Inside Outside Michiana: Inside Outside Michiana Summer Guide 2015

Last summer, I made a guide for summer. Find it here. It has been one of the most popular posts on the blog and many moms and grandparents tell me it is an excellent resource. I'm updating it for 2015 as prices change and new areas to explore pop up. This is concentrated on Elkhart County, though there are many great places a short drive away. See other places below the table. Feel free to share additional places we should explore. Thanks!

Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields pine cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries, and hornets. And any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education.

–Luther Burbank

Michiana Summer Guide 2015

By Dr. Carla Gull

insideoutsidemichiana@gmail.com

Place	Cost/Hours	Description	Activities	Tips
Bonneyville Mill 53373 CR 131, Bristol Our Visit	Free Daily 9 am to sunset Mill: W-Sun 10-5	23 acres of hills, woodlands, meadows, open marshes, wildlife, wildflowers	Watch the mill in action, hiking trails, waterfall, ponds	-catch (and release) frogs and tadpoles by the pond -walk across the waterfall -bring a picnic lunch
Boot Lake Nature Preserve North Elkhart along CR 3 Our Visits	Free Daily 9 am to sunset	160 acres forest, savannah, nature preserve, wetlands, bluebird trail	Hike, picnic, check out the water	--find frogs in the bird houses along the trail
Cobus Creek County Park CR 8, Osceola Our Visits	Free Daily 9 am to sunset	84 acres of woods, wetlands, 5 acre pond, etc.	Sensory garden, small playground, hiking trails, sand volleyball	--creek stomp as the water is really shallow by the bridge --check out senses in the sensory garden --bring nets to catch insects
Elkhart County Historical Museum 304 W. Vistula St., Bristol, IN Our Visits	Donations accepted T-Sat 9-5 pm	Traveling exhibits, special programs, three levels of “stuff”	Dress up clothes, discovery activities, scavenger hunts	--check out the historic cemetery and river before hitting the splash pad in the back
Elkhart Environmental Center 1717 East Lusher, Elkhart Our Visits	Free M-F 8-5 pm	Old dump site now has a mission to help us reduce, reuse, and recycle	Wildlife viewing windows, pond, trails, etc.	--check out the childrens section in the loft with puppets, books, animals, etc.
Lieber Nature Preserve CR 23, north of Bristol, IN Our Visits	Free Dawn to dusk	135 acres, bog, pond, beaver lodge	Walking the trails, watching wildlife	--big tree down to the left of the entrance. It is a great place to climb! Better than a playground! --no facilities (Congdon park isn’t far--great combo!)
Midwest Museum of Art 429 S Main, Elkhart Our Visit	T-Fri 10-5 Sat/Sun 1-4 $5/adult under 5 free $10/family	Grandma Moses, Norman Rockwell Over 6000 work with 900 on display	Art appreciation and observation	--we really enjoyed a docent led program with our preschoolers --pleasantly surprised!
Ox Bow Park 23427 CR 45, Elkhart Our Visits	$2/car 9 am to 7 pm	On the Elkhart river, hundreds of acres	Programs, playgrounds, great picnic place, geocaching	--watch for turtles laying eggs in June --beaver evidence near the river
Railroad Museum 721 S. Main St., Elkhart	T-Sat 10-5 Sun 10-4 Adults $6 Children 4-12 $5 3 and under free	Explore the history of railroads and trains in the area	Climb on the cars out back, watch model trains	--play area with trains for the little ones --consider a membership if you have a large family or plan on returning
Rieth Interpretive Center Across from Shanklin park Our Visits	Free T-Thu 10-3	Environmental education area with nearby trails	Wildlife viewing window, hands-on nature activities	--stop here first, hike along the river at Shanklin, and end at the playground at Shanklin park
Riverbend Park 511 East Warren, Middlebury Our Visits	Dawn to dusk	Over 24 acres, river, trails	Playground, hiking trails, river	--great festival in August
Rock Run Park 212 Prospect Avenue Our Visits	Dawn to dusk	Natural play area	Hills, slides, “towers of imagination”, climbing walls, trails, community garden	--we LOVE this place! --small pebbles go in the music box for a great sound --bring paint, paper, and tape to do art on the “windows”
Wakarusa Historic Museum 403 E. Wabash , Wakarusa Our Visit		Depot, several historical buildings, old fire trucks, vet	Explore the past	--visit the cool park and splash pad after
Wellfield Botanic Gardens 1011 N. Main St., Elkhart Our Visits	Tues Free $5/adult 3 - 12 $3 Under 3 free M-Sat 9-7 Sun 11-5	Beautiful gardens! Historical wellfield	Education programs, great paths, artwork, and views	--stroller friendly (and keeps toddlers contained) --developing more child friendly areas --great place for a color walk
Woodlawn Nature Center 604 Woodlawn Ave, Elkhart Our Visits	Thurs 1-4 Fri-Sat 12-5 Sun 12-4 $3/person $10/family	10 acres of woods in north Elkhart, many Native American artifacts, nature items, wildlife viewing window, etc.	Education programs, natural playscape outside, puppets, native fish	--very play based --it’s okay to play with nature --special Nature Play days --50th Anniversary this year --consider a membership

Other Ideas in Elkhart County:

DeFries Garden, Ideal Beach, McNaughton spray park, Shanklin pool

Expanding the fun!

Cheese Factory, Shipshewana, IN

Curious Kids Museum and Discovery Zone, St. Joseph, MI

Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton, IN, Pokagon, Potato Creek

Fernwood Nature Center, Niles, MI

Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, Rome City, IN

Granger Community Church Natural Playground, Granger, IN

Healthworks! Kids Musuem, South Bend, IN

Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, IN (Natural Playground!)

Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo, IN

Merry Lea Environmental Center, Albion, IN

Rum Village Nature Center, South Bend, IN

Sylvania Fossil Park, Sylvania, OH

St. Joseph County Parks, South Bend, IN

Other

Places to Walk for Free in Elkhart

Our Town Elkhart

Michiana Summer Guides 2014
Natural Play Scapes

Fun Dates

National Get Outdoors Day—June 13, 2015

50th Anniversary--Woodlawn Nature Center, June 28, 2015
International Mud Day--Woodlawn Nature Center, June 29, 2015

David Rogers Day—August 22, 2015

Envirofest—July 10, 2015

Kids Day at the Fair—July 29, 2015

Riverfest in Middlebury—August 29, 2015

ETHOS Science Sneak Peeks—Third Thursdays of month

Ideas: Make a “Paper Pal” to go on adventures with you during the summer! Scrapbook what you do (or use social media)! Set a certain day of the week for “adventures”.