We had yet another terrific experience here. It remains a true gem in a lovely little town. I…read morecontinue to keep a close eye on their show calendar, as I am always looking for a reason to return.

The Astra Theatre is a 357-seat historic theatre located in Jasper, Indiana that first opened in…read more1936 and was operated as a family-owned movie theatre for the next 66 years. Located directly on Main Street, the theatre was reconfigured to become a duplex cinema in the mid-80's. However, surviving in a world of multiplexes ended up being too tough and the Astra was closed in September, 2002. After a few years of interest followed by no action in claiming the Astra, Next Act, Inc. bought the theatre in 2015 and began a move toward restoration with a $400,000 historic preservation grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs followed by a $1.7 million major restoration in 2017-2018 that replaced all major infrastructure (electric to and throughout the building, plumbing, HVAC units and ductwork) while also allowing for the installation of a new accessible restroom on the first floor, an expanded stage, new seating throughout, re-opening the balcony, new sound and lights, a new men's restroom, a renovated women's restroom, a new concessions area, new doors, a refurbished marquee, new doors, refurbished windows, and more. I had heard of the Astra prior to its renovation, however, I'd never visited prior to a recent visit. Thus, I can't speak to the level of improvement other than nothing accessibility improvements are obvious. The Astra Theatre has 269 seats on the main floor and the balcony tends to only be opened when the actual need arises, though for reserved seating events they do make the balcony available. The second floor is not accessible. Accessibility features include an accessible restroom on the main floor, accessible seating toward the front of the theatre, and an accessible platform in the back. It's not perfect, but it's quite good for a historic theatre. The Astra has concessions at all events - Pepsi products along with the usual popcorn, candy, and chips. They do also have beer and wine available for those age 21+. They do accept cash or credit/debit cards. The Astra is not a regular movie theatre at this point, however, they do host movies, special events, comedy, and concerts. On my visit, it was for a movie screening but I've also heard good things about the Astra for other special events. I don't get to the Jasper area as much as I used to, but I'm a fan of historic theatres and am slowly getting myself to as many of Indiana's best theatres as I can. The Astra has operated for the past seven years utilizing volunteers. So, if you're expecting all the creature comforts of a multiplex think again. This is a historic theatre run by the community for the community and utilizing volunteers who are passionate about the space. They are friendly and helpful. If you're going for a special event, there are several hotels in the Jasper area at a variety of price points. The website tends to be updated when a new event is coming up. However, the Astra is also active on social media. I saw a statement on their website describing the Astra as a brand new 80+ year-old theatre and this sounds about right. With significant upgrades, the Astra is comfortable, beautiful, surprisingly accessible, and the kind of Indiana event space you should experience at least once. Southern Indiana is ideal for a day trip. Oh heck, make it a weekend and check out the Astra.

What is a street festival? It's a lot of things but the primary thing is another excuse to give…read moreyour kids something to do so that the adults can drink out in the streets with friends. That's fine as long as they're enjoying themselves. It might not be so bad if this wasn't in the middle of summer with little to no shade. Attend this festival if you live close so that you can eat unhealthy food. If you live an hour or more away, it might be best to pass. My friends wanted to go here after having it suggested by someone they work with. So off we went. We were bored after 30 minutes of walking around and went home. I'm sure some of the music and dancing entertainment is okay but what I heard while we were there wasn't appealing. There are also a fair amount of local churches with booths. There are carnival rides for the children but that's going to cost you... $20 for a wristband to ride an unlimited amount of times. You can buy tickets too but I'm not sure of the price. Who wants individual tickets though? Just spend the $20 and ride the rides until that brat and pretzel comes back up. The only thing we tried while there were the krautballs. They were good but four or five bucks for four balls? They are big balls so you big ball lovers will love them but for that price, you should at least get 6 balls. The other thing we tried was the ice cream shop(Olaf). It's not exactly part of the festival but it's right in the middle of downtown where the festival is. It didn't seem that busy even though it is in the thick of everything. The ice cream we had was good(not great) and the place was a nice retreat from the instant sweat we encountered because of the direct sunlight. I can't believe this festival lasts for a weekend! It would likely be better if it wasn't in the dead of summer. If you've ever wanted to go to Strassenfest, don't break your back to get there.

Jasper has rolled out the red black and yellow carpet to host Stassenfest. German music, food,…read moredancing and beer are part of the fun in downtown Jasper. Plenty of seating on day 1 of the event. Carnival games and rides later in the evening. People very friendly and inviting. No admission fee. Food prices reasonable. Brat on a pretzel roll was $5. Cold water only a buck. Pretzel roll was fabulous fresh and homemade. Best I ever had. Deserts are to die for. Try the apple strudel. Filled with hand cut apples for only $4. $20 wristbands for unlimited carnival rides. Or tickets $1.50 each and rides require 2-4 tickets. The rides have seen better days. Event goes through Sunday.

I am not a big train enthusiast but I do enjoy them some and had a free day here in French Lick so…read moreI decided to ride the rails with my wife and one of my sons. The train had three sitting arrangement to chose from - an open car at the back of the train, a first class car with tables and servers, and the coach car (3 of these) which we chose. The coach cars are very old - which I think made the trip more enjoyable. They were built in the 1920's and you could hear and feel all of their creaks and cracks. The seats can be tilted either direction so you can be looking ahead or behind as you travel. We went on a lovely day with temperatures about 80 degrees so we did not get hit or cold. The windows did open (but they are old so some took a bit of effort to raise) so you could raise them to get a very nice breeze. Basically the train goes out about 45 minutes and then stops. At the stop some days they let you out to walk for a few minutes but not this trip. After we stopped we just went back on the same tracks where we came from. There is not a lot to see on the train's route - mainly woods and some rural homes but it was very nice. Yes, the train is a little bumpy and a little loud at times but heh, it is a historic train, not a modern marvel. They had a small snack bar on the train that sold beer, soft drinks, chips and candy. The employees were all very nice and answered any questions that we had. There in a cute souvenir store in case you want to take home a Shirley, magnet, etc. There was ample parking and they did have a portable lift for people who may need a wheel chair lifted into the one of the cars. There were several kids ages 5-12 and they all seemed to love the trip - especially the tunnel that they had to blast into a hill over a hundred years ago. The tunnel is about 1/2 mile long and definitely gets dark even on the brightest day. I would take this trip again. Price for the coach was $25. I am not sure if the first class or open car prices.

