Hiking, Local Treats, and Nightlife in Shelby County
Ready for some Shelby County fun? Another beautiful Indiana day means another day of exploring all the state has to offer!
Once again, we hit the road to check out a new to us county in pursuit of my challenge to visit (and find something fun to do) in all 92 Indiana counties. Shelby County is a wonderful addition to the project! We found plenty of things to do in Shelby County Indiana!
Exploring downtown Shelbyville
Less than an hour southeast of Indianapolis, it’s easy to fill an entire day and night full of fun things to do in Shelby County. Our trip started by checking out downtown Shelbyville, the county seat.
Unlike many Indiana downtown squares, Shelbyville is centered around a circle. Another unique difference from downtown Shelbyville to most of the other downtowns I’ve visited is that the courthouse isn’t in the heart of downtown – it’s actually a few blocks away. AND it looks very different than most of the more traditional Indiana courthouses.
It appears that downtown Shelbyville is working hard to revitalize. There was a LOT of construction going on which made walking around a bit challenging. We did notice several restaurants with outdoor seating that seemed to be drawing in a decent crowd as well as a cute little museum. I mentioned to my husband that this is a town we need to revisit in about a year to see how all the roadwork turns out.
Hiking in a nature preserve
After checking out the downtown area, we headed just outside of town to a lovely nature preserve called Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve. I appreciated the well-marked trail and nicely maintained path. The preserve was beautiful and very quiet. We didn’t encounter anyone else while we explored. Definitely, a perfect place to get out and enjoy a gorgeous day.
💥 Do you love day trips that include hiking and exploring cute towns? Check out a few more favorites: A Perfect Day in Spencer and Newburgh, A Riverfront Town
Fun Things to Do in Shelby County: Check Out a Farm Stand
As it was past lunchtime, our next stop involved some food! Pleasant View Orchard is located just off I-74. With a wide variety of U-pick apples and an adorable market stand, it’s a place we’ll head back to this fall for apple picking for sure.
We indulged in some apple cobbler and fried biscuits with apple butter, and then stocked up on our veggies for the week. Prices were fair and the produce was of excellent quality. Yum!
Relaxing over a wine slushie
After filling our bellies, it was time to enjoy a relaxing glass of wine. Quite close to each other are TWO local wineries. We chose to stop at Buck Creek Winery. The tasting room is currently open at 50% capacity, but I opted for a wine slushie instead of a full tasting. Strawberry Rhubarb. Delicious!
Shelby County has nightlife too!
If you plan to linger into the evening in Shelby County, the county contains one of the few drive-ins left in Indiana. The Skyline shows movies on the weekend and would be a perfect way to cap off a fun day of exploring!
Another fun evening option would be Indiana Grand, one of two inland casinos in Indiana. Although we didn’t stop on this trip (my teenage son was with us), we have visited several times before and it’s a clean, well-run casino with a wide variety of slot machines, table games, a few restaurants, and even a center stage with frequent live music.
Want to discover fun things to do with your family closer to home?
These 5 Fun Family Experiences will help you create memorable experiences no matter how busy you are!
It’s time for an update on my Explore Indiana Project. I’m now 28 counties in and so far have not only found something fun to do in each one but for most of them there are even MORE things that I didn’t get a chance to experience and so I’m ready to plan return trips!
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