Spring Mill State Park is one of seven Indiana State Parks with an inn on property. This is a…read morebeautiful state park worth checking out. Like most state park inns, this one is historic and doesn't feel very modern - BUT, it will close in November 2022 through the first quarter of 2024 for significant modernization. This includes update to the rooms, conference center and the dining room. I can't wait to see the updates! Note that while the Spring Mill Inn is closed for 18 months, the State Park will remain open.

We arrive for lunch and found that they had only a buffet to offer. They also had a drink list with…read morelocal wines and beer. The staff was friendly and attentive. The look of the restaurant was nice with a lot of wood and a big fireplace which gave it a coziness. The buffet had fried chicken potatoes, green beans, cornbread, corn, fish, and rice and mac & cheese. It was homestyle comfort food. Simple but good.

Twin Caves located in Mitchell, IN inside Spring Mill State Park. There are several great trails…read moreand these caves are located not to far away from the parking lot. So, it's not a bad little hike to take. This particular day it was gloomy and sort of wet. I was chilly, and couldn't seem to get warm. This particular Park cost a fee to enjoy but because its not in season the shacks gate was open do no charge. I definitely would recommend and go back again.

Guided boat tours of the twin caves are offered every 30 minutes from 9-5 each day for only $3 a…read moreperson! The tours are in high demand, so make sure someone from your group gets there a few minutes before 9 to line up to schedule your time slot for the day. We did a tour with tour guide Morgan a few weeks ago, and it was awesome! Very interesting and educational. The tour takes about 20 minutes and you get to see a lot of different areas of the cave with different features, as well as some crayfish! There is one part where you can reach out and touch the cave as well. The boat is small and all riders straddle the bench inside for the duration of the tour. Could be difficult for older people and a little scary for some folks, especially those who have claustrophobic tendencies. You also need to be able to go down 85 steps to get to the boat and back up those steps after the tour. Life jackets are provided! Important to mention that my family is NOT outdoorsy at all, but we really enjoyed the tour! I recommend wearing a hat of some sort to prevent panic if any water drips on you as you go through. Highly recommend to those visiting the park!!

Midwest Trail Ride is one of my favorite places to go horse camping. Midwest has electric sites,…read morecabins, and primitive camping. They have plenty of stalls for the horses of their patrons, and they provide all the needed amenities necessary for horse campers. What's nice about Midwest versus regular camping is that it is really set up for horseback riders, and they make it very convenient to bring your horse and trailer. My wife and I have visited Midwest annually since she got me into horses and we have not had a bad visit. With Midwest being on the edge of Hoosier National Forest, you have no shortage of trails to ride. The Midwest trails are well maintained, better maintained than in the national forest in fact. Best part of visiting: no cell phone signal. You are in a nice quiet place you can relax and enjoy yourself without the stress of the outside world.

I have been a patron of Midwest Trail Ride for years. Unfortunately I have to say with the passing…read moreof time and changing of hands the magic of the place is gone for me. I had the privilege of meeting the wonderful folks who started MTR. What wonderful people. I remained impressed as the business changed hands. However, the current management has a lot to learn when it comes to how to treat the people who pay their hard earned money to travel and stay there. I was unpleasantly surprised at how rudely I was asked to move my rig. Courtesy goes a long way with me. Just be polite and remember --we are the customers. I have spent a lot of money in their tack store and have been a weekend and day rider as well. The people who run it now need to remember that they are not the only access point into Hoosier National Forest. Sadly this will be my last visit. I have absolutely loved meeting horse campers from all around....it's just the disrespectful and rude treatment from the female manager/owner that has convinced me to go elsewhere.

Beautiful area for a picnic in a wooded area. Not really much else around but we enjoyed because it…read morewas private. Lots of picnic tables

This park is located right next to the North Lawrence Community Schools Office. That complex is…read morelooked down to keep park goers out. You have to drive all the way around the park to get to the park's parking lot. It is a huge lot and is located by the ball fields. The park is home to 3 nice ball fields that are suitable to host a small tournament. The park has a restroom facility near the ball fields, but it was locked during my visit. I guess they must be unlocked for special events. There is a shelter near the ball fields with picnic table under it. You will encounter some picnic tables and pavilions along the side of the drive leading to the parking lot. The park has a playground but it is in need of repair and some updates. There are two banks of traditional swings, a bank of toddler swings, a stand and spin, a bridge, and a wooden balance beam. The playground area is on a bed of spongy wood chips and features a jungle gym with a bridge, a slide, a conveyor belt slide, monkey rings and a ladder. As I mentioned, the equipment is in bad shape, and is very old, the ADA swing is broken. It is just bad. My littles did not stay long and only played on the rusty conveyor belt slide. The park has easy access to the woods, hence it names. I saw a few people walking in the woods while I was there. I think that there was even some people riding dirt bikes there. This park is not bad. However, they need to invest a lot of money and energy into the playground. The park has a lot of potential. It is off of the main drag and has a quiet peacful vibe. This is on the border of being a destination park depending on what you are looking for. Just keep in mind that there are no restrooms available or water fountains, so plan accordingly.

