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7/21/2011

What Should I See in Illinois and Indiana


So, I have been asking for suggestions on places to stop on our road trip over on Facebook, but thought I would add a post here too!  We will be driving through Illinois and Indiana on our way to Columbus, Ohio.  We won't have a ton of time, but would I would love to know your favorite must see spots, including places for us to stop and grab lunch or dinner.

We can venture out of the way a bit, but mostly we will be around Interstate 74 until Indianapolis and then Interstate 70 until we hit Columbus.

Any suggestions?

23 comments:

The Vintage Farmhouse said...

Zionsville, IN. Cute small town, brick road with tons of antique shops and art shops in town. Traders Point Creamery voted the best in Indiana! A wonderful place to stop!!!

corrin said...

I lived in downtown Indy for several years and love the city. Mass Ave and Broad Ripple both have great shops and restaurants for a little pit stop and leg stretching.

Jenette said...

Downtown Indy is fun! We like to walk along the canal. The monument in the center of town is neat to see, you can go up the elevator for $1. A few blocks from there is a free museum about the different wars in the US. I can't think of the name of it. But it's about 2 blocks north of the monument. They have flags from the civil war times and all kinds of neat things.

Amber Page Writes said...

The Children's Museum in Indy is supposed to be one of the nation's best. About an hour out of your way is Brown County - adorable artist colony town, lots of state parks and beautiful country.

annalea said...

we live right off of 74 in champaign, il. central illinois has some very cool spots. off the top of my head, i recommend checking out allerton park in monticello if you have time for an excursion.
also, there are some excellent eateries in champaign-urbana. if you end up stopping, i can give you some specific ideas. :)

Tammy @ Type A said...

Springfield IL is great, birthplace of Lincoln, capital all that jazz!

http://www.alplm.org/visit/home.html

Tammy @ Type A said...

http://visit-springfieldillinois.com/

Katie said...

I live in IL and have NO idea where I-74 even is, but to the best of my knowledge, there isn't anything past like, Joliet. We're actually thinking of letting that part of the state go as it's not really living up to it's potential, and this is a recession you know. Gotta earn your keep. We just drove to/from Texas, and the five and half hour drive through Illinois was the most boring five and half hours of my life. Seriously.

Kathie said...

Tammy is mistaken...I live in East Peoria, IL and use 74 all the time, it doesn't go near Springfield. That's 72 which does connect to 74, but I don't know if you're going that way.

http://geology.com/cities-map/illinois.shtml

Anyway, not much exciting to see around the Peoria area, I'm afraid. I would skip it (I've lived here all my life.) Head for Champaign area.

kwhite118 said...

Grew up in Richmond, IN (I-70 on the border of Ohio). Not a ton to see or do, but if you like antiquing, there is a huge outlet (Webb's, in Centerville, off I-70). And I always have to eat a Frisch's Big Boy and Pizza King pizza when I go back to visit!

Katrina said...

If you go near to South Bend/ Notre Dame area you should go see "Touchdown Jesus" & go to the South Bend Chocolate Cafe downtown South Bend.
link to my staycation: http://babicmama.blogspot.com/2011/05/staycation-michiana.html

Also, I am from Ohio originally, should you go through Celina, make sure you see Grand Lake St. Mary's {largest man made lake in the country} BUT don't make a special trip to see it, it's nice BUT not that special ;)

Katrina said...

I almost forgot! If you go through Ft. Wayne, IN.. stop at the Glenbrook mall, they have a wonderful double decker carousel.
In St. Joesph, MI which isn't but 20 min from South Bend area, they too have an amazing vintage carousel they rebuilt, and across the street the BEST & largest free sprinkler I have ever seen :)
Have a fun & safe trip!

Lora @ my blessed life said...

If you do make a stop in downtown Indy, it's a lot of fun! My hubby and I spent a weekend there last year and loved it. A wonderful foodie treasure there is Yats cajun food. A-MA-ZING!! And of course since you'll be in the region, you must have Cincinnati chili at Skyline's and definitely a Big Boy at Frisch's:)

Yeah, I like to plan my trips around food...haha

Cupe said...

If you stop in Champaign/Urbana IL and want awesome pizza go to Papa Del's. We drive to Michigan twice a year and stop on the way there and the way back each time! It is really yummy!

Tesseraemum said...

Ok, if your heading to Columbus you may not need suggestions BUT! You have to go to the Col. Zoo. Blows the others away and they have polar bears now! Also there is a new splash park downtown that I am told is a must do. Wait, are kids involved?! In Dublin there are ALOT of super parks with many photo ops. Field of Corn..field of 6 ft ears of concrete corn..Cool giant indian head sculpture..other art in the park stuff. If you wind up in Dublin one day let me know, I would be happy to meet you at Jeni's ice cream (featured on food network) or chatelaine (nice french bakery/restaurant)! Just let me know :-) Sheri
msiowatson@yahoo.com

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

I haven't lived in Illinois very long to tell you great destinations, but I can tell you some of my favorite fast food restaurants here. If you see a Culver's or a Steak and Shake, I highly reccomend them for yumminess! :)

Connie @ Salvage Savvy said...

I live near Indy and the two places I would DEFINATELY recommend are the Children's Museum (it's one of the best anywhere!) and the Indianapolis Museum of Art (they are about 10 minutes away from eachother). The museum is great, but the gardens are AMAZING!! You can literally spend the entire day in the gardens and not see everything. You will love, love, love them!! In fact, I took the family therefor a picnic the other day- I have a photo of just one little section on my blog (the most recent post)... check it out if you want to see how beautiful it is!! Have fun :)

Wani said...

I definitely recommend the Children's Museum! Its the best! The Indianapolis Zoo is also a good option. The Indianapolis Museum of Art is pretty cool and it has beautiful gardens surrounding the museum.

Jessi and Jared said...

Once you're in Columbus you need to go see Old Dublin and go to Jeni's Icecream. Best icecream I've had in a while!

Jessica K. Barrett said...

I have lived in Indy all of my life. All the suggestions above are great. The Children's Museum is really the best I've ever been to. The IMA (art museum) is fantastic. Brown County (Nashville) requires a whole day really. It has the best arts/crafty shopping around though. A great place to shop if you only have a few hours is Broad Ripple. My favorite place to eat is Cafe Patachou-several locations around town, but my favorite is 49th and Penn. Check out their website. I recommend one of the omelets or the chicken salad..it's the best! Indy is great!!

Thimbleanna said...

You should definitely go to the children's museum in Indy: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/

I had to chuckle at the comment about the carousel in Fort Wayne. I'm in FW and I avoid the mall like the plague -- that comment made me see the mall in a new light LOL!

Unknown said...

I grew up in the Indianapolis area and miss it dearly. The Children's Museum is a must see. Family Fun magazine (a Disney Company) actually rated it higher than Disneyland. It's amazing!

But only if you have a day to spend. Brown county is great (my mom grew up there so we spent a lot of time there) but it's very touristy and not much for kids to do outside of poking their heads in shops downtown.

Downtown Indy has a new canal that you can paddle boat on I think. That would be worth a quick trip as well as the monument downtown. It's beautiful and cheap.

My hubby and I both went to Purdue. The campus is beautiful and worth a visit.

And I totally echo the need to stop at Steak and Shake. Get cheese fries and a milkshake.

Enjoy your trip.

Rachel
http://www.holy-craft.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Oh, Conner Prairie is also a cool place to visit. Sort of a mini Williamsburg.