Y'all!!!! I am not a frequent flyer at places like this but my son wanted to go with some friends…read morefor his birthday so we did. Things were pretty quiet until about 1:30 in the morning. Around 2:51 (haha "around" and then I post the exact time) we all RAN out of there and drove home - an HOUR tired, hungry, and freaked out! Blackford County Jail does NOT disappoint and the owners are awesome!!! MUST GO!!!

James Dean is an Indiana legend who captured hearts and was taken too young. This small memorial…read morecommemorates the site of an apartment (now gone) in which he was born in Marion, Indiana. I happened upon the memorial while looking for a place to eat. There is a large sign pointing to the memorial and a historical marker at the memorial. A large granite monument with impressions of Dean is surrounded by benches to sit. Dean died in an automobile accident at the age of 24. He is bury in Fairmont, Indiana, where he grew up. He had made three movies depicting life in the early 1950's. While he died before I was born, I remember watching reruns of his movies with my mother. I think of her as I see the memorial. There is limited street parking near the memorial and no amenities.

What a nice tribute to James Dean! I was so excited to see that Marion, IN, gave quite the upgrade…read moreto their memorial in honor of Dean's birthplace. This is a small but nice park with a gorgeous memorial. Lots of free parking right next to it.

If you happen to be at Conner Prairie, you may notice this well preserved covered bridge on the way…read moreto the Civil War Journey area of the park. Inside the bridge, there are banners and sound recordings of things you might hear people say while discussing the Civil War in 1863. Although a Union State, there were a lot of Copperheads who supported the Confederacy. The bridge is fairly short for Hoosier standards at only 110' long. Odd fact is that the bridge wasn't around during the Civil War. It wasn't built until 1884 during the later stages of the covered bridge building boom of the 1870's and 80's. Although bridges usually span rivers, the park has built a pond beneath the bridge to give it the appearance of being functional. You don't hear the murmuring of water flowing underneath like you do at many other bridges. So, it's a good idea of having the sound recordings take your mind away from what's missing. The bridge seems to be in great shape. I've been to nearly 50 covered bridges in Central Indiana and this one is right up there for the best preservation. Review #2720

Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge so far is my favorite covered bridge in the state of Indiana or…read moreanywhere! I am so impressed at how much care goes into the preservation of the covered bridges in this state. Not only do they keep many of them freshly painted and structurally sound, they celebrate them with driving tours, festivals and special parks such as Conner Prairie. Cedar Chapel is a beautiful structure unlike any other I've seen, moved from its original location to the Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement. Six years prior to its purchase it sat roadside and then remained on Conner Prairies property for 25 years until The Governor's Office presented a check for $240,000 to aid in the cost of it's restoration. Conner Prairie is AMAZING! Truly worth visiting with your family as you walk through time. The facility is divided into villages. There is an 1836 Prairietown, an 1863 Civil War Journey, 1859 Balloon Voyage, animal encounters, a homestead, Indian camp, nature walk and many interactive areas. The bridge is located between the 1836 Prairietown and 1863 Civil War Journey. We had very little time to spend here, but are making plans to return soon! BRIDGE FACTS Year Opened: 1884 Builder: George Woerntz & Son Length: 110 feet (124 feet including the 7-foot approaches at each end) Width/Height: 12 feet wide / 13 feet high Truss type: Howe Truss Current Location: Conner Prairie Interactive History Park in Fisher, IN Original Location: DeKalb County FINAL THOUGHTS It costs to get into Conner Prairie ($15/adults or $10/children at the time of this review), but it is so worth it, especially if you are a fan of historic details. Of all the bridges I've EVER seen, I would recommend this be a top destination for your travel folder. It is one of the most beautiful covered bridges you will ever see in an ideal family setting loaded with things to do. Visit. Enjoy.

A wonderful historical stop in Versailles to pay tribute to the celebrated sharpshooter Annie…read moreOakley. Easy to navigate to and plenty of room to park, it's really cool to see that people are still stopping by her resting place to pay their respects.

I was just driving along a country road from Indiana to Lima, Ohio when suddenly a small sign…read morepopped up saying "Annie Oakley Grave" with an arrow pointing to a side road. I thought, "What??". I grew up on cowboys and Indians and one of my favorite TV shows was "Annie Oakley". I had missed the turn but took the next right to reconnect with the road. After driving aways, there was another sign and Brock Cemetery. I turned in slowly, parked, and walked reverently up to the headstones for Annie, her parents, and husband Frank Butler. It was pretty awesome to be standing at her final resting place. I read the information on the plaques, took some pictures, and somberly continued on my trip. You just never know what you will come across when you take the small roads to your destination instead of freeways.

