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

Little Green Thumb at Garfield Conservatory…read more We tried a new-to-us program today and it was honestly SO cute! This peaceful, hands-on story time was such a sweet way to spend the morning with the kids. The kids got to: Feed & pet the chickens Read stories about the sun Use the sunshine to melt crayons into cute animal shapes Pick peppers Check out dried sunflowers & their seeds Have a little dance party Plant beets Explore the garden It was such a calm, down-to-earth experience that combined story time, gardening, animals, crafts + outdoor exploring--perfect for little ones! Garfield Park Conservatory -- Indianapolis Ages: 2-5 $6 per child Registration required Next Little Green Thumb: September 16 | 10-11 AM Join them in Blake's Garden to learn about gardening and help plant, grow & harvest in the vegetable garden. There will also be a story, craft + time to explore! Definitely adding this one to our list of sweet Indy activities for little kids!

The conservatory offers a variety of plants, flowers, and serene views of the waterfall. The…read morewaterfall and fish pond was definitely my favorite view out of everything offered at the conservatory with their scenic views and decor. The sunken garden was an okay view, the fountains were beautiful but there wasn't any other foliage, flowers, or scenery out there to enhance the view. The garden definitely has potential to be better than it is.

A must if you're in Cincinnati! I love vintage neon signs and I absolutely love that this museum…read morehas preserved and saved so many. Tickets were kind of pricey considering the place is small ($20 for adults), but I see it as supporting this amazing collection and the restoration of these signs to continue on. They also had a live neon bending demonstration when we were there, although we did not stay for the whole thing it was very interesting to learn how the signs are made and how the colors are created. They also have a section with antique hand painted freak show signs. Overall just a super cool museum with so much to discover.

A++++++++++++ 10 out of 10!…read more Look, you're not going to find a museum dedicated to signs of this nature anywhere else. The American Sign Museum sat on my to-visit list for years. I couldn't wait to see it. That wait finally ended this past Labor Day weekend when we took a trip to Cincinnati. This museum is everything it's billed to be and more. In fact, you don't even need to go inside to start to experience some of the great signs that they've accumulated. From neon signs to murals to metal signs, canvas signs, posters..you name it, they have it all. I'm in my 50's so many of these signs resonate to my youth. We didn't have electronic devices back in the 1970's, so looking out the window during road trips was what we did. And it's then that I saw these signs and fell in love with them. As time strips and destroys them, it's truly awesome to see a museum that's restoring and displaying them in all of their brilliance. The artistic value alone for these signs is off the charts. And the neon signs are simply remarkable. I took about 400 pictures while we were here and will just post one to give you an idea of what's in store. Enjoy!

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

...That's all, folks! The line that Porky Pig made famous as he ended Looney Toon Cartoons. This…read moremural is a replica of the Looney Toons Outro background. You will find this mural on the front of Stringtown Bar and Grill. If you want to get a good look, you will find free street parking within a very reasonable walking distance. Even though the mural is on the front of a bar, it was actually the city's idea. It was painted by artist Josh Stout in 2019. The colors are very vivid. The mural is in excellent condition, especially considering it is painted directly on the brick wall. This mural has a lot of controversy with it. There are some people that are upset that a cartoon mural is in a historic district and should be more of a historical nature. They believe that they could not put something up like that, which is true. The city acknowledged that their projects are exempt from such ordnances that would restrict murals such as these. I really like this mural. The art work is very nice. It almost has a 3D effect. It is definitely an attention getter and a nice instagramable selfie spot. If you are in the area, this is definitely worthy of a visit. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. Th-Th-The, Th-Th-The, Th-Th... That's all, folks! (sorry, I could not resist)

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