Summer in Indiana is here and in full swing! Summer provides
plenty of opportunities for people to get outside and enjoy the warm weather.
As a result, this blog entry exclusively contains outdoor activities for Hoosiers
to do this season.
1. Minor League Baseball Games (Fort Wayne and Indianapolis)
A great, cheap activity for summer evenings is either a Fort
Wayne Tincaps game or an Indianapolis Indians game. Both ballparks offer
quality seating for under $20, even going under $10 for outfield seating in the
grass. Even though the ballparks aren’t as grand as MLB ballparks, they are
both kept clean and offer a lot of food and drink options. The Tincaps’ stadium
even boasts “best ballpark experience” for the past 4 years for Stadium Journey magazine’s evaluation of
160 minor league ballparks. Because minor league experiences are more family
friendly, there are plenty of events going on between innings that have
audience participation, such as relay races or drawings. Other times, outside
acts get brought in to perform throughout the game. Another fun plus is how
often the ballparks have themed nights, such as “Star Wars” or “80’s”.
2. Pine Lake Waterpark (Berne)
Pine Lake is the first of several waterparks on this list
that stand out from your average public pool. Pine Lake has waterslides, log
crossings, diving platforms, a kiddie waterpark, and multiple water activities in
the lake itself. If you’d rather just lay out or swim in the lake, there is
plenty of space to do that as well. They do not allow food or drinks to be
brought in, but concessions are available at a reasonable price. The waterpark
is open from 10am-8pm Mon-Sat and Noon-8pm on Sundays until Labor Day. Pricing
is $7 for ages 10 and up, $6 for ages 4-9, and free for those under the age of
4. Be aware that since this is an actual lake, you will have fish swimming
around you at times.
3. Prophetstown State Park Waterpark (Battle Ground)
Another waterpark to make the list is the one that resides
within Prophetstown State Park, which is near Lafayette. It costs $8 for IN
residents to get into the park, plus another $5 to get access to the waterpark.
That said, the waterpark offers a 30-foot tube slide and a body slide, along
with a lazy river, adventure channel, kiddie play area, and an aquatic area to
play water sports. There are concessions available as well. The hours are
11am-7pm daily until Labor Day. The best way to get your money’s worth would be
to go to the state park and camp for the weekend, allowing you to utilize the
park’s hiking trails and spend more time there.
4. Friday Nites Live at Jefferson Pointe (Fort Wayne)
During the months of June-August, the Jefferson Pointe mall
in Fort Wayne offers free concerts on Fridays from 6:30-8:30pm. These concerts
take place in the fountain area in the middle of the outdoor mall and usually
draw quite a crowd. It’s a great venue because you are so close to great places
to eat before or after listening to some good music. Even though summer is half
over, there are still 7 chances to go and enjoy an evening of music, shopping,
and eating.
5. Canoe Country (Danville)
Canoeing, kayaking, and tubing are 3 great summer
activities, and there are many places in Indiana where they can be done. However,
the one I have personal experience with is Canoe Country. Canoe Country allows
you to pick from multiple experiences based on how long you want to be out of
the water/how many miles you want to travel down the White River. It is also
one of the cheapest experiences that you’ll find in Central Indiana. If you’re
interested in a 5-mile trip, you’d pay either $32 for a canoe, $17 for a kayak,
or $12 for a tube. Some of the trips involve you being taken to a drop off point
and returning to Canoe Country, while others start at Canoe Country and go to a
location where they come and pick you up. The hours are Mon-Fri from 8am-6pm,
Sat from 8am-7pm, and Sun from 12:30pm-6pm. Be sure to arrive in time to be
able to take your trip; don’t expect to be allowed to go on a 2 hour trip if
you arrive a 6pm.
6. Splash House (Marion)
Marion’s Splash House offers multiple ways to cool off: a
wave pool, a lazy river, a kiddie playground, two racer slides, and a flush
slide. There are plenty of chairs for sunbathing, and a concession stand that
offers food for decent prices. The hours are 11am-6pm Mon-Sat and 12-6pm Sun
until Labor Day. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children, but there have
been Groupons available for 38% off all summer.
7. Foellinger Outdoor Movie Series (Fort Wayne)
If you’re looking for a great place to enjoy a free movie,
the Foellinger Theatre in Fort Wayne is showing a movie every Thursday at 8pm
during the summer. The movies are family friendly, so the list for the rest of
the summer contains Despicable Me 3, Minions, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory.
