Winter in Indiana is truly unpredictable. You can have
subzero temperatures one week, temperatures in the 50’s the next week, and then
snow and ice the week after that. When winter is truly winter, however, people
tend to shut themselves indoors to keep from going out in the cold, snowy
weather. Unfortunately, that keeps people from going out and enjoying the many
possibilities that are available to them during this time of year. This entry
gives a list of 10 different places/activities that help make winter more
bearable.
1.
Botanical Gardens (Fort Wayne and Indianapolis)
In the warmer months, people tend
to gravitate outside to enjoy nature. However, the harsh chill of winter kills
off a lot of plant life and takes the color away from the outdoors. Going to a
botanical garden or conservatory gives you a chance to still surround yourself
with warmth and lush growth. Fort Wayne’s Foellinger-Freimann Botanical
Conservatory is a real treat. It has three indoor gardens that have different
displays throughout the year, with a Christmas display being a huge hit around
the holiday season. According to their website, they have over 1,200 plants and
72 different types of cacti in the 25,000 square foot building. It’s a cheap
way to spend an hour or two, with the entry fee being only $5 per person. The
Garfield Park Conservatory in Indianapolis boasts a $2 entry fee, which may be
lower because the conservatory is smaller than the one in Fort Wayne (this one
is 10,000 square feet). What is cool about Garfield Park is that it also has an
outdoor sunken garden that is supposed to be beautiful in warmer months.
2.
Toboggan Run at Pokagon State Park (Angola)
This is one that I have been eager
to try out since I discovered its existence a couple years ago, but I have yet
to actually go and do it. Pokagon State Park is a fun park to go to and hike,
but during the winter months they open up their two-lane toboggan run. You
start at the top of a 30 foot tower, then slide down through dips and valleys
for another quarter mile before coming to a stop. Each run takes anywhere from
20-30 seconds, with the record speed being 42 miles per hour. The hours are:
Friday: 5:30-9 p.m., Saturday: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. As
far as cost goes, it is $7 per vehicle to enter the park, and then each
toboggan (which fits up to 4 people) costs $13 per hour to rent. You can go as
many times as you can in that time, but this requires walking back to the tower
from the end of the ride and waiting in line. It closes for the winter on
February 25.
3.
Hyde Brothers Bookstore (Fort Wayne)
If you aren’t a fan of reading
books, go ahead and skip to #4. If you enjoy reading, you’re in for a treat
here. This used bookstores boasts over 150,000 titles and is literally floor to
ceiling with books. If you’re like me, you enjoy organization, especially when
shopping. Many used bookstores have issues with not being well organized, but
Hyde Bros is extremely well marked as you go through the store. Books fill up
the entire basement of the building as well. It’s easy to spend an hour here
(if not more) wandering around and looking at titles. What’s even better is
that there are a couple cats wandering around the store as well, so if you need
a break from perusing the shelves you could always stop and give them some
attention. This bookstore gets glowing reviews from people, and once you go and
visit, it’s pretty clear to see why.
4.
Paoli Peaks (Paoli)
If you’re wondering where to go to
get a great snowboarding/skiing experience in Indiana, look no further than
Paoli Peaks. Many people online rave about Paoli Peaks, and I can tell just by
looking into it that it is an incredible place. The main lodge houses rentals,
a pro shop, an area for lessons, a restaurant and bar, and a first aid station,
while the land itself has 15 trails (with 8 chair lifts) of various
difficulties. Depending on which day of the week you go and if you go all day
or part of the day (they are even open til 3am on Saturdays!), the cost can
range from $30-$42, not including rentals. If skiing and snowboarding isn’t
really your thing, no worries! Paoli Peaks also has a tubing area! The Artic
Blast tubing area has 10 tubing lanes that each go 700 feet, with a carpet lift
bringing you back to the top of the hill. Like with the skiing, the cost is going
to depend on if you go on a weekday or weekend and how much time you plan on
spending there. The cost ranges anywhere from $25-50 for tubing.
5.
