Still in Parke County but outside Rockville, this is another Joseph A. Britton covered bridge that…read morehe completed in 1913. It is a single-span Burr Arch structure. This is originally the site of two other bridges that had been washed away before this one, the State Sanatorium Covered Bridge, was moved to here. It is open to traffic But I opted to take the bypass with the Sprinter van. The road to the east is hard packed dirt and not a great run. Total length of 170 feed with a clearance of 12.5 feet, it would have been fine for my heavy van but I thought, let's not today. [Review 1297 of 2024 - 174 in Indiana - 22320 overall]

This Single Span Burr Arch Truss originally crossed Little Raccoon Creek on State Sanatorium…read moreproperty, about a mile downstream from its current location. It was moved in 2008 to carry County Road 100N across Little Raccoon Creek. #1 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the bridge was built by J.A. Britton in 1913-- one of the twelve covered bridges that he constructed in the county.

A beautiful park is located just west of the center of Purdue's campus. The lawn has been…read moresprinkled with some new trees and in the center, the Loeb Fountain blasts 2200 gallons per minute in an array of arcs and jets. The area around the fountain is terraced with flower gardens. To the north of the fountain, several art works can be found. Review #1132

I never knew this was here. It was dedicated in 2019 and was funded 100% through donations…read more Brownsburg has a very tasteful and powerful 9/11 memorial right by Arbuckle Park located at Arbuckle Commons. The highlight of the monument is a 1500-pound beam that was recovered from the World Trade Center. It is positioned the same as it would have been in the World Trade Center and is pointing in the direction of New York. The area is small, but powerful. There is a tall flag pole with an American Flag blowing in the wind. There is also a bench facing the beam that you can sit and reflect and an informational placard in front of the flag pole explaining the events of 9/11. This memorial is so surreal and peaceful (even though it is right off of one of Brownsburg's main drags). It is well put together and maintained. The memorial is well groomed and still looks new. I enjoyed my visit here and recommend checking out this place if you are in the area.

We had a great 90+ min narrated tour. So many stories about the family, the house, and the overall…read moreproperty. Nathan the tour guide/ docent was great and had history and anecdotes for anything our tour asked of him. I came in with limited knowledge on FLW, and came away with a much better appreciation.

Had a great tour with Nathan. He is incredibly knowledgeable and obviously loves his job. The…read morefoundation is taking incredible care of this important piece of American history. We've been to a few other FLW properties but no other has been as welcoming. We were encouraged to truly look and see the genius of the design as it was intended. We could stand and sit to get the full effect of each space. We were able to experience first hand the flexibility and convertability of the furniture that adds the final touch to each space. The ingenious additions Mrs. Christian requested that were beautifully designed into the workspace were well before their time.

Such a great experience! Extremely informative! The museum has many cool artifacts from Lew…read moreWallace's life as well as props from Ben-Hur film adaptations. The study itself is stunning. Our tour guide Tom was extremely knowledgeable and explained the history of Wallace's life and all the objects in the study in a very engaging way! This is a can't miss spot in Crawfordsville!

If you watch the 1959 movie "Ben-Hur", you will see a story about a man who lived a life that was…read morefitting to be on the big screen of Hollywood. However, if Hollywood wanted to make a movie about a real life man who accomplished a variety of great things, a movie should be made about the author of the novel, General Lew Wallace of Indiana. Born in Brookville in 1827, the man was a war hero in the Civil War, an author of seven novels, an inventor, sculptor/painter, foreign minister to the Ottoman Empire, and governor of the New Mexico Territory. And for a day job, he was a lawyer in Crawfordsville, Indiana where he settled and raised his family. Before living such an active life in service to his country, he moved to Crawfordsville and attended an event at the home of his former commander in the Mexican War, Henry S Lane. Lane's wife was one of the daughters of prominent Crawfordsville business man Isaac Elston. Another of Elston's daughters, Susan, was in attendance. Wallace met Susan which led to their eventual marriage and raising of a son, Henry Lane Wallace. Being a man of means, Wallace acquired property near the Elston family land holdings which is the site of the study and museum. He had the study built on his property that featured a 25 x 25 room with a skylight and walls filled with rows of books. In the study and beneath a large tree just west of the building, Wallace did his writing, sculpting, inventing, and painting. Truly, he was a modern day Renaissance man. If you visit the Wallace property, you can walk the grounds outside the study for free. There is parking by the carriage house or street parking outside the property on the east and west sides. However, if you want to go inside the study and learn more about the life of the man, you can take a tour for only $5. The tour begins in the carriage house with a 15-minute video about Wallace and his most famous creation, "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ". The video room is filled with movie memorabilia. From there, you see some of the property including the site of the former moat, some flower gardens, and a Wallace Statue placed where the tree he used to write under had been. And finally, you get a tour of the study and get to see many of the paintings, inventions, and books that where mentioned in the video. The place has been painstakingly preserved while restoring it and updating things like plumbing and wiring for safety reasons. The room is filled with art and details that were innovative for their time. You can spend a lot of time looking at this extensive collection. Note: there is also a side room that was set up to show some of Wallace's Civil War activities and collections. Tours are available during normal business hours and can be started whenever you arrive unless another tour has already begun. If you are a fan of history and appreciate creativity, then this is a tour you will definitely enjoy. Review #1387

