What makes Ferdinand Sights so special is the quiet way, with the history and present a little slanted with each other. I remember driving the first time over the old railway line, which founded the small village of Ferdinand in 1889 to transport the coal from the surrounding hills – a bit like a forgotten time jump, only without the annoying time travel app. The township, which extends over about 30 square miles, is nestled in rural Dubois County, where the fields still fragrant after maize and people do not want to let their roots go.
When you take the I‐70 from Indianapolis to the south and then turn off to the US‐231, you almost feel like an outlier from the city's hectic that finally discovers the "real" Indiana. I explored the small village centre almost on foot – this is not a walk in Central Park, but the old brick buildings tell more about German immigration in the 19th century. Century, as every brochure attempts.
A short trip to the nearby Dubois County Airport (only a cat jump from the city) shows that you can arrive here not only by car, but also by a small propeller plane – a detail that I personally consider to be a charming “no-witz moment”. And while I sit here, sneaking a cool beer from the local brewery, I realize that the true Ferdinand landmarks are not in brochures, but in conversations with the people who live here and carry on the story with an eye-catcher.
With the map tool, you can plan the ideal location for a photo online in advance – taking into account the sun's path and the surroundings.
Here's how it works:
Advantage:
You can assess light, perspective and location before visiting the site – ideal for photography, sunrises and sunsets.
To find the exact point where the sun disappears behind the skyline, use the azimuth display on poi-travel.de. In Ferdinand, the sun travels further northwest below the horizon in summer, while in winter it takes a more southwesterly angle. With the embedded line on the map, you can determine your tripod position down to the metre.
The old tractor in front of the visitor centre of the Patoka Lake stands, reminds me every time that not only anglers, but also families with picnic blankets and children who catch ducks spend their weekend. The lake is located just about 15 km south of Ferdinand and offers more than 30 km of shore to dock – parking is usually a Klacks, as long as you don't arrive on Friday night after work, then the field full of campers becomes a patience sample.
A short detour to the north leads to Hoosier National Forest, a piece of forest that extends over 200 km2 and has more paths than I can think of excuses for non-running. I tried the “Lost River Trail” – a 7-km stretch that runs through moss-covered rocks and small streams. The path is well marked, but the signs can be somewhat watered in some places, so better have a map in the phone parat. The forest is a perfect place to turn off the phone and enjoy the rustling of the leaves, although I must admit that sometimes I wonder if the trees here are really as old as the shields claim.
Just a bit further, about 20 km from Ferdinand, this is Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge. Here you can sit with a binoculars on the shore and observe how the swans slide majesticly over the water – a sight that looks almost too cheesy to be true, but I have actually experienced it. The visitor center is small, but informative, and parking is free as long as you do not try to overwhelm the terrain with a motorhome, which is strictly prohibited there.
A little further east, near the border to Illinois, is the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area. I stood there for the first time in the spring when thousands of sandhill cranes moved over the field – an image that is otherwise only known from natural documentation. Access is well signposted via the County Road 200, and parking is practically always free, because most visitors travel on foot or by bike. A small note: The number of visitors increases in autumn when the hunting season begins, so better come early if you want to enjoy the peace.
For those who prefer the underground, there are Indiana Caverns near Corydon, about 45 km south of Ferdinand. The dripstone caves are a bit touristy, but the tour is still exciting – especially when you hear the history of the first German settlers here in 19th. Century searched for a “better life”. Parking is payable at the entrance of the visitor centre, but the prices are moderate, and the caves are air-conditioned so that you do not sweat in the summer as in the glorious sun of the Hoosier National Forest.
A short trip to Jasper, the County Seeat, is also worth it. The historic city centre with its restored brick buildings, the Jasper Public Library and the annual County Fair stands provide a charming picture of Indiana, which should not be missed. I visited a local peasant market where you can buy fresh peaches and handmade jam – a real taste of Midwest, which is not too overvalued, but definitely worth a visit.
Whether you're looking for a quiet lake for fishing, a dense forest for extended hikes, a birdwatching place, an impressive cave or a small town with charm – the surroundings of Ferdinand have something to offer for everyone. The mix of nature, history and local hospitality makes the region an underestimated jewel in the heart of Indiana. So next time after Ferdinand Sights search should not only keep the city in mind, but above all the surrounding area in mind.
Whether adventurers, connoisseurs or culture lovers – in Ferdinand everyone finds something that tears him out of everyday life, and this is the real promise of this small center in the heart of Indiana.
I must confess at the beginning that my heart for the St. Ferdinand Catholic Church – a stone monument from the 19th Century that whispers more stories than a whole book could hold. The towers are running over Main Street, and if you're standing there on a sunny afternoon, you'll get the feeling as if time is running a bit slower. I took part in a fair there, just to see that the acoustics in the choir room is so good that even the whisper of a mouse sounds like an organ sound. Parking is usually a Klacks as long as you don't arrive on Saturday night after the weekly peasant market – then the small parking lot becomes the battlefield.
A short walk further leads you to Ferdinand Historic Districtwhere the old shop fronts still radiate the charm of past times. There is an antique store that houses more dusty treasures than I could collect on Instagram posts throughout the year. I discovered an old gramophone that still works – no joke, the thing still spits the sound of 78-U/min, as if it were a time traveler from the 1930s. If you're lucky, the owner, an older gentleman with a mustache, meets the chat, and he tells you that the business has been in family hands since 1952 – a real one Ferdinand Sights‐Moment that reminds you that history lives not only in museums, but also in the shop windows.
A bit further, hidden behind a number of trees, lies the Ferdinand Public Library. The building is a beautiful example of neo-Gothic architecture, and the interior is surprisingly modern – WLAN, cosy reading corners and a small café area where you get a latte that tastes almost better than what you get in the city. I once borrowed a book about local history, only to find that the librarians know more about the city's family stories than any tourist brochure. She told me that her great-grandfather installed the first phone in Ferdinand – a detail you would never know if you weren't there by chance.
If you are looking for a place that connects a bit of spirituality with a touch of exoticism, then that is St. Ferdinand Shrine That's right. The shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a popular pilgrimage place, and I once met a small procession participant who told me that he arrived from Texas every year just to pray here for a few hours. The atmosphere is surprisingly peaceful, and the small café next to the shrine serves homemade pancakes that are so good that you ask yourself why you don't go breakfast here every morning.
Another highlight I can't leave is that Ferdinand Fire Department. Yes, you have read correctly – a museum dedicated to the local fire department. It is small but full of old fire extinguishers, helmets and even an original horse car from the 1900s. I met a former fireman there who told me that he still has the siren melody in his head when he hears the word “alarm”. The museum is free, and parking right in front of the building is always free – a rare consolation in a city where parking is otherwise a constant mystery.
At the end of my little tour through Ferdinand I would like to Ferdinand Community Center mention. Local concerts, art exhibitions and even a monthly film evening event are regularly held here. I was once at an open-mix evening where a teenager performed a self-written song about Main Street – it was so honest and raw that I almost forgot that I was in a small midwestern town. The center has a large parking lot almost empty on weekends, so you can easily park your car and give yourself to the local life.
All this makes Ferdinand a place you can't just fly over. Each of these places has its own history, and if you dare to wander a little off the beaten paths, you will notice that the true heart of the city is not in the official brochures, but in the small encounters you experience here.
Villages, towns, districts, places and Vacation destinations you should visit.
©copyright by POI-Travel.de
info@poi-travel.de
