablecloths, after all!  Meals are generally served family-style, although some the menu was recently updated to include a la carte offerings as well.  We always get the famous Thresher’s Dinner with fried chicken and beef for just under $20.00 per person.

The meal starts off with ham and bean soup and fresh bred with butter.  I like the soup better than the bread, but I’m not a big bean person.  On our recent visit, we also had the option to visit a “salad bar” which basically looked like a big bowl of lettuce and some dressings.  We opted out of the salad to avoid filling our bellies with roughage before getting to the good stuff. 

Here’s the main event – fried chicken, roast beef, buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, dressing, and corn.  Sometimes the corn is replaced with green beans or another seasonal vegetable.  Everything is pretty darn good.  I like the tender, carefully seasoned beef the best, while the hubby prefers the lightly coated fried chicken.  We always end up getting seconds of the mashed potatoes.  My only complaint from our recent visit is that the noodles were just a little too soggy, probably because they are prepared in large portions and then sit for a while.

Finally, every meal at Amish Acres ends with a choice of pie.  There are usually lots of different types available, but we arrived very close to closing time on this particular visit and as you can see lemon meringue ruled the day by the time we got to dessert.  I did manage to nab a piece of dutch apple and the hubby got some type of multiple berry pie.  These pies were good, but not as flaky and delicious as the cherry pie I usually select so I recommend dining early for maximum selection.

Those wishing to take home some Amish noodles, jellies, or a pie can stop and shop in the gift store right outside the restaurant barn’s entrance.  We usually take home some raspberry jam.  For the truly ambitious, Amish cook books are also available so you can recreate your Thresher’s dinner at home.

Stop 50 is practically legendary among foodies, drawing pizza pilgrims from Northwest Indiana, Southwest Michigan, and the Chicagoland area.  This upscale, family-owned pizza joint serves Naples style pizza, appetizers, and desserts, practically all of which are prepared in its giant wood-fired oven.  Dress appropriately, because the oven really heats up the place! 

I was so busy eating that I neglected to snag any photos of the restaurant itself, but you can see them on the website.  Bring your Garmin, because this itty-bitty restaurant is kind of in the middle of nowhere.  Despite this, the place is always packed, although – little known fact – they do take reservations.  If you call en route, you can usually avoid a ridiculous wait. 

We have visited Stop 50 twice, both times starting out with this “Firecracker” appetizer.  The bowl contains goat cheese mixed with a spicy tomato sauce.  It is pretty spicy, although not unbearable, and surprisingly addictive.  Other appetizer options include roasted vegetables and baked breadsticks.  There are also a couple of salads which we tried the first time around but skipped this trip to save room for PIZZA.

Stop 50’s menu consists primarily of pizzas, which range in price between $12.00 and $15.00.  All the old standbys are there, along with at least one more unusual seasonal special.  This month I believe it is some type of a pear pizza.  Because this is thin crust, I recommend ordering two pizzas for every three people in your group.  If you’re a couple, just get two and take the leftovers home.

Pictured above from left to right:

1) Prosciutto with pistachios, mozzarella, and rosemary: Yum!  This one had just the right combination of seasoning and the ham was delicious. 

2) Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, and basil): Yum!  Simple and delicious.  The tomato sauce was SO good and the pie was loaded with delicious cheese. 

3) Vegetable with mushrooms, red onion, green pepper, zucchini, tomato, mozzarella, and basil:  Not really my thing.  We ordered this one for a health-conscious member of our group, and she liked it.

DO save room for dessert, particularly the “S’mores” prepared in the wood-fired oven.  As you can see, ours was so tasty I couldn’t even get to it to a picture before it was half gone!  I recommend requesting extra marshmallows to sop up all the gooey chocolate. 

Stop 50 is not an inexpensive pizza restaurant, but it is also not a bad deal particularly for a larger group willing to do lots of sharing.  Our meal for four, with wine, was just under $100.00 before tip. 

We’re only a month out from the next great excuse for a three day weekend, so start making those plans!  If you want to squeeze in one last weekend in the great outdoors before cold weather looms, consider a few days down south.

Brown County State Park is Indiana’s largest and, in my opinion, most average state park.  This may sound like an insult but it really isn’t.  The park has everything one needs in a state park – twelve miles of hiking trails, horse paths, tons of greenery, and on-site lodging.  There is plenty to keep a family busy here for a day or a long weekend.  These amenities combined with the park’s large size make it a good pick for a crazy holiday weekend.  That said, the park just doesn’t have anything truly distinct, like Clifty Falls’ waterfalls, Pokagan’s scenic lake and toboggan run, or Turkey Run’s river straddling trails.  In other words, go to Browne County State Park enjoy nature but don’t expect to be shocked and awed by anything in particular.

