Potter's Bridge Park

Potter’s Bridge Park, located in Hamilton County Indiana, is a 66 acre park that features  about 6 miles of paved walking paths. The paths run along the White River and the park features the only remaining covered bridge in the county. Along the trail there are benches and seating - roughly every quarter mile - that offer a great spot for a scenic respite or solitary meditation.

We observed that this is one of the better areas to hike on the Northeast side of Indianapolis and is children, cycling, and pet friendly. According to the park’s website there is a canoe launch located within the park as well, but we were out-of-season during our initial visit and made no observation of watersport.

The park didn’t charge admission for entry and there is a parking lot conveniently at both ends of the trail. We started at the trailhead by Potter’s Bridge at which there was both parking and restrooms. The end of the trail connects with Forrest Park which is another great Noblesville facility.

If you are taking pets, please remember to take your “accident bags” with you. There is a bin at the start and end of the trail - typically with bags provided - but only sparsely stationed in between.

Indianapolis Indian’s Game

"Take me out to the ball game,

Take me out with the crowd.

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks,

I don't care if I never get back,

Let me root, root, root for the home team,

If they don't win it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,

At the old ball game."

There is almost no better summer evening activity than the grand old game of baseball - America’s past time. We decided to spend one such summer evening on a work outing at Victory Field in Indianapolis. Baseball is an amazing group activity and on our outing we had a fantastic time. During our visit we cheered the Indians to a 4-3 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens.

Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians, offers a great downtown cityscape. The stadium was first opened to the public in 1996, as a replacement for the old Bush Stadium on West 16th Street. The name “Victory” is meant to demonstrate America as the victors in World War II. The stadium was originally built to seat 15,000.  But the venue has since been renovated to a smaller 12,496 fixed seating capacity with additional space for families to lounge and spread out behind the outfield on a nice grassy knoll.

For parking we recommend the underground lot that services the Indiana State museum as it is only a short walk from the stadium and event parking is roughly $10. Tickets can be purchased either online or at the gate and prices range between $9 and $14. Sitting out in the lawn for larger parties would certainly be more cost effective.  Keep in mind, no matter where you sit, this is a perfect family friendly activity for anyone who enjoys a nice casual night out on the town.

Hendricks County Fair

We decided that we wanted to attend our local county fair this year in addition to the State Fair that we attend annually. We live in Hendrick’s county, so we headed to the Danville Fairgrounds on Friday evening after work. When we arrived we payed our $5 to park in the fairground’s lot, but it seemed to us that there were a few other parking options as well.  

We happened upon a show called the Swifty Swine: Racing Pigs. The show based it’s premise this year on a fun political play on words. George Bush Hogger ended up winning the race but Barrack-0-Ribs Obama came in a close second. It was a short show but hilarious.  

Food.  It is a basic human need, and an absolute must at any county fair. Our list of musts were as follows: corn dog, elephant ear, and grilled Indiana corn on the cob.  A complete meal, don’t you think?

We took the time to go through all the 4-H exhibit halls and take a look at the children’s projects.  It was interesting and sometimes entertaining. Of course on an extremely hot day it was a nice respite and some much appreciated air conditioning.

There was an area sectioned off that contained the standard array of fair rides suited both for children and those seeking a few thrills. Be prepared with cash to purchase tickets for the amusement rides, cards are not accepted.

The only performance group we saw during our visit was the Brownsburg-based clogging troupe known as the Hoedown Express Cloggers. Their show that evening was cut in half due to the extreme heat and the concern for their performers. For us, it was neither a here-nor-there performance. The group was enthusiastic, but dismally unable to perform the routine designed by the gentleman leading the group.  

Walking back to the car, we were feeling pretty good about the evening.  Even though the heat was a major factor, it was a lot of fun and we expect to be heading back to the Hendrick’s county fair again next year.  All we have to decide now, is what is going to be on next year’s food list of musts.

Blueberry Picking at Spencer Farm

Spencer Farm is a local family farm that raises a small selection of berries and other odds-and-ends during the fall months. They are most well known for their strawberries, however they also grow black raspberries, blueberries, and red raspberries. On this particular visit we were there to pick blueberries.