Paradise made it very easy for me and my family to set sail on Lake Monroe this summer. We had…read morenever been on a boat together before, and I was kind of wondering what I had gotten ourselves into when we stepped aboard. The thoughts running through my head included: How the heck does a boat work? How am I going to shuttle us along safely when I've never driven a boat before? And other anxious boating thoughts. But luckily, Paradise makes it easy to rent a vessel and take it out on the lake, even if you've never driven a boat before. First, when you book your reservation, you are directed to watch a long video about the dos and don't of boating on a lake. Then, the kind people at Paradise go over the rules again when you're there before you shuttle off. It turns out that boating isn't super difficult, as long as you follow some common-sense rules! And also, always wear a life jacket! We rented a pontoon, which is great if you have kids with you because this vessel has a canopy that provides lots of shade. Kids can't be in the sun all day, you know! The pontoons also have lots of storage space so you have places to put all of your snacks and extra supplies. We spent about three hours out on the lake, and by the end of the journey, I felt like I was almost a boating pro! Renting from Paradise was a great experience from start to finish, and I'll definitely be renting from them again the next time we want to spend time boating on Lake Monroe.

I have rented boats here every summer since 2019 (yes even in 2020). They provide two sizes of…read morepontoon boats and two sizes of Bayliner runabouts. They also have wave runners (jet skis) for rent. This year we are going all out and renting what they call a 35 ft Destination Yacht that handles 18 people. This "yacht" is two story, has a restroom on board, a wet bar, and a curved slide from the upper deck down to the right above the water. You can bring a grill on board if you like. They require you watch a video online about boat safety and take a test to record the results proving you watched the video. After three years of these tests I finally scored a perfect test score! The staff is always courteous, friendly and very helpful. The boats come fueled and clean. You do a quick walk around and makes notes of any prior damage so you don't get dinged. They always go through all of the features with you, tell you some tips for safe handling and take the time to answer all your questions.

Visiting Griffy Lake was one of my favorite adventures while in Bloomington for a fall weekend…read moregetaway. It's a scenic, windy drive to the lake with a large parking lot. It even looks like you can rent kayaks and boats here. We followed the boardwalk path and enjoy sitting on the bench admiring the fall foliage before following the path through the woods and marsh area. On a Sunday morning, there were families and dogs walking through the trails.

What a great spot! Feels like a million miles away from Bloomington. So calm and peaceful…read more We enjoyed the well marked hiking trails. Would love to return and get out on the water!

I have lived in Indianapolis my entire life, and never heard of Fairfax State Recreation Area at…read moreMonroe Lake. From what I understand, it's even fairly well-kept secret from the locals. My friend visits the beach every weekend with her boys and others join her from time to time. She had lived in the area for several years before she knew it was there. We drove down for the day earlier this month and really enjoyed it. The beach is a little rocky and muddy, but I suppose that's to be expected in Indiana. It's a nice little spot to lay out, hang out with friends and family, or take out your floats, paddle boards, kayaks, etc. I would visit again. I give it four stars for a couple of reasons. 1. The difficulty in getting down to the beach area since there is only one small walkway. 2. The restrooms are not well-marked, and are thoroughly disgusting. Although a DNR employee sits near the restrooms, they don't seem to do a whole lot. There were people using one of the grills near the restrooms who thought it would be a good idea to play soccer on the sidewalk instead of the grass. They made no effort to move or stop playing as people had to walk by to the restrooms, and the DNR employee cared more about asking someone to move their vehicle than ask those disrespectful guests from hitting others with their soccer ball.

Beautiful park! Great lake for fishing and kayaking! We camped at their cabins, small and very…read morebasic but exactly what we love! We're usually tent campers. We love basic. It was nice to have AC in August heat though! We didn't put our air mattress on the bed platform because ours is a queen, not a full. It was also nice to have our air mattress closer to the AC unit! Picnic table outside, works great for our family. We were basically in the cabin to sleep. Bring bikes, kayaks, air mattress, coolers, bedding..... Shower houses and restrooms are decent but can be a walk from your cabin, depending on where you're located. This cabin is the "Persimmon" cabin. We like seclusion, so it worked perfectly for us!

Offers up lake front lots, kayak launchable and very relaxing. Nothing but trolling motors and…read morelots of bank fishing. Large beach area, shower is a must after that swim. Friendly frequently driving by DNR staff. Clean hot shower. Clean restrooms. Plenty of trails, beautiful water lilies in bloom this visit near North boat launch. Very enjoyable spot.