I have made a new website that has some of my pictures for sale. Right now I am just starting out so I don't have a lot on there. I am hoping to add more at a later date. If you want to check out my site it's at http://shellyplatz.moonfruit.com If you live near me and want to place an order and are willing to pick up, I can waive the shipping fee....just contact me first. Thanks!
Also, if you have not seen it yet, visit us on facebook www.facebook.com/walkingsmalltownindiana I will be posting pictures there but keeping this for writing about new places we visit.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Hello everyone! It's been a long time. Things are always super busy and hectic for me. I haven't had time to keep posting like I wanted to. I am hoping to change that and spend a lot more time on my photography and visiting small town Indiana.
I have created a Facebook page to go along with this blog. I hope the two together will get the word out there about the interesting things small towns have.
The Facebook page will have some of my older pictures for now but eventually I will have newer stuff to post. I have a lot of pictures I need to get web ready, just haven't had the time to work on them.
For those that don't know, I am self-employed in child care and work a 55 hour week. I also have parents who are getting up there in age and an aunt that I try to visit and spend time with. So, with all I have going on, it's hard to find a time to get out there.
My friend Angie and I call it a "peace day" when we finally find time to meet up and just enjoy the slow pace of a small town, the fresh smell of country air and the beautiful old buildings we find along the backroads.
I hope you all enjoy our adventures as well! Please "like" us on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/walkingsmalltownindiana
And as always..if you know of a small town we should visit let us know!
I have created a Facebook page to go along with this blog. I hope the two together will get the word out there about the interesting things small towns have.
The Facebook page will have some of my older pictures for now but eventually I will have newer stuff to post. I have a lot of pictures I need to get web ready, just haven't had the time to work on them.
For those that don't know, I am self-employed in child care and work a 55 hour week. I also have parents who are getting up there in age and an aunt that I try to visit and spend time with. So, with all I have going on, it's hard to find a time to get out there.
My friend Angie and I call it a "peace day" when we finally find time to meet up and just enjoy the slow pace of a small town, the fresh smell of country air and the beautiful old buildings we find along the backroads.
I hope you all enjoy our adventures as well! Please "like" us on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/walkingsmalltownindiana
And as always..if you know of a small town we should visit let us know!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
New Carlisle
New Carlisle is a small town located in St. Joseph County on US 20 between South Bend and Michigan City. It has a population of about 1800. Not far away is Hudson Lake and Rolling Prairie.
New Carlisle is a very nice, clean small town with several businesses. It is a very pretty town. New Carlisle is also home to the famous house from "PRANCER".
The house is now turned into a bed and breakfast with a museum. It is called Inn at the Old Republic. This shows you a bit of the house and its history http://www.innatoldrepublic.net/ , it's very beautiful there. I did take some pictures.
We wandered around the downtown, enjoying music playing and the smells and beautiful colors of fall. There's a Wells Fargo Bank, a dentist office, some shops, a hardware, a coffee shop, and a hair salon.
There's a place called Miller's Home Cafe which offers a smorgasboard. It's a very tasty place! They also have a place which serves Austrian Food. I have not had the chance to visit there yet. It's called Moser's Austrian Cafe. Yes - New Carlisle calls most of their restaurants - Cafe.
In the summer they have "hometown days" and a town wide yard sale. In the fall there is a Heritage Fair where people are dressed like the old days and show how to do tatting, chair weaving etc.
It's worth the trip to visit!
To enjoy more pictures of New Carlisle click my link! It should come through as a slideshow!
http://s94.photobucket.com/user/shellyplatz/slideshow/Walking%20Small%20Town%20Indiana/New%20Carlilse
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Long long winter
Hello my loyal followers (all 2 of you)!
I am sure you have anxiously been awaiting the snow to melt so I could bring you more Walking Small Town Indiana. Well, the time has come! We are out walking the small towns once again! You can look forward to new pictures and descriptions of some of Indiana's smallest towns. I may throw in a bigger "city" here and there as well. Don't worry, what is a bigger "city" to me is still considered "small town" to most people.
I am always looking for more small towns to visit - especially if there is a festival or town wide yard sale going on! Please send in your suggestions. Currently, I can only go as far as I can drive in a day and be back home that night so it has to be nearby. Even little towns that are no more than one building are fine to suggest. The smaller the better!
Generally what we do is pick out a small town to visit and then make a big circle(or square as it may be) to other small towns that aren't too far away. That's if it's really small! The "bigger" small towns do take longer and we could end up spending the whole day there, especially if there are businesses we can check out!
Stay tuned for New Carlisle. Pictures and post coming soon. We look forward to taking you on many adventures with us this year!
