My review is based upon the Art Park and mural on the outside of the building…read more The Arts Park is a beautiful addition to the Robert Indiana Arts and Culture District of New Castle. The park has numerous pathways that wind between plantings, gardens, pine trees, a gazebo, and a koi pond. There is even a miniature recreation of native son Robert Indiana's "LOVE" sculpture near the south entrance to the park. There is a huge pavilion behind the Art Center that can hold large events under the single roof. A parking lot is conveniently located on the south side of the park. On the south wall of the Art Center, a tribute mural to Robert Indiana was created by artists Steve Weidert and Ed Tarantino in 2017 with images of Indiana at different times in his life. I would have liked to seen a plaque highlighting what some of the other images in the mural represent. And though the grounds are laid out nicely, they could use a bit of touch up/grooming as some of the plantings have become overgrown. Review #1418

This is a real gem that seems to remain undiscovered by most of the population of Henry Country. I…read morestopped in a while back and was greeted by a wonderful curator who was informative and truly concerned with spreading the word about the Art Center. I planned to attend one of the monthly openings but was out of town and hope to do so soon. The prices for art and especially prints were reasonable as you would expect in a small town, but the quality of the work is world class in many instances. I met one artist, Kris Livesley, while we visited and was impressed by his eye and vision. I look forward to meeting the other local artists and suggest to anyone residing in, or visiting New Castle so stop in for a visit. The gallery is free, I'm not sure if there's a charge for special events so I'd recommend calling first on those nights. I walked through the outdoor arts garden and was very excited to see how well thought out the design was, something New Castle really was lacking, tho I rarely see anyone actually using the park or "spanning time" there. Their calendar shows events such as car shows and musical stages, so I will stop back for those when the weather warms up again. I think the Art Center best serves New Castle as an introduction to the arts for the locals who may not have the opportunity as readily as those in larger cities or who travel often. A great and unexpected find!

My spouse and I went on the Columbus architecture tour. The Miller House and Garden is the focal…read morepart of the architecture of Columbus. The architect Saarinen developed plans for only three houses all for the Miller's. Almost all the doorways are handicapped accessible and the house is one level. Although built in the 1950s many of the design concepts are still seen today. if you are going for the architecture tour, this is a must

loved the aesthetic of this house. first saw it on Kogonada's film Columbus and just had to go see…read moreit. the one thing though is the movie makes it seem like you can walk freely through the house, you cannot. it's an informative guided tour. and you're only allowed to take pictures on this particular rug. I'm fine without getting anymore photos, but I would have loved to spend some more time outside exploring the grounds. also I saw pictures of the couch with red cushions, it was definitely more eye catching with those. (big thing: read your confirmation email and show up at the visitor center first)

Downtown Cambridge City is being transformed by a number of large historic murals painted by the…read moremother-daughter artists, Pamela Bliss and Carly Mattingly Dee. Some of the works were painted individually, while this one was a collaboration. Back in 1865, the Lincoln Funeral Train passed through Cambridge City on its way to Lincoln's final resting place in Springfield, Illinois. For the sesquicentennial of the event, Bliss was selected in 2015 to design and paint a tribute to the event. This huge mural covers the east side of a building on Main Street (US 40, the National Road). A colorful locomotive is depicted as moving from the back of the building towards the front. On the upper left, a historic building is decorated with patriotic drapings while a large black and white bust portrait of Lincoln fills the upper right. There are several other murals in town done by Bliss and Dee: "Back in Time: Cambridge City Canal" by Dee (2011); "Postcards" by Dee (2010); "Single G" (a world famous harness racing horse) by Bliss (2010); and the newest "Gen Solomon Meredith" by Bliss (2018). If you are in the area, the town is just a short drive from the interstate and the murals are within walking distance. Bonus: If the post office is open, there is a mural inside the lobby by Samuel F Hershey called "Pride of Cambridge City" painted in 1941. Review #1201

If you are in the Hagerstown area, do yourself a favor and check out this fantastic mural inside…read morethe second floor of the Nettle Creek Valley Museum (the Odd Fellows Hall). The place may have a small fee and has limited hours, and the stairs up to the second floor can be kind of steep. But I have never seen anything quite like it, despite the quirky setting. Painted in 1913 (and having had some touch up work along the way), this massive mural by Charles Newcomb covers all four walls and has a painted sky for the ceiling! Despite the room being a bit cluttered with other items, there is enough of the mural visible to appreciate the effort it took to make the images all fit with a common theme. Each of the walls appears to be painted as an outdoor wall with a balcony about two thirds of the way up. Above the balcony, there are potted trees and shrubs, and folks dressed in what I would be guess to be Florentine attire from the Renaissance period. And in some cases, there are figures painted at floor level like an affluent couple with their dog. The mural is thought to be inspired by the painting in Philadelphia called "Girls Dining Room" by Maxfield Parrish, a contemporary of Newcomb. Review #1244

On my last visit to Muncie, I found this giant mural downtown on the side of the Mark III Taproom…read moreon Walnut. The mural was completed in 2017 by the "We're Trying Collective" and volunteers. The mural was inspired as response to the Orlando Pulse Nightclub attack. Muncie residents wanted to let folks of all types know that they are welcome in Muncie. Community outreach gathered thoughts and interest and developed the mural. The mural has large pastel areas with a black overlay of lines that create a lot of abstract imagery. Between the lines, a number of hand prints can be seen of volunteers. The orange areas also have a number of equality symbols. Review #1367

This is a great spot for locals and visitors alike! We stopped by from out of town thinking it…read morewould be a good winter activity for our little one while it's too cold to walk much outside. The conservatory exceeded our expectations! Admissions is affordable at $5 per person, but it was free the day we visited because of a reptile show! We got to see tortoises, skinks, salamanders, tarantulas, snakes, and more! Inside the conservatory, there are fish and a couple other critters permanently on display. The signage around the gardens is informative and interesting- and the plants are simply beautiful! So well cared for and healthy. I could have walked around the loop 5 times and noticed new things each time. There are several places to sit and relax throughout the gardens (we fed our baby on one of the benches). There is a restroom and coat racks- which you'll need because the gardens are quite warm! What a great find for the afternoon! Bonus that it's located right in a park, by a library, several cute places to stop and eat, and public art. The only downside I can think of is that there wasn't a ton of parking- probably more accessible when there isn't a special event going on!