Was a nice trip, I had fun…read more I thought that the staff were very friendly and informative. The train had some air conditioned and some non-air conditioned cars. Some of the windows are colored and old, so hard to see from. If you have a group and want to sit in a seat with a clear window, go a little early to secure yourself one. It is important to note that there are other cars with great seats and clear windows. The cars are old, and while functional, they were not restored to the point which I was expecting. They are a work in progress, and you should be aware that you are riding in history, and your ticket helps the restoration process. They had a little bathroom, I didn't use it, but there was at least one on the train. The snack bar was small, but functional. There was a little bit of a narrative as we rode the rail, I thought that while it was nice, it was not as complete as it could have been. Train folks: you have a real opportunity here to make the trip not just neat, but memorable and awesome. Beef up your history lesson. Tell us about the other cars and locomotives you have, the town, it's history, about the settlers, did Indians run the hills? A good docent makes the difference on a tour and we paid to be part of this ride, what better way to make us feel like we not just spent 1.5 ours on a train, but took a trip through history! The train stopped about half way and you had a chance to stretch your legs, the ice cream shop there in the little town we stopped in was closed and the walk outside the train gave you the opportunity to look at the cars, up close and from a unique perspective. The train travels backwards from here and goes back to the station. The train speed was not real fast, the rocking slow. Nice and relaxing. Kids had a blast. Had fun, would have loved to had learned oodles more on the trip.

Awesome staff, amazing dancers, amazing teacher, just love it here they include everyone and don't…read moreyell at people

This is a must see! My family and I didn't know what to expect and wow was it amazing. We didn't…read morehave much time unfortunately, so we will be back! We live in the Indianapolis area and have been to many historical museums before but I've never been so much variety and history. From the outside it doesn't look very big but it's huge and includes a basement area where most things are setup.

Fantastic and totally unexpected. Allow at least an hour to explore. In addition to the history of…read moreimmigration to the area there is a huge collection of antique farm and manufacturing equipment. Too much to list. Just go see it!

We were in the area for the 4th and decided to stop by. We did a wine and whiskey tasting - and I…read morehad a bloody mary. Honestly, if you like sweet wine and are open to newer tasting whiskeys...it's worth checking out. I am a dry red person, but the bloody Mary was great, the staff was friendly, and the shop was clean and cute. We will be back.

French Lick Winery is a family-owned winery with selections ranging from dry to sweet wines,…read moresparking wine, wine slushes, & homemade fudge. The tasting were reasonably priced, generous pours, wide selections, budget friendly, & adjacent distillery. The family & staff friendly, knowledgeable, lots of fun to interact, & lastly the gift shop.

Take me out to this ballfield anytime! So much fun here, not…read morea bad seat in the stadium. Some seats have backs, they can be reserved online or normal stadium benches. Not a bad seat in the house, go to the game and check out the memorabilia areas, gift shop and the frozen drinks are delicious especially on a hot summer evening. Warning, one side of the ballfield is extra sunny! Shades are required. FUN FUN FUN

If you've ever watched "A League of Their Own" (You have, haven't you?), then you're already…read moreacquainted with the Huntingburg League Stadium, a gem of a baseball stadium located in Southern Indiana's Huntingburg, Indiana. I was an extra in the 1991 film and got to be on-site the 2,783-seat stadium that really only sees action from June-August during the year and plays host to the Ohio Valley League team the Dubois County Bombers along with the local Southridge Raiders (high school team). The stadium also has a gift shop that is open during the June-August period. Columbia Pictures did do some needed upgrades to the stadium when shooting in 1991. In 1995, HBO also filmed "Soul of the Game" at the stadium. I have fond memories of this film shoot. In my 20s, I did a number of extra and small-role type appearances in locally made films and this particular shoot was one of my favorites. Due to the location and the size of the stadium, you were practically guaranteed to have at least a modest encounter with one of the film's celebs. Admission is free to look, though obviously there's a charge for actual games. The stadium encountered some storm damage in 2019. Being a stadium that was originally built in 1894, you definitely have some expected accessibility issues. These weren't addressed during upgrades for obvious reasons (they wouldn't have been period appropriate for the film). However, there are some accessibility considerations and the townsfolk are friendly enough that they'll certainly try to make it work. Huntingburg is a wonderful little town that I highly recommend. It's like an oasis in this part of the state - it's a super friendly town and there's an obvious desire for tourists and visitors. That's definitely not true in some of the surrounding cities (which will remain unnamed). I definitely also recommend trying to catch a DC Bombers game - they always dress vintage and the games have a wonderful spirit to them.

The slushies are definitely the star of the show! Tried…read moreseveral & enjoyable most all of them. The lady serving us was very nice & friendly, as well as knowledgeable about what she was serving. They stay fairly busy, and it's still quiet enough to enjoy conversations with those you came with.

Nice place but the amount of attention paid to the drunk bachelorette party girls overshadowed…read moreanyone else getting served or doing a tasting! The girls were obnoxious, and if I'd own the facility, I would've told them to tone it down!