July 2010 That Reminds Me

by Emily Schilling,
Editor

Summer officially began just a few weeks ago. The long days and typically sunny weather make this an ideal season to explore Indiana.

Most of us may live here all our lives, but we hardly ever take advantage of the attractions in our own backyards. This summer, why not take a short trip to someplace you’ve never been in Indiana? Here are just a few suggestions of places to go during your summer vacation.

• Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Museum. High school, college and professional basketball standouts — including both players and coaches — are honored and memorabilia is displayed at this facility, appropriately located right next to the world’s largest high school gymnasium. Get your fix of Hoosier Hysteria at 408 Trojan Lane in New Castle. (Call 765-529-1891 or visit hoopshall.com.)

• “Barbie: The Fashion Experience” at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. This special exhibit is tailor-made for little — and not-so-little — girls who couldn’t care less about basketball but are all about the iconic teenage fashion doll. Youngsters will enjoy dressing up and walking the runaway. Their moms and grandmas will have fun seeing vintage Barbies and Barbie mannequins wearing designer couture. The museum is located at 3000 N. Meridian St. in Indianapolis. (Call 317-334-3322 or visit http://childrensmuseum.org/barbie/index.php.)

• Shipshewana. I recently purchased a popular 2003 travel book called “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” (not to be confused with a subsequent version of the book dedicated to places in the United States and Canada). Among the exotic locales like Machu Picchu and the Marquesas Islands is Shipshewana, the only place in Indiana to be cited in the book. A tiny, quiet Amish-Mennonite community in the northeastern part of the state, Shipshewana is a bargain shopper’s paradise featuring weekly auctions and massive flea markets held seasonally. An antique festival is held each August. (http://www.shipshewana.org/)

• The Circus City Festival. It may seem odd that kids could be circus performers, but each July, approximately 250 amateurs (aged 7-21) present 10 performances in Peru, the Circus Capital of the World. The festival, to be held July 17-24, includes one of the state’s largest parades. (Call 765-472-3918 or visit http://perucircus.com/.)