6 Trip Ideas for Outdoorsy Types in Indiana

Adventure gets your blood pumping. You never head out on a holiday without hiking boots in your suitcase. Communing with nature is your second nature. Lakes, farms, parks—these are your hot spots.

PLAN A SWEET GETAWAY

Take a tour of Hunter’s Honey Farm. Kids can roll beeswax candles and bottle their own bears full of honey, and older visitors can suit up and work alongside the beekeepers. Once you’ve seen how the honey is made, shop for stuff made with it in the farm store: dog treats, hand soap, furniture polish and more.

PHOTO OP!

If you visit one state park in Indiana, make it Pokagon State Park. There’s cross- country skiing, sledding and ice fishing, but the real joy is in zipping down the quarter-mile toboggan run at up to 40 mph.

PICK A HOOSIER BOUQUET

Fragrant Farms cultivates 24 acres of Indiana’s state  flower, the peony. Visit in May and early June to buy fresh-cut stems (or just stroll through the blooming gardens), or stop by in autumn for plants of your own.

MEET THE MAKERS

Noble County’s Farm to Fork Trail celebrates local farms, such as Cook’s Bison Ranch, and a maple sugar shack. One aromatic favourite is family-owned farm Lavender Lane.

TAKE A WALK IN THE WOODS

The Hoosier National Forest spans more than 200,000 acres, and is more than 12 times the size of Indiana’s largest state park. Explore more than 266 miles of trails through southern Indiana’s rolling hills, or canoe down one of the region’s scenic rivers.

SPEND THE NIGHT CLOSE TO NATURE

Tucked away in a quiet valley, the Mary Rose Herb Farm & Retreat offers unique accommodations: two canvas yurts complete with air conditioning and antique furniture. The nights are perfect for stargazing, and each morning starts with a basket of hot breakfast delivered to your door.

GO BEYOND CAMPUS

The home of Indiana University, Bloomington is a haven for cyclists, who pedal through the downtown streets or brave the hills at Wapehani Mountain Bike Park. If you’re more into boating, try renting a canoe at Griffy Lake Nature Preserve or spending a day on a pontoon at Lake Monroe.

Find out more about Indiana