Here’s the view from one of the park’s dozen or so hiking trails.  Most are of moderate difficulty and only one trail is classified as “rugged.”

The Abe Martin Lodge, of which you can read my full review here.  We didn’t love our stay at the hotel, but we did love the Little Gem restaurant which you can take advantage of even if you aren’t a hotel guest.  Don’t miss the macaroni and cheese! 

If you do decide to stay at the lodge, you can take advantage of its lobby facilities and do…puzzles!  For some reason we always end up doing this when we stay in state park lodges.  We were quite proud of this one even though the pieces were larger than normal.

If you get stir crazy from all the nature, be sure to take a trip into downtown Nashville.  It’s a little touristy, but fun.  I personally thought the famous Nashville House (fried biscuits) was overpriced and overrated, but I loved the downtown candy store and several other knick-knack shops.  Tourists can also take a trolley ride around to see the town’s highlights.

Anyone who has grown up in or near Indiana recognizes the familiar jingle, “There’s more than corn, in Indiana, there’s Indiana Bee-ee-each!”  Monticello’s little lakefront amusement park figures prominently in my childhood memories, and probably those of many of my classmates.  Indiana Beach was also the place to go for high schoolers playing hooky and Hoosiers looking for an inexpensive vacation option.  We used to ride the carnival-style rides until someone puked and then spend hours blowing dozens of quarters to win cheap, misshapen stuffed toys.  Good times!

I revisited the park last summer, hoping to rediscover some of its magic.  Unfortunately, the reality wasn’t quite as good as the memory.  I wrote a review here in which I described my frustration with the park’s dirty rides and disappointing corn dogs.  After doing some online research, I learned from various sources that the park was bought out by Morgan RV Resorts in early 2008 and seems to have received negative reviews from most sources ever since.

In retrospect, I may have been a little harsh in my two out of five star rating, as the park does maintain some special features and worthwhile rides.  The fifteen-year-old Hoosier Hurricane is a fun, rattly wooden roller coaster of the type rarely made anymore.  I also love Den of Lost Thieves, an old school dark-style shooting ride that keeps your score and is somewhat addictive, assuming you get a car with a functioning gun.  For those looking for a quiet, peaceful hour on the lake, the Schafer Queen pontoon boat provides a surprisingly pleasant ride with great views of the park.  Plus, there’s cotton candy.  Don’t get me wrong, the place could use a coat of paint, but I think a family on a budget could have a pretty nice day here if they go in knowing it isn’t Disney. 

According to http://www.indianabeach.com/, admission is free this year.  This sounds like it would be a huge savings, but I believe its only ever cost $2.50 to access the boardwalk and admission was always free with purchase of a ride pass.  There are various ride/waterpark passes available for kids and adults or visitors can purchase tickets to individual attractions.  Those with an Indiana Entertainment book can take advantage of an excellent two-for-one coupon.

If we visit again this summer, I’ll update this post to give a current status on the park’s cleanliness.  In the meantime, I’d be curious to hear from anyone else who has visited Indiana Beach in 2009.

Centrally located about an hour west of Indianapolis, Turkey Run State Park is a popular field trip/scout camp/family vacation destination for folks from northern and southern Indiana alike.  The hubby and I spent a weekend at the park earlier this year and enjoyed some rest and relaxation along with some surprisingly vigorous hiking.  Apparently in the spring the waterfalls kick into high gear and there are few trails which don’t involve traversing water at some point or other.  One of the trails marked “very hazardous actually has visitors climbing over a waterfall!

We stayed at the on-site Turkey Run Inn, my review of which is here. As you can see from the pictures below, the hotel looks nice from the outside and the rooms are charming and thematic.  Unfortunately, the service was so terrible I don’t think I could ever stay here again.  For the first time in all my travels, were were actually given keys to a room that had someone already staying in it!

Here’s the front entrance.  As you can see, it looks pretty nice from the outside.

This was our room.  It was almost Disney-esque in its woodsy theming.

Here’s the much-photographed suspension bridge which leads to many of the park’s trails.

The bridge crosses this river.  You are not supposed to go in the water, but we saw several people do so.

Yes, you actually have to climb through this waterfall to get to the end of the trail!  There are lots of places where the trail is literally in the river, at least in spring.