Animals and Antiques in Lowell, Indiana
Heavy rain was expected Saturday, so we got up early to get as much fun into our day as possible. After enjoying a delicious and relaxing breakfast at our hotel, we loaded up the car and headed a little bit south to Lowell, Indiana.
Our first stop was Buckley Homestead. Buckley Homestead is described as a living history farm. It’s spread out over quite a few acres but is very walkable and so interesting that you cover quite a bit of ground without realizing it. The grounds are open from 7 AM to dusk daily, and the buildings are open from noon to 4 PM on the weekends in September and October. They do charge an admission to go inside the buildings and there are a variety of special events from time to time – check their website for updated information on what’s happening at the homestead.
We started at the Visitors Center and walked across the street to the farmhouse. There was a small path with a variety of well-labeled apple and pear trees, and a hen house with pens that contained geese, chickens, a rooster, etc. They were loud! The closer we got, the more they complained – I made a short video as they were cracking us up:
We crossed another street to find the large barn area – this was definitely our favorite part as we poked around in the dusty old barn and visited with lots of animals. There were cows, sheep, horses and lots of barn cats. Living in the suburbs we don’t get the chance to see farm animals up close very often, so my kids loved this!
We had fun counting the barn cats as they kept running in and out of the barn – we think we saw six total. Near the barn was another small building which was the hired hand’s house. It was simply furnished and located close to the animals.
Farther down the street we discovered a one-room schoolhouse. This building isn’t original but is a replica built on the foundation of the original one. It was open from 1850ish to the early 1900s. It’s hard to imagine going to a school this small compared to the large, modern schools we have now. There were even two outhouses out back – which was awful to think about having to use on a cold or rainy day!
After tromping around the grounds and checking it all out, we decided to head into town to see what else Lowell had to offer. One of our favorite things to do when in a new area is exploring small towns so we are always on the lookout for new ones to check out.
Lowell’s downtown consisted of just a few streets, but there were almost half a dozen antique and consignment shops to check out. If you like antiques, it would be possible to spend hours wandering these stores – they were packed with treasures. Downtown also housed a few local restaurants, businesses, and a gaming shop. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
It was lunchtime and the sky was getting dark – it was apparent it was going to rain heavily. We ducked into Athens Grill based on its 4.5-star rating on Yelp and were pleasantly surprised at the variety on the menu. We ordered some delicious salads, gyros, fresh pita, and a warm cup of lemon rice soup.
I loved that their fountain sodas included grape soda and RC. Very nostalgic for us. Prices were reasonable – and the lunch special was a very good deal. For example, one of the options was a Jr. Gyro, fries, and a fountain drink for $6.00. Can’t beat that! We spoke to the owner as we were dining (it’s a tiny little room with just a few counters and tables) and discovered the restaurant was going on their 15th year in business. A tasty and quick place to check out if you are antique shopping in downtown Lowell.
The weather let loose with extremely heavy rain and thunder. After checking the weather app, it didn’t appear it was going to end anytime soon so we decided to call it a day and head home. We did drive by Fair Oaks Farm which was our intended next stop, but the weather was just not conducive to enjoying an afternoon there. This is definitely a place we want to go back to and check out thoroughly as I’ve heard many good reviews of the experience, restaurant, and CHEESE! After driving by, I think it could be a full day trip of its own. Next time!
Buckley Homestead, 3606 Belshaw Road, Lowell, IN 219-696-0769; http://lakecountyparks.com/149/Buckley-Homestead
Athens Grill, 116 Mill Street, Lowell, IN (219) 696-4700; https://www.facebook.com/Athens-Grill-120852831262471/
Fair Oaks Farm, 864 N 600 E, Fair Oaks, IN 47943; (877) 536-1194; https://fofarms.com/
Thanks again to the South Shore CVA for sponsoring part of our trip. We had a wonderful time and made some fun family memories. All the opinions expressed are my own.
Don’t forget to Pin for later – you never know when you’ll be heading to or from Chicago and looking for a fun stop:
Nice, I like the ideal of making ‘through stops’ an adventure in and of themselves 🙂
I agree – it makes the trip feel longer. My kids prefer driving to flying now because we’ve always made a point to make the trip part of the fun.
