Visit Taylorsville Bartholomew Indiana and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Taylorsville, Indiana: Experience the rural charm and traditional festivals! Discover the Lochlever Park and the Taylor'sville Fall Festival.
Honestly, if you think Indiana offers only endless cornfields and highway intersections, you haven't experienced Taylorsville yet. The city was founded in 1830 by a certain John Taylor – a guy who probably thought more about land than Glamour – and is located in the heart of German Township, Bartholomew County. The first wooden huts tell about pioneers who built the country with bare hands, and that's what you feel today when you stroll over the old stone paths.
I don't quite understand the hype around the big metropolises, but here there is a unique flair: the old church on the corner, which has been standing since 1854, is less a museum than a silent witness of weddings, funerals and a lot of village community. When you arrive by car, take the I‐65 and bend to the US‐31 at Exit 124 – this is the fastest route, but a bit of land road charm on the County Road 500 makes the whole really authentic.
A short trip to the nearby Old Town Hall lets you feel the historical heart of German Township, and while you are standing there, you notice that the “Taylorsville Sights” are not created from brochures, but from the locals’ conversations. No joke, the old woman's smile at the vegetable store is almost a landmark for herself.
I have to admit that my favorite place in Taylorsville is not just a glittering tourist magnet, but an inconspicuous spot earth that the locals lovingly Community Park call. There is a small baseball court, a few old benches that tell more stories of forgotten picnics than any Instagram story, and a playground that has more rust than color – but hey, this is just the certain something that reminds you that there are still real people living here.
A short walk further (and yes, parking is usually a Klacks, except Saturdays, when the whole city suddenly decided to organize a barbecue) leads you to St. John Lutheran Church. The building is made of red brick, has a top roof and a bell game, which on Sundays sounds more than most big city subways. I don't quite understand the hype about modern church architecture, but here you have the feeling that every candle you light actually does something – at least for the soul of the neighborhood.
If you ask yourself where you can inhale a bit of history, look at this old Taylorsville Schoolhouse which now serves as a community centre. The walls are still covered with the faded names of pupils from the 50s, and the old chalkboard chat sometimes still echoes in the halls when the kids get a bit loud today after lunch. I once experienced a cake competition there – not a joke, the grandma from the corner baked an apple cake that was almost better than what you find in the hip cafés of Evansville.
A short detour to the north brings you to Taylorsville Cemetery. Sounds like a place you prefer to avoid, but the old tombstones here have more character than most Instagram filters. I discovered an ancient tombstone that bears the date of 1863 – a small reminder that this area existed long before the food trucks and craft beer breweries. And yes, this is definitely one of the Taylorsville Attractionsthat you do not find in any guide.
A little further down the road stands German Township Historical Society Museum. It is not a huge museum, rather a small space in the old city administration, where you can admire old tools, photos and a few yellowed maps. I found an old railway ticket that reminds me of the times when the railway was still the backbone of the region. Admission is free because the city obviously prefers to spend the money for street lighting.
My personal secret tip comes now: the Taylorsville Fire Department. The old fire brigade from the 30s has a charming retro look, and the guys there are always ready to give you a smile, even if you want to watch over the smell of burnt wood. I once spent a day there because I thought I could get a bit of “firefighting feeling” – and actually, the sound of the sirens has something more soothing than I expected.
To finish, before I leave you back to the wide world, I have to Taylorsville Diner mention. This is not a chic gourmet restaurant, but a simple place with red vinyl chairs, a coffee machine that cracks more than brunettes, and a chef that makes pancakes so flat that you could use them almost as a base for your phone. I drank a coffee there that was stronger than my motivation to go home, and that was the best thing that could happen to me in a rainy afternoon.
The first stop I put to every new man's heart is that Miller House and Garden in Columbus – an architectural wonder designed by Eero Saarinen and today serves as a museum for design lovers. I remember the day when I stood there and admired the clear lines of the house, while a light wind was blowing through the perfectly maintained garden; that was not an Instagram filter, that was pure reality. Parking is usually easy, except on Saturday night, there will be a real problem because then the local design students present their final projects.
Only a few blocks further Columbus Museum of Art, which with its mix of contemporary art and regional history sounds almost too good to be true. I saw an exhibition about Indiana abstraction that made me feel more like a philosophy seminar, and the café next door served the best latte I ever drank outside Seattle – no joke.
If you have enough of shiny galleries, the path leads to Bartholomew County Historical Museumhoused in an old bank building. There are old photographs that show how the area was once dominated by horse cars and not by SUVs. I almost lost because I tried to remember the names of all on the plaques – a hobby I would never admit, but here it feels almost like a duty.
A walk through downtown Columbus becomes quick to Architectural guide, where you can admire the famous buildings of I. M. Pei, Eero Saarinen and even of Robert Venturi close by. I made the tour with an old town plan I borrowed in the library, and had to sneak every time a passer asked me if I was running an architectural office. Spoiler: I am just an enthusiastic tourist with too much leisure.
A short trip to the north brings you to Mounds State Park at Anderson, where magnificent hills from the time of Adena culture watch over the landscape. I made a picnic there, while a few children spoke loudly about the “ cursed” tombhills – I explained to them that the real ghosts are more of the mosquitoes that buzz around the ears at 10:00. The parking lot is large enough, but at the weekends it fills itself faster than a cinema on the premiere night.
Continue south Hoosier National Forest, a forest piece that has more trees than I could count in my whole life. I have made a hike on the trail “Cedar Ridge”, which stretches through dense jaws and small streams. The best thing: the shields are so clear that you no longer have to ask for Google Maps – a rare consolation in a world full of GPS cooling lines.
A bit further west, near the town of Seymour, is the Muscatuck National Wildlife Refuge. There you can observe birds with a binoculars that you only know from documentation. I've seen a red-collar chopper there that was so brave that he landed right in front of me as if he wanted to give me a selfie. The visitor centre has a small shop where you can buy honey from the region – a sweet finish after a day full of nature.
Whether you are a fan of modern architecture, historical photography or unspoiled nature, the surroundings of Taylorsville offer more than enough reasons to turn on and take off the engine. My personal highlights – from Miller House to Muscatatuck Refuge – show that Taylorsville Attractions not only are a name on a map, but a real adventure for anyone who is willing to walk a bit off the beaten paths.
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