There is something about plants and nature that brighten up my mood. I came here on a gloomy rainy…read moreday, and it was the perfect decision to lift up my spirits. It's close to the highway so easy access and near my house - double plus. The admission to get in was $4 per person, and they take card - another plus for being inexpensive. They have plants for sale and host events/activities, the lady working was friendly and explained all of that. They have brochures in the front as well. Inside is so astonishing, there is so much to see. It's so beautiful, I adore and admire all of it. I love how things are labeled and have informational tidbits about the plants. They have ponds with live fish and waterfalls around. They have a restroom and it had a window so of course there is a plant inside, I love it. I'll have to take note next time I go here that it was very warm inside, I felt very hot so dress accordingly. There is parking available. Check hours before coming, holidays vary.

What a super cool museum! We got a tour and learned so much about all things SIGNS. You can learn…read moreabout all the history of signs from metal signs to plastic signs to ones with light bulb to the neon signs that we know and love today. The collection really is huge and you can see some very antique signs. Lots of photo opportunities. I think they might even be expanding and adding more signs. It was definitely a fun way to spend my afternoon in Cincy!

We had a really fun time at this museum! There is an audio tour available through QR codes and…read morealso a scavenger hunt with three different levels to help you better engage with the museum. It was interesting seeing the historical progression of signs through different eras. I really loved the way the town shop area was set up. Staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Plenty of free parking right outside the museum doors. The only reason I knocked off a star is that it was smaller than I expected. You will only need a max of two hours here.

The irony of allowing humanity to fall so deep into greed that the unhoused population sit on this…read morebench without anywhere to call home. Says lots without saying a word.

This is a very powerful and intriguing piece that is located off to the side of the Roberts Park…read moreUnited Methodist Church. This sculpture is the work of Timothy Schmalz, a Canadian sculptor and devout Catholic, who was commissioned by Roberts Park United Methodist Church to create this bronze sculpture in 2015. It also goes by the name Jesus the Homeless. As nice as it is, this piece is not one of a kind. There are a bunch of them placed all around the world, well over 100. The original was made in 2013 and is located at Regis College, University of Toronto. Other locations that you will find the sculpture include Australia, Singapore, Israel, South Korea, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Columbia and the Dominican Republic to name just a few. This sculpture is very realistic and detailed. Which brings me to a funny story. In October 2020, police in Ohio were dispatched to a report of a homeless man sleeping on a park bench. Ironically, this call was made within 20 minutes of the Homeless Jesus sculpture being installed. Yep, some called the police on the statue. I will admit, I had to do a double take to make sure it was not real when I saw it. And you are certain to be fooled if you are driving by. It should be noted the the sculpture in Vatican City has received the blessing of the Pope. The bench is about 7 feet wide and depicts a covered figure, assumed to be Jesus, laying on it. The only real identification being the crucifixion wounds on the figures feet. For the low price of 99.99 you too can have your own mini-homeless Jesus made by the artist himself. The sculpture is just off of the Roberts Park United Methodist Church parking lot and runs along Alabama Street. There is tons of metered street parking available in front of and adjacent to the sculpture. There is also a commercial parking lot directly behind it that you can pull into, get out and take a closer look too. I guess you could also do a safe and strategic slow rolling drive by and get a a half decent look, but I do not recommend that. You will not get the full effect of the sculpture. As with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other sculptures, murals and attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. Brickhead3 and Viewfinders would be a great start.

Public Art [Florence KY]…read more On our way to Cincinnati we took a little detour to stop by this mural, we were nearby when I saw the check-in in Yelp. Well, it wasn't really as close as I thought since we were coming from Louisville (I-71) and still had to cut across US 42 towards Florence. It was still a drive (luckily, I have a patient husband). We found it and it is located in a quiet part of Main Street in Florence KY. The mural is painted on a brick wall of Stringtown Bar & Grill and is a little twist on the Looney Tunes signature closing sequence written over the bullseye, it says "That's Y'all, Folks!" Some people have discovered this sign for fun pics but I'm not sure if this quiet neighborhood will like it once it gets a little more popular. It was a fun stop, quick, unexpected and random. Anywho, Th-Th... that's all, folks! Review #3924

This was a cute little stop and take a picture site. We didn't have time to explore any more of the…read morearea but the artist shop looked interesting.

Wow, this is the best park in New Castle! It is spacious and straddles Main Street on the south…read moreside of town. It is located conveniently along Parkside (also called Trojan Lane just west of the park) and is easy to get to from downtown as well. There is parking inside the park and additional street side parking along Main. (Note that the Aquatic Center also has its own parking lot.) On the east side of Main Street, there is a skate park, basketball courts, and a horse shoe area. On the west side of Main Street, there is a gazebo, some shelters, lots of randomly spaced "old school" pieces of playground equipment, a wooden fort-style playground on the south end, shuffle board courts, and some paved walking paths. You can also drive through the park with access near the corners along Main Street. The west side is filled with mature trees for lots of shade while the east side is more "developed" with few trees. The only knock I had was that some of the equipment could use some paint to bring it all the way to a solid 5 star park. A definite destination to look for if you want to have fun! Review #1194