Wow! How beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks!
Beautiful town! Looks like the weather held up for you as well! That salad looks delicious!! Nice post!
The weather made it to lunch and then it was a DOWNPOUR! But, it held off enough for a fun morning.
What a fun place to stop!
First of all, that salad made me hungry. Second, you had me shivering with the thought of using an outhouse in the cold. Brrr!!!! What a quaint little town to visit.
I know, right? We talked about how awful that would be in January!!
I love Gyros and Lemon Rice Soup. It is not very easy to find! This sounds like a beautiful visit to a very quaint town.
Yes, I don’t see lemon rice soup very often either and it was yummy!
Wow this looks like so much fun! Thank you for sharing!!
Pam I always love reading about your “close to home” adventures. I may actually be up near Hammond, IN in the next few weeks so I’ll have to look through your Blog and see if there is anything near there that I can venture out and see.
Thanks! If you are near Hammond, you should definitely check out this weekend – Lowell is about 30 minutes south and Off Square Brewing and the Albanese Factory (the previous post) are maybe 5 minutes from Hammond.
Looks like a lot of fun! Will have to check it out on my next travel adventure to Indiana!
You should definitely add it to your list!
Indiana is one of the states I have never been but would like to go to sometime, as it was the birthplace of some of my in-laws. Thanks for sharing this adventure with us.
Of course! There are so many great places to visit in Indiana – I feel like I’ll never run out of things to do!
What a cute little town! I love exploring farmsteads and old barns. And, that salad looks so refreshing, yum! It looks like a great day well spent!
It was a fantastic day – just what we needed after a busy week.
Looks like a fun place to visit with the family. We would’ve loved the animals, especially the barn cats! Gotta love charming little towns like this in today’s fast paced world.
The barn cats were our favorite too. They were just adorable and there were so many!
Such a cute town! Love it!
It was fun!
Cute little town. That barn would be great for weddings one day!
I agree – it would make for a beautiful setting. I love barn weddings!
Interesting place and great pics! I enjoy these kinds of getaways!
Teri, me too – sometimes a quick getaway to somewhere new is enough!
Now I’m itching to travel. My daughter would love seeing the animals at the homestead!
Isn’t it funny how much kids love animals?
This looks great! I’ve never been to Indiana, but this looks like a lot of fun!
There are so many cute little towns in Indiana – we have been exploring a ton of them lately.
Thanks for sharing! That’s great info for this cute little town 🙂
I need to put this on my bucket list. It looks absolutely beautiful! I love visiting old homes and towns it’s just a remembrance of simpler times…idk why because it seems to me like olden days on a farm they busted their butt but it just seems a simpler way of life and so peaceful.
Isn’t that funny? You know they worked harder, but it was physical work, not mental – maybe that’s it?
What a lovely town! Looks like it was a fun adventure!
I like the gummy bears. You know, when my American father-in-law comes to visit, he well understands that he is required to bring two bags of Wal-Mart gummy bears. I call it a tribute. Because (and he agrees with me) American gummy bears are just beter than European ones! Ours don’t have the flavour or the chewy texture — actually, they’re a bit pointless.
But American gummy bears — those are the quality ones for gummy aficionados!:-D
I love this! Good for you FIL to know the rules!
What a quaint spot to spend a day! The homestead looks right up my alley with all of the hands-on history!
What an awesome little town! So cool to see those out of the way places that most people don’t get to see or explore.
In spite of the rain, this looks like such a delightful day! I love supporting independently owned restaurants. Athens Grill looks delicious!
Christa, me too – we ALWAYS choose local if possible.
Great photos. Looks like it was an interesting stopping point and a great place to visit.
Very much so!
Everything looks so perfect even with the rain. I love fall activities and being outdoors.
Thanks! We made the best of a not so perfect weather day!!
I love these cute little towns. Sounds like a fun day.
Absolutely stunning…. What an awesome little town!I’ve never been to Indiana, but this looks like a lot of fun.
Thanks, it’s definitely a cute one, and so many fun antique shops!