Gas City, originally Harrisburg, got its name because of the natural gas that was found here. At…read morejust over 4.5 square miles, it is a pretty small city. It is accessible at exit #256 of I-69 north & south bound. Most of my experiences in Gas City occur along Indiana State Rd 22, probably like the rest of the non-locals, just passing through from Kokomo to I-69 and back. Most of the business are located on or just off of Indiana State Rd 22. The most exciting thing for me here is the Starbucks; believe it or not, I was thrilled when they built it because it gave me a good place to take a road trip break. Other than that, I've only ever gassed up (no pun intended) or stopped at K-mart. I like to think of it as Quiettown, America. I have yet to hear, see or experience anything negative here so Gas City is A-OK with me.

I tend to love the more obscure roadside attractions in my home state of Indiana. One such…read moreattraction is Berne, Indiana's Muensterberg Plaza and Clock Tower. I am especially fond of the clock tower, a 160-foot tall multi-million dollar replica of the clock tower in Bern, Switzerland that was dedicated in 2010. I used to drive through Berne semi-regularly due to my church obligations that would frequently have me in this part of the state. Located on, you guessed it, North Church Avenue in Berne, this clock tower is beautiful to look at and consistent with the Swiss theme that dominates Berne, Indiana. Admission is free to this roadside attraction. Berne, Indiana is located in Adams County about 35 miles south of Fort Wayne. Population is about 4,000 and they have a substantial Amish population that speaks a Swiss German dialect known as Bernese German. The town comes by its Swiss connection naturally - it was settled in 1852 by Mennonites that came here directly from Switzerland. That relationship with Switzerland has been maintained. The entire city of Berne takes a little bit over 2 square miles! The plaza also includes "The Settler's Statue," a statue commemorating the area's first settlers, along with the only stateside Canton Tree and a flower bed designed in quilting patterns. The clock is actually quite popular even for local residents who are quite proud of it. You pretty much can't visit Berne without seeing the clock - partly because it's such a main feature and partly because it's big enough that it stands out in the city. Do you remember the Dilley sextuplets? They were the world's first surviving sextuplets. They were from Berne, IN. This is honestly a great day trip - in addition to checking out this tourist attraction you have multiple close by places to visit including Oubache State Park, Gene Stratton Porter Museum, Pine Lake Waterpark, and Swiss Heritage Village & Museum among others. If you get a chance, I definitely recommend stopping in Berne, IN and checking out their beautiful clock tower.

What a beautiful monument! When passing through Berne, you can't miss this tower as it looms…read moretoward the sky. The tower has a glockenspiel that operates at set times during warmer weather. The plaza is a nice park, with plenty of space to enjoy the out of doors. I posted pictures taken during my visit in January and to see the monument surrounded by white snow was awesome. I'll have to make a return visit during warmer months when the grass is visible. On the corner of Main Street and US-27.

In Marion, Indiana, there is a stretch of State Road 9 that runs through the town that has been…read moredesignated as "Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Way". On each end of the memorial road, a marker was installed to honor Dr King. Hoosier artist Kenneth Ryden created a bronze bust/deep relief (circa 2000) of Dr King to be attached to the markers on each side of town. The marker has a quote from Dr King that reads: "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality." The quote is from his acceptance speech for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Review #2236

Completed in 1972, the Salem Crossing Covered Bridge crosses Fishback Creek, just to the west of…read moreSalem Road. It was built by E.J. Murphy who earned an engineering degree at Purdue University and subsequently moved to Zionsville. Interestingly, the dedication of the bridge was attended by U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey. U.S. Senator Vance Hartke, U.S. Senator Birch Bayh, and "Bonanza" actor Lorne Greene. After Murphy passed away in 1981, the Kennerk family purchased the property and bridge in 1982 from Murphy's estate. The Kennerks renamed the bridge Salem's Crossing in 1996. The bridge is not open to traffic and I believe that it might be located on private property. So keep that in mind if you're planning to visit. [Review 20587 overall - 121 in Indiana - 1568 of 2023.]

April 2026 Fishers Parks-owned historic house; however, it…read moreseems not possible to arrange a visit for a small group to learn about the home's history. It appears to be used for commercial use under a contract between Fishers and Ritz Charles. You can still visit the park and walk the grounds, but you can't get a tour of the house from what I can tell. All tour requests for the Ambassador House can be sent to: info@simplyservedcatering.com or (317) 575-2244 - but I don't want catering!

The historic Ambassador House, built in the mid 1820s and Heritage Gardens are located in the back…read moreamongst trees in Fishers Heritage Park. The house and the gardens, which is owned and operated by the City of Fishers Parks & Rec Department, make it an ideal destination to host weddings and special events. The house, rich in history, is a Greek Revival style home. There are private grounds and beautiful gardens to host events of up to 250 guests from April to October in a large event tent or during the colder months, they can host up to 60 guests.