IN the Parks

Come discover what may truly be Indiana State Park's hidden gem: Trine State Recreation Area. The beautiful property is just minutes away from Pokagon State Park, and we have a woman named Helen Swenson to thank for the personality and style at each park. Helen's hand-drawn maps of each property still exist. Her attention to detail and intention in every design choice reflect a deep love for nature, color, and purpose.Today, Trine is still an oasis for people who love fishing, bird watching, quiet mornings, and scenic trails.If you want to see some of Helen Swenson’s art and read more about her, visit the ACRES Land Trust website.Podcast Listening Feedback Needed! Want to give input on your favorite park, what topics you want to hear about on the podcast, and more? I’d love it if you could take my listener survey Open through July. Check out the IN the Parks website and follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast!Interviews edited for length and clarity. Any mistakes are my own.

Let’s go for a ride or walk along the Monon South, stopping in 6 small towns along the trail. We’ll get breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, and plenty of activity along the way! And best of all, you’ll be close to several state parks, so consider adding in these communities to your visit to Spring Mill State Park, Deam Lake, or Patoka Lake!Below are events or places I visited and recommended. There are even more restaurants and shops mentioned in the episode!Borden: -Broken Town Granola-Norma Jean’s Ice Cream (didn’t eat anything but stopped by)Pekin:-4th of July Festival-Silver Fox CafeSalem-John Hay Center-The Depot Railroad Museum-Born Boutique-El Maguey (didn’t eat here but wanted to!)-H&R BakeryCampbellsburg: -Cave River Valley (didn’t make it but looks awesome!)Orleans:-dogwood festival-El CompadreMitchell:-Mitchell Opera House-Gus Grissom’s boyhood home (did a drive-by)-Main Street Raceway Slot Car Racing-Spring Mill State ParkIf you want to learn more about the Monon South, here's trail info and check out Magnificent Monon South and Discover Southern Indiana to find even more fun activities in this part of the state!Podcast Listening Feedback Needed! Want to give input on your favorite park, what topics you want to hear about on the podcast, and more? I’d love if you could take my listener survey Open through June.Check out the IN the Parks website and follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast! Edited for length and clarity. Any mistakes are my own.

Indiana Dunes State Park is our most visited park and has been loved for over a hundred years! But do you even know what a dune is? Or why they're important? Or the people we have to thank for the park's creation? What about the shipwreck offshore? And how many birds migrate along Lake Michigan every year? You're about to discover there's a lot more that makes the dunes special than you know!If you’re interested in attending the Indiana Birding Festival, be sure to follow Indiana Audubon.The Indiana Dunes tourism site is where you can find that great app, learn about all the events in the area, and check out the 3 Dune Challenge map.Support the Friends of Indiana Dunes by becoming a member, even if you don’t live nearby.Podcast Listening Feedback Needed! Want to give input on your favorite park, what topics you want to hear about on the podcast, and more? I’d love if you could take my listener survey, open through June.Check out the IN the Parks website and follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast!Interviews are edited for length and clarity. Any mistakes are my own.

It's my 50th episode! Hooray! To celebrate, we're hearing from Brandt Baughman, the Indiana State Parks Director. Brandt grew up going to Spring Mill and spent time working there, at Ouabache, and at Indiana Dunes before moving into management roles. After 36 years, he's now the director of all Indiana's state parks.I loved learning about his deep family connections to Spring Mill, what he's excited about next for parks, and what his favorite things are. (Is Brandt on Team Cave or Team Fire Tower? And what animal would he still love to see in Indiana?)This interview has been edited less than my typical episodes, but has still been edited for clarity. We also talked a while about the Indiana state fair, but I did not include that here as it didn’t fit within the larger flow of the episode. However, I learned the theme is baseball and the DNR building will still be a fun spot for families and park lovers!Podcast Listener Feedback Wanted! I'd love to hear from YOU! What's your favorite state park? What topics & places do you want to hear about next? How can I make the pod better? Let me know!Check out the IN the Parks website and follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast!Any mistakes are my own.

Starve Hollow State Recreation Area is an intimate, beautiful property where it's nearly impossible to take a bad picture! The lake perfectly reflects the trees and rolling knobstone escarpments. The lakefront camp sites are highly sought after, and the trails and access to neighboring Jackson-Washington State Forest offer exciting challenges for hikers. What's really special about this park and surrounding properties is that it's the mother to the state. At first, the property was used as a tree nursery and hatchery, supplying seedlings and fish to forest, ponds, and properties across the state. DNR still provides these essential services to the state, just down the road from the recreation area. Starve Hollow is still home to several tree plantations that provide seeds for the nursery, which you can visit any time. If you want to learn more about the Vallonia Nursery or the Jasper-Pulaski Nursery, visit the DNR’s forestry site. Check out the IN the Parks website and follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast!Any mistakes are my own.

Come with me to Tippecanoe River State Park where there is so much to discover! Hear about the history, fire tower, diverse ecosystems, wildlife, camping, generous community, and activities at this beautiful park.I learned about the Works Progress Administration (later renamed Works Projects Administration) on several sites: Britannica, PBS, the state of North Dakota, Indiana DNR.Go for a ride or run on the Panhandle Pathway.Learn more about black oak savannas and their importance from the National Park Service. Watch this video of a glass lizard! They’re really cool! If you want to help out with the Friends of Tippecanoe River State Park and stay up to date with events and the WPA cabin project, be sure to follow them on Facebook. Check out the website and follow on Instagram and Facebook. Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast! Be sure to join the thousands of Hoosiers keeping up with the latest and greatest happenings at GetIndiana.com.Any mistakes are my own.

Shakamak State Park is a park for campers: group camps, cabins, campgrounds, primitive camping, and even deluxe duplex cabins! You'll hear from some of the park's camp hosts (who are also Friends group volunteers) about how they developed a community in the campground and created their family by choice!Check out the Friends of Shakamak site to save the date for Christmas in July and the October Halloween weekend!Plus, discover what Olympic trials event was held here and learn more about the Civilian Conservation Corps.Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast! Be sure to join the thousands of Hoosiers keeping up with the latest and greatest happenings at GetIndiana.com.Any mistakes are my own.

Redbird Off-Road State Recreation Area in Dugger, IN, is another epic spot for driving, riding, and hiking! This park provided me with a chance to be a little braver than I wanted to be, but was I ready to take advantage of it? If you visit Redbird to ride, don’t forget the park fees are a little different. You’ll need to pay a different (but still small) fee if you plan to take a motorized vehicle on the trails. Check the park’s website to learn more.The dates for this season’s night rides are April 18 for the Spring Night Ride, July 25 for Trails for Tikes Night Ride, and October 24 for Hall-O-Wheelin.Check out the website and follow on Instagram and Facebook to see pictures from Redbird. Buy IN the Parks stickers and support the podcast!Any mistakes are my own.