I am sure you have anxiously been awaiting the snow to melt so I could bring you more Walking Small Town Indiana. Well, the time has come! We are out walking the small towns once again! You can look forward to new pictures and descriptions of some of Indiana's smallest towns. I may throw in a bigger "city" here and there as well. Don't worry, what is a bigger "city" to me is still considered "small town" to most people.
I am always looking for more small towns to visit - especially if there is a festival or town wide yard sale going on! Please send in your suggestions. Currently, I can only go as far as I can drive in a day and be back home that night so it has to be nearby. Even little towns that are no more than one building are fine to suggest. The smaller the better!
Generally what we do is pick out a small town to visit and then make a big circle(or square as it may be) to other small towns that aren't too far away. That's if it's really small! The "bigger" small towns do take longer and we could end up spending the whole day there, especially if there are businesses we can check out!
Stay tuned for New Carlisle. Pictures and post coming soon. We look forward to taking you on many adventures with us this year!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Kewanna - From Ghost Town to 1000 People
When I visited Kewanna about a month ago, it was rainy. There wasn't a soul to be seen. In fact, I think I passed one car. I took pictures of the old abandoned buildings. From what I saw that day, it really looked like there was not much life in Kewanna.
Saturday Sept 29, my fellow festival goer/small town walker, Angie and I visited Kewanna again after attending Culver's town wide yard sale.
WOW! What a difference. There were I'd say over 1000 people milling through the festival. It looked like all the residents of the town PLUS extra people were there. This was some festival for such a small town.
There were rides for adults and kids, games, lots of food, elephant rides, pony rides, a free reptile bus for viewing snakes and other critters. Their ball field and concession stand had things going on. The boy scouts were there raising money. I was really surprised at the big festival. If you live nearby it is worth the trip. It's not too crowded or too big. Just the right size for a nice family day.
This is the link to all of the pictures I have taken in Kewanna including the festival.
http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l97/shellyplatz/Walking%20Small%20Town%20Indiana/Kewanna/
I hope that the extra people in town brought someone who may want to take on those old buildings and restore them!
While traveling down SR 17 we decided to visit DeLong, not knowing anything about it. I don't have any history on DeLong but here's a picture. It seems there is only a post office, store and church there.
Saturday Sept 29, my fellow festival goer/small town walker, Angie and I visited Kewanna again after attending Culver's town wide yard sale.
WOW! What a difference. There were I'd say over 1000 people milling through the festival. It looked like all the residents of the town PLUS extra people were there. This was some festival for such a small town.
There were rides for adults and kids, games, lots of food, elephant rides, pony rides, a free reptile bus for viewing snakes and other critters. Their ball field and concession stand had things going on. The boy scouts were there raising money. I was really surprised at the big festival. If you live nearby it is worth the trip. It's not too crowded or too big. Just the right size for a nice family day.
This is the link to all of the pictures I have taken in Kewanna including the festival.
http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l97/shellyplatz/Walking%20Small%20Town%20Indiana/Kewanna/
I hope that the extra people in town brought someone who may want to take on those old buildings and restore them!
While traveling down SR 17 we decided to visit DeLong, not knowing anything about it. I don't have any history on DeLong but here's a picture. It seems there is only a post office, store and church there.
I love these cute little post offices!
We took the long way home and went through Ora. I took a picture of the old post office and the old school.
I am not sure where or when my next adventure will be. Hoping to get out a bit next Saturday. Eventually, this blog will be a lot busier but because I run a daycare in my home full time and have lots I need to take care of, I only get out 1-2 times a month. Maybe next spring I will be out every weekend! I can dream!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Kewanna and Ober
The facts: Kewanna is a small town in Fulton County. It has a population of 614 (2010 census). It is located on State Road 17 south of Culver. Kewanna is 45 miles south of South Bend and 86 miles southeast of Chicago.
I was told that Kewanna was a neat little town in its day. When I visited Kewanna this past weekend, I found several empty, old buildings. It's a shame they are not being restored and used. I can imagine them being fixed and painted in colors from "the old days".
Kewanna has a nice town park with a ball field. It has a cafe, bar, bank, VFW and a funeral home. It has a really nice library, 3 churches and several interesting buildings.
If you would like to see pictures of the town of Kewanna click HERE.
On the way to Monterey and Kewanna I went through an even smaller town. I could not find any facts for this town. It is called Ober. It is located south of SR 8(east) on SR 23 in Starke County. Ober is east of Knox. There is an old school there.
These were the 3 towns(along with Monterey) that I visited Labor Day weekend. I am not sure which town will be my next town or when. I have a family get together I am planning currently so until that is over I don't have any plans made. Hopefully, my next day out, there won't be a downpour and maybe some of the fall colors will start seeping in.
In the mean time....if you know of a small town I should visit please let me know in the comments!!