Pretty covered bridge close to so many of the other fascinating historic covered bridges in the…read morearea.

Situated on the western edge of Turkey Run State Park, this Single Span Burr Arch Truss bridge was…read morebuilt in 1913 by J.A. Britton-- one of the dozen covered bridges that he erected in Parke County. It carries Cox Ford Road over Sugar Creek, and is easily accessed from US41 via a short stretch of gravel road. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it is #36 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

Sometimes sculpture is very personal to the person who commissions it. Such is the case of this…read morebronze statue located on the northwest corner of John Force Racing in Brownsburg. Back in 2007 (March 23), Eric Medlen was a driver for John Force Racing. While testing for a drag race in Gainesville, Florida, Medlen was killed at the age of 33. Medlen's father was his crew chief. The grief felt by the whole team was heartfelt and moved the team owner, John Force to commission this statue. The accident inspired the entire team to focus on safety as a key element to their pursuit of championships. The bronze is built about half scale and sits on a small hill surrounded by pine trees. Review #1350

Another of the many covered bridges in this town! You can get to this bridge off of US 41.read more

Constructed in 1906 and rebuilt in 1991, this Single Span Burr Arch Truss bridge is one of three…read morecovered bridges built by William Hendricks in Parke County. It takes the gravel surface of Cox Ford Road across Sugar Mill Creek. The bridge is easily accessible from US 41. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This is #35 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

We had a heck of a time finding this little covered bridge. We drove around in circles before we…read moreasked someone at the campground. The Catlin Bridge is located near the southside of a golf course. There is parking and we walked down to see the bridge. It was a beautiful day and people were playing golf so I had to dodge a few balls. The Parke County Covered Bridge map and sign at the site told us that the 54' bridge was built in 1907 by Clark McDaniel and relocated to the golf course in 1961. The Burr Arch bridge is lovely but showing signs of age. It looks like the creek that may run under the bridge is dry. We talked to the manager of the golf course and he recommended a couple of his favorite spots in Parke County to visit and we did. (I love Midwest hospitality.)

This Single Span Burr Arch Truss was put up by Clark McDaniel in 1907 to carry the…read moreRockville-Rosedale Road across Sunderland Creek north of Catlin. In 1961, it was moved to the Rockville Golf Course, where it now crosses Bill Diddle Creek. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it is #13 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map. It can be viewed from the north end of the club's parking lot.

Come to Casey and see the World's Largest Things. They're all over town and it's only a couple of…read moremiles off I-70 as you're passing between Terre Haute and Saint Louis. On the the big ones in the downtown core is this, the World's Largest Wind Chime. It is accessed through the patio area of what looks like a cute restaurant, Whitling Whimsy Cafe, which was closed on Sunday when I was here. In fact, most of the town was closed on Sunday. Still, the Things are accessible. The Wind Chime is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records and are 49 feet tall with the largest chime being 42 feet long. There is a center rope pull so that you can make the chimes sound if it's not a windy day. I like that this one is interactive. [Review 19676 overall - 131 in Illinois - 648 of 2023.]

The World's Largest Wind Chime is located right in the heart of downtown CAsey, IL, (a quaint…read morelittle town with a population of 3,000). The Wind Chime, Rocking Chair and tetter totter are all located right outside or across the street from the Whitling Whimsy Cafe. This is one of a dozen "things" offically recognized as the World's Largest: World's Largest Wind Chime World's Largest Golf Tee World's Largest Pitchfork World's Largest Rocking Chair World's Largest Wooden Shoes World's Largest Mailbox World's Largest Gavel World's Largest Truck Key World's Largest Barbershop Pole World's Largest Teeter Totter World's Largest Golf Driver World's Largest Swizzle Spoon Well worth a detour off of I-70.