We are planning to come to IN for a weekend and wondered about the best place to go. We would probably go early November.
We thought either stay at Clifty Inn and do some hiking and visit the town of Madison or
Visit Parke County and see all the covered bridges or
Visit Brown county and see the shops and park there.
Any suggestions or tips are where to go, where to stay, what to see, where to eat, etc?
Where to go:Madison, Brown, or Parke County for weekend?
They are three great places, and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;d have a nice time whichever one you%26#39;d choose. It kind of depends on what you%26#39;re in the mood to do.
Parke County in a farming area. It%26#39;s a beautiful place in the fall, and I would love to visit their Maple Festival in the late winter/early spring. Usually the prettiest leaves are off the trees by early November, but this year the foliage is way off, so I have no idea what it will be like the first weekend of November.
www.coveredbridges.com
The small town of Nashville, Indiana in Brown County is surrounded by wooded hills and reminds me a lot of small towns in the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee. It is extremely popular in the fall, but I would think that by early November it wouldn%26#39;t be as crowded, and there is plenty to do besides looking at leaves. In addition to the art galleries, wineries and shops, there%26#39;s the Little Nashville Opry which hosts performers like Josh Turner, Randy Travis, and George Jones. There is also the music park and hall of fame started by Bill Monroe, the ';Father of Bluegrass Music.'; If you want something truly unusual, you can even tour a sock factory!
http://www.browncounty.com/
http://www.thelittlenashvilleopry.com/
Madison is a small historic river town. Visit mansions, shop for antiques, buy gourmet candies and watch boats go by on the river. Clifty Falls is also lovely.
http://www.visitmadison.org/
Because the first weekend in November can be gray, rainy, and frequently cold, I would pick someplace that has a lot of indoor activities that appeal to you just in case.
If I were you, I%26#39;d choose Brown County for this trip for a couple of reasons. First, I%26#39;d save a trip to see the covered bridges for a prettier time of year. They look beautiful against green or gold leaves, but aren%26#39;t as stunning against grayish brown. Second, since you%26#39;d like to hike and see the falls near Madison, I%26#39;d go at a time when there hasn%26#39;t been such a terrible drought. We made that mistake on my very first visit. We hiked five hours to the falls, only to disover that 1) the lady who gave us the information failed to mention the parking lot and stairwell next to the falls and 2) the falls were about 1/3 the size they usually were since there hadn%26#39;t been much rain. Finally, Brown County has a cozy feel that%26#39;s appealing to me even on a dreary day. If it happens to be a gorgeous day, it%26#39;s also a beautiful place to hike.
Whatever you choose, I hope you have a wonderful time in Indiana!
Lily
Where to go:Madison, Brown, or Parke County for weekend?
I didn%26#39;t even think about the waterfalls not being as nice because of the lack of rain! Thanks for pointing that out.
For a wonderful Brown County (Nashville) Indiana getaway this is a beautiful new privately owned luxury log cabin rental just a few miles from Nashville and Bloomington. It has everything.........Private, secluded, Hot Tub, 2 story stone fireplace, Master Suite w/ fireplace and Jacuzzi, Pool Table etc...too many things to mention but it is really a gorgeous place in a great location for any time of the year. It%26#39;s really neat there in the winter when it%26#39;s covered in snow while yoiu are enjoying a bottle of wine by the fire or in the hot tub! Or laying in bed watching the fire in the Master Suite! Ahhhhh!!
website is www.adventurewoodlogcabin.com
You%26#39;re welcome! Even though the falls won%26#39;t be as impressive as they usually are, I didn%26#39;t mean to imply that Madison wasn%26#39;t worth visiting. My brother and sister-in-law recently got back from there and they were really impressed with the things they%26#39;ve done to the town in the last few years. They happened to stop on the way back from a short vacation in Tennessee and told me they wished they%26#39;d spent their whole time there!
I checked Mapquest to see where Belleville is, and I noticed they said that the best route to Brown County is on I-70. That actually passes very close to Parke County, so you could very easily make a side trip to Parke County and see some covered bridges on your way to Brown County if you decide to go there.
Have a great trip wherever you decide to go!
Lily
If you travel after Thanksgiving, starting with that weekend, they start all their Christmas celebrations then. Since a lot of the shops close after Christmas you can get some good bargains between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
My friends and I go every fall for a week and have mostly rented from Hill%26#39;s of Brown for the past 12 years, but we have been going there as a girlfriend%26#39;s getaway for the past 20 years. It%26#39;s only 2 hrs. from home in case something happens back in Cincy with our families, which has occured more than once, which is why we always take 2 vehicles!!! That way not all 3 of us have to leave and whoever has to go back home can come back when they can.