8. Festivals (various locations)
Summer is the perfect time to spend an evening at a
carnival, watch a demolition derby, or attend a concert. Indiana has festivals
abound in the summer, ranging from local 4-H fairs to the Indiana State Fair in
August. There are multiple websites that have catalogued all of the summer
festivals here in Indiana, so peruse at your own leisure. Currently, the Three Rivers
Festival in Fort Wayne is going on. This festival contains rummage sales and
flea markets, food trucks, sports tournaments, concerts, a parade, helicopter
rides, a carnival, and Junk Food Alley, which is exactly what it sounds like.
Check their official website for day-by-day schedules.
9. Deep River Waterpark (Merrillville)
This waterpark is easily one of the best in the state. Not
only does it offer the traditional wave pool, lazy river, and water playground,
but it steps up the game with dueling toilet bowl slides, race slides, speed
slides, tube slides, body slides, and more. Being a larger waterpark, it also
offers a lot more as far as concessions are concerned. Unlike other waterparks,
you are allowed to bring in coolers here. The hours are 10am-6pm daily, but
keep in mind that the waterpark is in the Central Time Zone. General admission
is $24 on weekdays and $26 on weekends, though there are many ways to get a
discount. Show an Indiana ID and get $2 off. Show up after 2pm and get $3 off.
Each Tuesday the hours are extended until 9:30pm, and if you show up after 5pm,
the cost is only $15.
10. Hiking (various locations)
Hiking is a great way to enjoy the beauty of a summer day.
The trees keep you relatively shaded from the hot sun, but you’re still able to
get out and see nature at its finest. Summer hiking offers a chance to see
different flowers along the trails and wild raspberries as well. Summer rains make
waterfalls much more impressive as well. Look up what state parks may be near
you and go explore, or better yet, find a nature preserve near you…those don’t
get as much attention and they’re free! Just make sure you bring bug spray and
plenty of water.
11. Farmer’s Markets (various locations)
Summer brings out plenty of farmer’s markets, where people
can come and enjoy different seasonal fruits and vegetables along with
different arts and crafts. Towns small and large hold farmer’s markets, it’s just
finding out when and where the markets are at. However, it’s not unheard of to
think that the larger the city, the better the farmer’s market. Vendors will
typically flock to a place where they are more likely to sell their goods.
Marion, my town, does their Hometown Market on Saturdays from 9am-1pm in front
of the Abbey Coffee Company.
12. Holiday World (Santa Clause)
Holiday World is an amusement park that also contains a
waterpark (Splashin’ Safari). Splashin’ Safari is similar to Deep River
Waterpark as far as what it contains: a wave pool, lazy river, tube slides,
body slides, a kiddie playpark, race slides, a toilet bowl slide, and regular
swimming areas. However, it also has a water coaster. The amusement park side
has multiple roller coasters to thrill you and dry you off from your time at
the waterpark. The hours are Sun-Fri 11am-7pm and Sat 11am-8pm, though those
hours change in August as school starts and the summer seasons begins to wind
down. Like Deep River Waterpark, Holiday World is in the Central Time Zone. Admission
to Holiday World is $49 on weekends and $43 on weekdays. While that price is decently
high, included in that price is unlimited soft drinks, free access to
sunscreen, and free Wi-Fi.
13. Shipshewana Flea Market (Shipshewana)
This flea market is the largest flea market in the Midwest!
It boasts stall after stall of crafts, food, plants, antiques, home décor, and
all other sorts of interesting items for sale. There are over 900 booths at
this market and offers a planning packet to prepare people for their trip.
There are also 6 different food courts! The market is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
from 8am-5pm through September. Admission is free, but it does cost $3 to park
on the grounds. Fair warning: even though there is a large variety of items
being offered here, there is also quite a bit of repetition…don’t be surprised
if there are multiple vendors selling the same things.
14. Mini Golf (various locations)
Mini golf is a great way to offer fun competition amongst
friends and family. Summer nights are the perfect time to go out and play 9 or
18 holes of mini golf. Make it a contest that has the losers buy the winner ice
cream afterwards and you’ll be all set!
15. Blueberry Picking (various locations)
The season of summer is when blueberry season occurs, and
there are plenty of blueberry patches throughout Indiana. Sure, you can go and
buy blueberries from a store, but you’re paying a lot extra for those. Plus, blueberries
are better enjoyed when you are the one who picked them. Blueberry season is
currently happening, so look online to see where there is a patch near you! I
personally like going to The Blueberry Patch in Etna Green. I have never had
any issues there and it is one of the closer places to Marion for picking. It’s
$1.90 per pound to pick them yourself. Wherever you end up picking, make sure
to bring cash; not all patches accept credit cards.