Spencer farm only planted their blueberry bushes six years ago, so as you can imagine they have a lot of maturing to do. However, the plants are now able to produce enough fruit to satisfy those who come to pick.

When you arrive, head inside and pick up your flat to hold your picked berries. Then you can head outside and start picking. There is not much to it, pick what’s ripe and leave what isn’t.  We picked about 3 pounds of blueberries in a short amount of time.

Going as early in the morning as you can will only help you stay cooler and give you free range of where you would like to start picking. You may want to consider bringing a bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated on warmer days.

This is a great family activity. Young children will be able to easily participate since the blueberry bushes are only about 3 feet tall at the moment.  

Once you have left the farm you will have another family activity of deciding all of the wonderful ways you can serve blueberries. From fresh on a bowl of cereal to homemade baked pies, as well as tarts, coffeecake, and muffins; the wonders of this health super food are seemingly endless.  

We managed to select the hottest day of the season thus far to go out and pick, but it ended up being a lot of fun. Blueberries were $2.65 per pound. The staff at Spencer was friendly and once they found out it was our first time to their farm they were more than willing to point us in the correct directions.

Vintage Indiana: A festival of wine, food, and fun

 

As our first festival of the season - and our blog - we felt both very excited about the festival and somewhat apprehensive since we had really no idea what to expect as this would be our first time attending the Vintage Indiana Festival. The festival was all that we had hoped for in many aspects and what we had not planned for was no cause for alarm. We have decided that we would like to make this an annual occasion for ourselves, with a few alterations to our plan.

 
The food selection was meager in comparison to the vast number of wineries present. Perhaps it was just our expectation that the food would be provided as a compliment to the wines of the day. The food options we came across were more inspired by a local fair for purchase than a dancing duo with the festival’s star, wine. We felt that a food style inspired by local dairies (cheeses), local bakers (breads), and Indiana delis (sandwiches), all sampling their products in conjunction with wines would have been more appropriate than pizza and BBQ.

There were dozens of wineries providing samples of the fruit of their vineyards as well as educating each aspiring sommelier. We would recommend picking up a copy of each winery’s wine list and taking notes on the wines sampled and your thoughts. As standard biology would have it, it is more difficult than one would expect to recall the entire experience.

Aside from the various tents for wine tasting, there were a handful of vendors peddling various arts and crafts. A grandstand was constructed and a few local ensembles performed. There was plenty of shade in which to rest and socialize. We attended the festival with a great friend of ours and feel that the experience was stronger for it. Vintage Indiana is definitely a must do for a group of friends that enjoy good wines and good company. In retrospect we should at least have brought a blanket to sit on, but much more preferable would have been some folding chairs.

We arrived at 11am, and as the day only got warmer, we feel earlier was a much better approach when compared to later arrivals. There was a station offering various classes on wine parings, food preparation, and other assorted demonstrations. While you are there be sure to taste Indiana’s signature wine: Traminette.

The festival was a great social and educational experience. We definitely learned a great deal about the wines that were present and also about other festivals and some local Indiana wine trails. Make sure to pick up pamphlets at the information booth to round out your experience.

The price to enter ($25 at the gate, $22 if purchased prior) was definitely worth its value. For the first ten-thousand entrants the admission price includes an etched wine glass to use during sampling. If you are arriving later in the day you may feel the need to bring a wine glass with you just in case.

A great option for those that choose to purchase bottles or cases of wine during the festival have the convenience of letting the festival hold your purchase at a localized tent were you can pick it up at the end of your day near where many people have parked their cars. Of course, you may also take it with you immediately if you and your party want to enjoy the wine at the festival rather than at home.   

Given that the food selection was modest, we recommend that you eat a small base before arriving to help absorb the alcohol consumed during the tastings. And while you are not allowed to bring food or drink into the festival, we recommend that you scout out a vendor selling water and routinely hydrate yourself.

Overall the festival offers great wine, good music, a strong community energy, and an all-in-all wonderful experience.