The Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park

Wandering this past month included our yearly trip to a State Park Inn. There are 7 State Park Inn. We have now stayed at 6 of them.

The Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park was our destination this year. In the winter, IDNR has a great deal. You get a buy one night get one night free. A point to know, you must take advantage of this deal during the week. Our plan of action has been to go on Sunday evening and get Monday evening free. This was even more important for visiting Pokagon since we planned to toboggan. The toboggan run is only open on the weekends. This refrigerated sled hill is quite the ride. We had an awesome time–four trips down the slope in about an hour. That means you carry the 35-pound toboggan up to the top after each ride. After that workout, it is nice to know there is good food at the Inn and, best of all, a pool, sauna, and hot tub.

There are many trails to hike in the park, and cross-country skiing is very popular at this time of the year. I wanted to hike the Hell’s Point Challenge, but we just couldn’t fit in the 8-mile-long hike. It sounds like a good trip for later this year! While visiting, we like to wander around

and check out the homes around Lake James. A lot of beautiful homes and cottages to see. Angola is the county seat of Steuben County and a fun town to visit. Trine University is located in the city, and there are multiple small restaurants and shops downtown worth visiting.

It is always fun wandering around this far northeastern Indiana County. There are many places to visit and see. Besides Angola, take a trip around Clear Lake, Fremont, Nevada Mills, or Metz. Have you ever wondered why certain small towns exist; Metz is one of those places. However, researching and imagining what they were like when they first settled provides perspective and interesting facts about these small villages. There was also an out-of-the-way point of interest we visited. We found the place where Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan all meet at one point. A marker designates this location on a rough rural road that was pretty muddy when we visited.

A few other places of mention while out and about. Birds BBQ in Daleville and Tom’s Donuts in Angola were a couple of restaurants we visited and enjoyed greatly. Places we wanted to visit and/or drive past were the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn; Parkview Field, home of the Tin Caps, Headwaters Park, The Old Fort, and several historic neighborhoods in Ft. Wayne; Muensterberg Plaza and Clock Tower in Berne; Gene Stratton Porter/Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva; Hudson Family Park in Portland; andthe Dunkirk Glass Museum.

Wandering Indiana is my way of getting out and about and enjoying it. Pass on your places to visit or eat.