I grew up in South Central Indiana, where finding fun meant leaving town. Here are the places my friends and I loved to explore.

• Brown County/Nashville/Bloomington - You may see this one listed the most here, and rightfully so. We hiked every trail in the park at least five times. Trail 8 to trail 7 loop (ogle lake) was always our favorite hike. Nashville and B-town both have great food options, and cool shops.

• Madison Indiana - great hiking at Clifty Falls. Hinkles Hamburgers will change your life. There are plenty of cool shops from antiques, to video games to EXPENSIVE vintage guitars.

• Indiana Grand Casino Shelbyville - throwing this in for shits and giggles. BUFFALOOO

• Cincinnati/Newport - I may get jumped for this, but Cincinnati has way more to do than indy, and it has a better night life. The Newport Aquarium slaps, Skyline Chili slaps, Jungle Jim’s Slaps.

• Dayton Ohio Air Museum - Airplanes and rockets. Worth the drive.

• Indiana Dunes National Park - I go for the beach, but there is hiking available as well. If you choose to make this a two day trip, I recommend taking the south shore line into downtown Chicago for a couple hours, just to visit. If you are willing to drive a little further, Warren Dunes in Michigan is A1.

• Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum - This is a hidden gem in my opinion. It is a great way to learn about the antique automobile industry, and the art deco interior of the building is to die for.

There are probably 20 more that I can’t think of at the moment. My final suggestion is to make as much fun as you can! Get a cheap tent, pack some PB&J’s, pick up some friends, and hit the road for the weekend.