I was told that Kewanna was a neat little town in its day. When I visited Kewanna this past weekend, I found several empty, old buildings. It's a shame they are not being restored and used. I can imagine them being fixed and painted in colors from "the old days".
Kewanna has a nice town park with a ball field. It has a cafe, bar, bank, VFW and a funeral home. It has a really nice library, 3 churches and several interesting buildings.
If you would like to see pictures of the town of Kewanna click HERE.
On the way to Monterey and Kewanna I went through an even smaller town. I could not find any facts for this town. It is called Ober. It is located south of SR 8(east) on SR 23 in Starke County. Ober is east of Knox. There is an old school there.
It says OBER DISTRICT NO 7
steps to school
Church that is in Ober
These were the 3 towns(along with Monterey) that I visited Labor Day weekend. I am not sure which town will be my next town or when. I have a family get together I am planning currently so until that is over I don't have any plans made. Hopefully, my next day out, there won't be a downpour and maybe some of the fall colors will start seeping in.
In the mean time....if you know of a small town I should visit please let me know in the comments!!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monterey Days - Labor Day Weekend
The Facts:
Monterey is located in the country in Pulaski County. It is near Culver and Winimac. The population of Monterey was 218 in 2010. It is 37 miles south of South Bend and 77 miles southeast of Chicago.
Monterey is named after a city in Mexico.
A very strange fact - Monterey area is 174% higher on average than the rest of the US on tornado activity. (I find this to be a strange number but I just double checked it)
The First National Bank of Monterey was established August 1, 1910 and is still in operation.
Monterey is a charming small town. It has a few buildings in their downtown. They have a town park. There is a bicycle trail. I haven't found out how long the trail is or where it goes. Hopefully some of the readers may know the answer. (I haven't had a chance to go down the trail yet). What little I did find online, the trail is supposed to eventually meet up with the trail from North Judson. It is an old railroad path.
Labor Day weekend they have Monterey Days. The Saturday of Labor Day they have their town wide yard sale. Unfortunately, it decided to pour the day(Saturday) we visited Monterey. It did not dampen the spirits of the people enjoying the festival! Here's a link to the run down of everything they do! Monterey Days calendar of events
There was lots of good food to choose from including the usual fair/festival food AND homecooked Ham and Beans! It's an annual event for the Lions Club to cook beans in a cast iron pot over a fire in the town park. This year they served an AUCE Ham and beans supper which included cornbread, a drink and a brownie or cookie. My friend Angie had it and said it was very good! The United Methodist Church had a potato bar.
Monterey is located in the country in Pulaski County. It is near Culver and Winimac. The population of Monterey was 218 in 2010. It is 37 miles south of South Bend and 77 miles southeast of Chicago.
Monterey is named after a city in Mexico.
A very strange fact - Monterey area is 174% higher on average than the rest of the US on tornado activity. (I find this to be a strange number but I just double checked it)
The First National Bank of Monterey was established August 1, 1910 and is still in operation.
Monterey is a charming small town. It has a few buildings in their downtown. They have a town park. There is a bicycle trail. I haven't found out how long the trail is or where it goes. Hopefully some of the readers may know the answer. (I haven't had a chance to go down the trail yet). What little I did find online, the trail is supposed to eventually meet up with the trail from North Judson. It is an old railroad path.
Labor Day weekend they have Monterey Days. The Saturday of Labor Day they have their town wide yard sale. Unfortunately, it decided to pour the day(Saturday) we visited Monterey. It did not dampen the spirits of the people enjoying the festival! Here's a link to the run down of everything they do! Monterey Days calendar of events
There was lots of good food to choose from including the usual fair/festival food AND homecooked Ham and Beans! It's an annual event for the Lions Club to cook beans in a cast iron pot over a fire in the town park. This year they served an AUCE Ham and beans supper which included cornbread, a drink and a brownie or cookie. My friend Angie had it and said it was very good! The United Methodist Church had a potato bar.
If you want a small, fun, old time feel festival you need to visit Monterey Days next year. I think I may visit more than 1 day next time. You aren't going to find a lot of booths of things to buy but the activities are great for families.
Here are some pictures of downtown Monterey.
Library
DJ playing music at the Monterey Days in front of the Family & Women's Health Services.
View of the Tippecanoe River as you enter Monterey
Bridge into Monterey
Monterey has a bank, 2 Churches, a bar, hardware, library, town park, health services, bike trail, American Legion and probably a couple other things I have forgotten to mention! It is worth the trip. You can get to it from SR 17 south of Culver. (I have found this to be the easiest route).
I hope you enjoyed my view of Monterey. I don't claim to be an expert on the towns I am and will be writing about. I am telling things as I know them to be. If any of my readers found something that needs to be corrected please let us know in the comments section.
To view more pictures of Monterey visit http://photobucket.com/Montereyind
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)