Visit Landess Grant Indiana and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Indiana: Discover the "Crossroads of America"! Experience the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world's largest author's railway. Sample regional specialties such as the Hoosier Pie and the Indiana style pizza. Trust in the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis for cultural experiences.
Landmarks are for me less a marketing term than an honest indication that there is more than one would suspect at first glance. I'm just sitting in the old Ford, who takes me from Marion to Washington Township via the US-35, thinking back to the year 1872, when the railroad slit the area and the small village was named after a barely known railway engineer. The story is not packed here in bright neon lights, but lies in the quiet, slightly weathered wood shrubs that still shape the landscape.
To be honest, what some call “main attraction” is for me the authentic feeling of strolling through the main road, while a tractor gently throws past and an old baker still uses the same recipe from his great-grandmother. I don't understand the hype about big cities, but this has a charm you don't find in guides – a mix of rural serenity and a touch of past industry that is still noticeable in the quiet tracks of the former railway station.
When you arrive by train, just get to the bus to Marion and take the exit towards the country; that is the fastest way to do without tormenting the car. And yes, I have built the word Landess Attractions twice, because I believe that repetitions are sometimes the best thing to really remember.
I have to admit that my favorite place in the country is not some of the most expensive tourist magnet, but the Lands Community Church – a simple brick building from the 1920s, which smells a bit of homeweh every time I stand there and after forgotten Sunday rolls. I once experienced a spontaneous Gospel karaoke with a few locals; the result was a hot choir that sounded more like “We drank too much coffee” than after heavenly harmony. Parking is usually easy, a few free places right in front of the nave, as long as you are not there on the first Sunday in June, then this becomes a real crowd.
Just a short walk away Country of Cemeterya silent owl of ancient oaks, in which the tombstones tell more stories than any city tour. I once discovered an old veteran burial stone, whose inscription was almost completely swallowed by the moss – a perfect spot for everyone who likes to philosophize the transience while trying to decipher the word “Veteran”. A narrow gravel road leads you to a small bank that is ideal for a few minutes to stay if you want to recover after a long car ride.
A bit further down the street, almost like a secret club for nostalgics, stands this Lands Volunteer Fire Department. There are not only the usual red fire trucks, but also a small museum with an old, cracking firefighter hose, which I accidentally held for a inflatable design. I once talked to the head of the team about the “good old time” while he demonstratively unrolled a hose – that was really great, not a joke.
If you ask yourself why I keep talking about old things, that's because Lands Grain Elevator is a real eye-catcher. The massive wooden frame, which has been storing the grain of the environment since the 1950s, almost looks like a monument to the hard work of farmers. I once met a peasant who told me that the device is still partially operated manually – a little retro charm that is rarely found in modern cities. Parking is a bit tricky because the field around the silos leaves hardly any space for cars, but a small sideway offers enough space for a few cars.
A short detour leads you to Lands Historical Marker at the intersection of County Road 200 and Main Street. There is a simple sign that tells the story of the old school house of 1903 – a building that today serves as a community center. I once experienced an improvised Poetry-Slam event where an elderly man jumped over the “good old times” while the children played with chalk in the background. For me, this is the example of how Landes's sights consist not only of stone and wood, but of living community.
A bit further, almost hidden between a few field houses, there is the Country Store. This is not a hip coffee shop, but a small shop where you still get real honey glasses and homemade jam – and all that while the owner tells you with an eye-catcher that the “Frisch-aus-der-Küche” label only means he baked the bread yesterday. I once tried a piece of apple cake there, which was so good that I almost empty the whole shelf if not a young couple came by with a stroller and reminded me that I wasn't the only one here.
At the end of my small tour through the country, I have to Country park mention a tiny playground with a shaky swing and a sandbox that smells more like dust than beach. I called my niece there for the first time “Schaukel-Abenteuer” because she swings from one side to the other until she almost fell from the seat – a real adrenalinkick for a five-year-old girl. Parking is a children's game here: a few free places right on the edge of the park, as long as you are not there with the whole village on Saturday night, then this becomes a real problem.
The first stop of my little Odyssey was the Mississinewa Lake State Park, a piece of nature that stands like a broad blue eye into the Indiana emblem. I rented an old, squeaky kayak there – not a luxury, but enough to slide over the smooth waves, while the sun is struggling hard by the treetop. Easy parking there is at the main exit point, however, the field is quickly overrun by families with picnic baskets on weekends, so it's better to be there early, otherwise the car becomes a decorative decor. The roundabout around the lake is well signposted, and I almost ran because a sign suddenly changed from “walking path” to “bike path” – a small indication that not only hikers, but also cyclists turn their rounds here.
A short trip to Marion leads to Grant County Courthouse, an imposing brick building from the early 20th. Century that has more stories to tell than most guides. I stood there, while a court appointment just started, and heard the monotonous crawling of the Richterbank – a sound that somehow brings to the heart of the city. Parking is almost always free at the Town Hall Square except when the annual “Grant County Fair” takes place; then the field turns into a labyrinth of stands and carousels, and finding a free space becomes a sporting challenge.
Only a few blocks away is the Grant County Historical Museum, a place I always underestimate because it looks rather inconspicuous from the outside. Inside, however, artefacts are stacked from the time when the railway was still the backbone of the region, and I remembered an old, rusty shovel wheel, which was once used in the mines of Marion. Admission is free, and the staff is so friendly that they even showed me an old photo album from the 1920s – a real look back that almost left me forget that I had actually planned a short stop.
A little further south, along the Mississinewa River Trail, stretches a narrow path that winds through fields and small bridges. I spent an afternoon there while a tractor moaned in the distance and smelled the air for fresh hay. The trail is not just wide, but it just makes it charming; you almost feel like a explorer from another era. Parking is available at the access points, and the “No Motorized Vehicles” sign is a permanent reminder that only pedestrians and cyclists are welcome here – a small hint that keeps the rest.
Another highlight I can hardly overlook is the Marion Carnegie Library, a venerable building from the time when books were still in heavy leather volumes. I have swept through an old encyclopedia from 1910 and heard the silent click of the old reading lamps – a sound almost nostalgic. Parking is possible directly in front of the main entrance, but on exam days the small field quickly fills with students who complete their final work.
Last but not least a short trip to the Kokomo Speedway, which is a bit further away, but is a real magnet for motorsport fans. I was there on a Saturday night when the lights of the track cut into the dark and the engines produced a thriving Crescendo. Parking is generous, but driving in and out at peak times becomes a small mess – a hint that you should arrive better at an early stage if you don't want to stand in the dam while waiting for the start signal.
So if you're wondering what's going on in the vicinity of Lands, Washington Township, Grant, Indiana, then let the Landmarks do not deceive – they offer a mixture of nature, history and local culture, which at least briefly impresses every easy cynical traveller.
Find more vacation destinations near Landess Grant Indiana using our map.
Villages, towns, districts, places and Vacation destinations you should visit.
©copyright by POI-Travel.de
info@poi-travel.de
