Sunday, October 8, 2023

Holiday World 2023


I haven't been to Holiday World since it was simply Santa Claus Land! But, today's the day to get my Halloween - and other holidays - thrills on!

For some background, Santa Claus Land was a delightful getaway in Santa Claus, Indiana, dating from 1946, and has the bragging rights of being the U.S.'s first theme park. It was about an hour from my parent's house, and we went often as kids. At some point I aged into being "too cool for Santa Claus Land" and stopped going when invited. In 1984, they transitioned to Holiday World and added zones geared to Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. In 1993, the Splashin' Safari water park was added. All features are included with the admission price. But, it will always be Santa Claus Land to me!

Today, I was here for Halloween. I appreciate the buy-in to the theme, including the Halloweened-up kiddie train ride, Star Spangled Carousel renamed to Star Spangled Scarousel (actually located in Fourth of July zone), 


special Monster Burger with garlic cheese curds, onion straws, and chipotle mayo, and spicy-seasoned fries,


the sweet Trick or Treat Mazed & Confused? corn maze,


and a fun song-and-dance performance with a full cast of scary characters. 


Plus, I did enjoy Gobbler Getaway ride in Thanksgiving zone, and of course the Christmas village.

I didn't ride any of the rollercoasters, but I will on my next visit. It won't be 40 years before I go back! Ho ho ho!!

Click here for Holiday World's website.


Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Indiana Dunes 2023

While still in bliss mode from having toes in the sand and waves crashing in front of me, I'm happy to share my most recent getaway to the Indiana Dunes. I'm here this time to join a behind-the-scenes tour of Pinhole Bog & Upland Trail!

I tried to visit the bogs - and see the carnivorous plants - on my 2021 trip, but the event sold out. This time, I specifically took time off work to get to see them. I've made several unsuccessful attempts at keeping Venus Fly Traps alive, and I'm currently nursing one I purchased in March. Fingers are crossed I pick up a few tips from the professionals! Here are two of the cool plants from the bogs.

Carnivorous Sun Dews

Carnivorous Pitcher Plants


I also used my Yew Dell Membership to visit a reciprocal garden while in the neighborhood, the Friendship Botanical Garden. They had a fun international section, and I naturally picked the Scotland garden as my fave.

I discovered some delish food on this run:


Smoky's BBQ and my favorite burnt ends.


Musashi Japanese Restaurant for udon soup and tempura veggies.


Peggy Sue's Diner with Route 66 mural surrounding the dining room. I had a tasty BLT.

This is my third trip to the Dunes, with a different focus each time. Hopefully, one of these inspire you to make the trip. There's still more for me to experience, and I'll definitely be back!

Click here for my 2019 post.

In 2011, I completed the Three Dune Challenge, and made a point of visiting all of the beaches. 

And, for clarity, Indiana Dunes is both an Indiana State Park, as well as a National Park. Each entity requires separate admission. Keep this in mind when you're making your plans!


Thursday, June 15, 2023

South Seas


Looking for a cool place to escape the summer heat? I've been eyeballing South Seas as I cut through Butchertown, and tonight was the night to pull over. I was not disappointed!


I got down to business with the Big Kahuna Burger, served with grilled pineapple, cheese, and shredded lettuce, on a Hawaiian bun. YUM!!


Their dishes are served a la carte, so I balanced out the burger deliciousness with a South Seas Salad that included roasted corn, black beans, tomatoes, crunch lettuce, shredded cheese, and tortilla strips, dressed with avocado-lime vinaigrette. I knew I'd have plenty for tomorrow's lunch.

South Sea's website is still under construction, but check back at loutiki.com when you have the hankering for a quick escape. I'll cruise over to join you!

 

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Road Trip to Clarksdale, Mississippi

One of my "what would I do if I won the lottery" dreams is to visit the few remaining states in my tour of America. They are far-flung: Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington, and Alaska. I had the holiday week off, so Mississippi is now checked off!

Clarksdale was my destination, and exploring the home of the Delta Blues was my goal. It blows me away that so much incredible talent came from a hole-in-the-wall town: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Ike Turner, and Sam Cooke, among many others. Amazing!!









Day #1 started with the Delta Blues Museum, which had the feel of a collection trying to find a space. I was able to not be judgmental and just enjoy the wide range of instruments, music sheets, costumes, and photographs throughout the space in a non-linear flow. Muddy Waters had a special exhibition space with a documentary, and the remains of his childhood cabin was on display. A must see!

Delta Blues Museum's website is here.

One place you HAVE to stop for food in Clarksdale is Abe's BBQ - at the Crossroads. THE CROSSROADS where legend tells that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil for his guitar skills.


Abe's BBQ is also legendary for fabulous meals. I went the classic burnt ends, potato salad, and baked beans.


Since my digs for the week had a fridge and microwave, I ordered lots of food. I had to try the tamale, novelly served with slaw and crackers.



