Some fun things to do in Southern Indiana…

After first moving to Southern Indiana, I decided I needed to know what attractions, sites, events, restaurants, cultural happenings, natural phenomena existed to explore in the area. I started researching various books, magazines & visitors bureaus along with inquiring amongst the locals about what to check out…”must do’s for a newcomer”.

These are just a few that I have come up with and that’s not even including the festivals and cultural events, restaurants, outdoor activities & recreation, sporting events, music, fundraising, scholastic, art exhibits & galleries, etc…I have neglected to mention in this particular blog. Please continue to check out my ramblings to discover what I discover in Bloomington and around Southern IN. It just seems to keep getting better and better, the more I find out.

The Story Inn, little Nashville & Brown County State Park:
If you haven’t taken a trip to Brown County for the day, then schedule it because this is the perfect time of year for it. You could start the day hiking around Brown County State Park, which is absolutely beautiful with the trees, plants and flowers in full bloom.

Then after you’ve worked up an appetite take a drive to the Story Inn for lunch in the restaurant, tavern, and beer garden or purchase a picnic to eat out on their beautiful grounds. The food is amazing…whether it be breakfast (try the to die for crispy hash browns with melted white cheddar), lunch (ask for the dill dressing for your salad, yum) or dinner, which is always exquisite…you can’t go wrong with the delectable appetizers, entrees & desserts. Make sure to ask for a tour of the guest rooms in case you want to plan a special overnight occasion.

Then after having a wonderful meal, head back to little Nashville to walk off your lunch and do some shopping. The town is chalk full of artisan shops and galleries and also many ice cream, fudge and candy shops. Plus, there are a couple wineries in town and many B&B’s and restaurants too…something for the whole family.

I have done a similar day as this for out of town guests and they loved it.

Blue Springs Caverns, Spring Mill State Park & Apple Acres:
My sister and her husband visited last summer and I decided, since I had never been, to take them to Blue Springs Cavern and underwater cave where there is no light and blind fish. We arrived in their gift shop and looked around while we waited for the tour to start, then we followed the guide out and down a descending road which got steadily colder as we went down.

With the help of flash lights, we were guided to our boat and off on our hour long journey through the dark cave. It was so interesting with the rock formations throughout the cave and we even saw a blind crawdad and blind fish, which were completely without pigment. At one point at the far end, they turned out all the lights and we sat in complete darkness and silence…it was fascinating, none of us had ever experienced anything like it. It was like a whole other world below that we never knew existed.

On the way back to Bloomington, make sure to stop by Spring Mill State Park to get a little exercise after sitting in a boat for an hour and check out the old village & flour mill, the astronaut museum, the trails, the pool and the lodge.

If you didn’t get a bite to eat at the lodge or you just want a snack make sure to stop by Apple Acres to sample their apple cider and pick up some of their specialties like fresh apples of course, peaches, cantaloupe and other produce, homemade peanut butter, honey and lots of sweet treats like caramel covered apples.