Where to eat?? Nashville House, Hobnob Corner, The Ordinary, Hotel Nashville, Brown County Inn (buffet type), there is a good Mexican place (Maldonado%26#39;s) and a new small place on rt.46 before you get into town.
If you pick Nashville have a good time and rent a place that has a fireplace!!!
Hi Want2travel!
All the posts are great. Our trees are just starting to turn. One or two leave per tree. It all depends on whether the temps start to drop.
Madison is beautiful. We visit in the spring, before it gets to hot and then they have a huge art festival in late September. December is nice for their Holiday home tour.
The post that suggested a side trip to Parke County would work better for you. Once the Covered bridge festival is over (going on right now) you would just be doing alot of driving.
Nashville is perfect for October, November and December. There is a covered bridge in Bean Blossom that you can drive across and another one (double wide) at the entrace to Brown County State Park.
Lodging in Franklin is convenient and cheaper than Nashville. The bed and breakfast is call Ashley-Drake Historic Inn and Gardens. Franklin is conveniently located 25 miles north of Nashville, 13 miles north of Edinburgh Outlet Mall and Exit 76 Antique Mall, 12 miles south of Greenwood Park Mall and 20 miles south of downtown Indianapolis. Franklin also features several antique and specialty stores, tea room, coffee house, fine dining and our Historic Artcraft Theater. November movies are Nov.3 Babe(1995), Nov 9-10 The Great Escape (1963), Nov 16-17 Superman (1978) and for the towns holiday festival Nov 30-Dec 1 A Christmas Story (1983).
Franklin also has the regular city features of an 8 cinema, Bowling, roller skating, fast food restaurants and big box stores.
The b%26amp;b web site is www.AshleyDrakeInn.com
The theater site is www.HistoricArtcraftTheatre.org
Hope you have a great trip, which ever you choose.
Kim
My daughters go to college in Hanover near Madison. When we were down there about a month ago , we were told that there was little or no water going over the falls in Clifty park. We have finally gotten some much needed rain since then so things might have changed. One good thing about Madison is we took a small airplane tour of the town. It was $12 a person for a 15 minute ride and the sights were awesome. I highly recommend it if you are in the area and they are still offering it at the airport.
There is another nice destination in Indiana . . . Centerville in eastern Indiana. If you like small historic villages with antiquing, artisan shops, cozy B %26amp; Bs and good eats, Centerville is the place. It is located just off I-70. At the exit is Warm Glow Candle Outlet. This place is a destination in itself! Over 11,000 square feet of candles and accessories. Outside the 30%26#39; illuminated cande facade is beautiful at night.
Centerville has historic architecture you won%26#39;t find anywhere else in Indiana. . . 1830 rowhouses with brick archways. The archways allowed property owners access to the back of their residence. Many of the rowhouses with archways have side porches. Just beautiful!
The Palais Royal restaurant is a great place to eat. It is located in a historic home. Their menu changes daily. They offer steak, fresh seafood, pasta, chicken specialities and more! Their desserts are to die for! Outdoor seating too.
Centerville is a great weekend destination! Check it out at :
www.visitrichmond.org
www.lantzhouseinn.com
www.centervillein.com
Centerville is very nice. I go there to spend an afternoon several times a year, and I often recommend it to people who want to get of the interstate and enjoy a nice little town on historic National Road. It is very small, however, and unless you like to spend even more time in antique stores than I do, I%26#39;m not sure that there would be enough to keep you busy for the entire weekend, esp. for a 10+ hour roundtrip drive. Since you like hiking, it is a relatively short drive from the northern end of Brookville Res. and Whitewater Memorial State Park. Metamora is an old canal town at the southern end of the 16 mile reservoir that has a lot of little shops and a train that you can ride (very slooowly) to a nearby town. A little bit closer to Centerville in the opposite direction is historic Farmland. There%26#39;s a general store, a really nice coffee shop, as well as stores in a converted grain elevator. The downtown is open despite quite a bit of road construction in the area. (There are a few other quaint towns in the area that I can%26#39;t remember the names of right now.)
If you enjoy exploring a lot of cute little historic towns, then definitely head over to the eastern part of Indiana. You%26#39;ll do a bit of driving in between towns, but most of it is through rolling farmland or tree covered hills, so it%26#39;s enjoyable.
If you%26#39;re in the mood to do more hiking, while there is some nice hiking in Whitewater Memorial State Park, I think there is a more extensive trail system in Brown County and near Clifty Falls.
Websites for a trip to Eastern Indiana:
http://www.metamoraindiana.com/
http://farmlandindiana.org/
http://www.roamrandolph.org/
in.gov/dnr/…park_whitewater.html
in.gov/dnr/…res_brookville.html
http://www.kentsharbor.com/
http://www.franklincountyin.com/
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