For day #2, I drove to Jackson to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum for a heart-wrenching experience. The route took me past the Emmitt Till Interpretive Center, and I could not face that history. Jackson was on a boil water alert, which reminded me that so many people still don't have what I take for granted everyday. The Museum itself did not hide in its shadows, and displays and audio told the horrific story of slavery and Jim Crow. It was hard to take in, but the story had to be told.


On the drive back, I entered the Natchez Trace Parkway, a National Park Service location and 444-mile scenic drive from Mississippi to Tennessee. I wanted to see more bald cypress trees at the Tupelo-Bald Cypress Swamp stop for more cool reflection photos. Well worth the detour!



That night, I went to Ground Zero Blues Club, Morgan Freeman's joint in Clarksdale. The space was fabulous: long tables pushed together with mismatched tablecloths that you were encouraged to autograph with provided Sharpies, cool art and signs decorating the walls, honky tonk piano blues with Lala and Element 88. Another off-the-chart recommendation!



Day #3 took me to the B.B. King Museum. It is a must-stop while in the area, and plan to spend some time there. This Museum starts with a video about B.B.'s life, and all the amazing lives he touched in and around Indianola, MS. You get a deep-dive into "the King's" life, his impacts, as well as his struggles and his joys.




Finally! A catfish po'boy from Pea Soup's Lott-A-Freeze powered me up for the next stop in search of the roots of the frog.

Pea Soup's doesn't have a website, but their address is 809 US-82, Indianola, MS 38751.

  

This is the Birthplace of the Frog! Jim Henson was born in Leland, MS, and Kermit's mark is throughout the city. It was sadly closed while I was there due to a staff sickness. But I'm sure it was amazing!



Leland has a cool tradition of decorated rafts in the river, with everything from Santa in his sleigh to guitars, and of course Kermit!



Back to Clarksdale for dinner, and I chose the legendary Stone Pony Pizza veggie to-go. I also stopped by the cool record/folk art store Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, and popped in a few other downtown shops.


Day 4 and I hit the road early in the morning heading home. I stayed the course until I approached Nashville, Tennessee, and Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, which was on the reciprocal gardens list with my Yew Dell membership. Their gardens were lovely, but not more lovely that ours!


I did love this kilted nutcracker inside the house tour!


And their train village was impressive!


What a great trip! I got to see the roots of Delta Blues, local legacies, as well as botanical treasures. PLUS all the delicious food. And, another state checked off the list! Hmm, what state's next?! Stay tuned!!

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Mojito in Havana

You may remember my Havana Rumba meal from 2018 (click here for post) featuring some delicious traditional Cuban food. Now I'm thrilled share the sister restaurant Mojito in Havana!

Chorizo con Bacon

This St. Matthews space, on the other end of Shelbyville Road from the Middletown location, is quite delightful with bright colors, fun decor (I especially liked the clothesline feature!), and festive music. The menu was also spicier with different items. I had to try the Chorizo con Bacon after the first glance. Read after me and try to overlook it: spicy Spanish mini chorizos stuffed with fresh cheese and dates wrapped in crispy bacon and drizzled with fig sauce. You will love it, too!

Havana Rumba sandwich

For my main dish, I selected the namesake Havana Rumba sandwich with roasted pork, Spanish chorizo, Serrano ham, Provolone cheese, ham, mustard, pickles and aioli on hot, pressed Cuban bread. So good, and the sweet potato fries came with another sauce bowl of the fig sauce for even more tastiness.

There were sooo many more things I want to try. Who wants to try ANY of the three Havana Rumbas with me?

Click here for their website.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Taco Luchador

I'm seeing "To Kill A Mockingbird" at the Palace tonight, and I'm grabbing dinner at Taco Luchador before settling in for the classic film. It's my first - but certainly not last - meal at this cool spot!

I made two delicious choices on this initial run: Mexican Crunchy Salad and Baja Fish Taco.

Mexican Crunchy Salad


The Mexican Crunchy Salad was a flavorful blend of arugula, roasted cherry tomatoes, pickled red cabbage, carrots, onion, avocado, cilantro, beets, radish, queso fresco, and pumpkin seeds tossed with crispy tortilla strips and lime-cilantro Agave vinaigrette. So fresh and healthy!

Baja Fish Taco
The Baja Fish Taco was crispy and crunchy with a light batter and topped with more pickled red cabbage and cilantro. YUM!!

Let's smackdown a few more tacos from their menu! There are several locations across town, so we can make this happen!

Click here for their website.

Friday, June 21, 2019

Bliss Pizza

Bliss Artisan on Spring Street is my latest favorite pizza joint AND my latest favorite ice cream shop!


Let's start with the pizza. They are a make it your way place. Actually, their motto is "We create the ice cream...YOU create the pizza." What makes them unique is a variety of delicious sauces, like pesto, that puts the flavor waaaay over the top! The crust is whisper-thin but still tasty. This was my loaded-down veggie, all included in the base price. 

Then there's the ice cream. This is the most-delicious peanut butter and jelly, and I'm here to confirm each and every flavor I've had has been off the charts.

Give them a visit when you're heading to downtown New Albany. For the long-timers, they are in the apartments/condos where Frisch's used to be located. It will be fun to "cruise" through Bliss!