Dave and Busters (Indianapolis)
This is another indoor venue that
may not cater to everyone, but Dave and Busters locations always tend to be
busy when I go by them. Essentially, it’s a giant arcade AKA a grown up version
of Chuck E. Cheese. There is a full service restaurant/bar there as well, but I
tend not to go to places like this for the food. This chain uses the
“credit-card” system for playing the games, where you have a certain monetary
amount loaded onto the card, then slide it for each game you want to play. Like
a typical arcade, D&B has games that will give you tickets for prizes,
though not all of them do. I know this
isn’t necessarily a place that is exclusive to winter, but I’d rather spend a
couple hours indoors playing arcade games in the winter compared to when it’s
nice out during the other seasons.
6.
Christmas Light Shows (various locations)
While the holiday season has come
and gone for the year, you can’t help but give credit to the many different
places that go all out with Christmas lights. Yeah, you have cities like Fort
Wayne and Indianapolis that have multiple locations (downtown and zoos) that
have incredible light displays, but you have to give smaller cities credit as
well. There is something so magical about strolling through the snow,
surrounded by thousands of colorful lights, sipping a cup of hot chocolate or
apple cider. Kokomo puts on a great show in Highland Park, and the northern
Indy suburbs of Noblesville and Fishers put on great displays too.
Specifically, check out Reynolds Farm Equipment Christmas Lights Show, right
off of Ind. 37. Marion, the town I live in, puts on the Walkway of Lights for
about a month each year. What is fun about this light show is that you can walk
through it or drive through it. It costs $5 for a car to go through, but then
afterward you can take that car back through as many times as you want to
throughout the rest of the season. It’s
free for those walking through.
7.
Veal’s Ice Tree (Indianapolis)
This marvel is truly a sight to
behold. Just before winter begins each year, a frame is built, then lumber and
brush are added to it. The “tree” is then sprayed with hoses and food coloring
and usually gets around 35-40 feet in height (though it got to 80 feet in 2014).
This tradition started all the way back in 1961 and has been going strong ever
since. If you’re in the Indy area, definitely go check this out! It’s one of
the most unique sights you’ll ever see!
8.
Christkindlmarkts (Ferdinand and Carmel)
Here is one item that is
unfortunately no long available this winter season, but should be a staple once
December arrives. Many towns throughout Indiana have markets selling Christmas
wares and decorations, with impressive light displays and good food to go along
with that. I find that Christkindlmarkts especially seem to have the bright,
cheery feeling that comes with the holiday season. I have not been to the one
in Ferdinand, but I do know that it usually contains over 200 booths that sell anything
from ornaments to fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. The Christkindlmarkt in
Carmel was a new event this past holiday season, and while it had its usual “new
event issues”, overall reviews were positive. Throwing an event like this for
the first time lets you learn on the fly what works and what doesn’t, so I feel
that next year will improve greatly on what already was a pretty fun time. This
market is outdoors and features small houses selling food and crafts. There is
also a sort of band shell where
different performers play throughout the several weeks the market is open. You
are even able to ice skate here, as there is a rink in the middle of the area.
9.
Hiking (various locations)
I’m a strong hiking advocate, even
in colder months. Too often people cross hiking off their list of things to do
in the winter because they don’t like the idea of being outside for long
periods of time. While I can understand not wanting to freeze your buns off,
there are also solutions to this issue. For one, there are some nature
preserves in Indiana that would be quite scenic in winter, and many preserves contain
2 miles or less of trails total! Also, many state parks have short trails that
are very accessible in winter, like Fort Harrison State Park or Ouabache State
Park. (a list of great hiking spots is coming once temperatures warm up a bit)
I’m telling you, if you’ve never seen a frozen waterfall in person, you’re
missing out.
10.
Ice Skating (various locations)
What’s winter without ice skating?
It’s a recreational activity that is almost exclusive to winter, so how can I
not list it? There are both indoor and outdoor places to ice skate, so the
first step is deciding which of those you’d be more up to doing. If it isn’t
bitterly cold, I’d suggest outdoor ice skating to get the true experience. In
Fort Wayne, Headwaters Park is the place to go for outdoor skating, while
SportOne Icehouse allows for indoor skating at certain times. If you’re closer
to Indy, there are rinks in Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Avon, and in
Indy itself. There are too many to list, but it’s an easy enough Google search.
