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.

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!

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!

 

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.

Abe's BBQ's website is here.

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.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum's website is here.

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!

NPS Natchez Trace Parkway website is here.

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!

Ground Zero's website is here.

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.

B.B. King Museum link is here.

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!

Check out the overview here.

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

Read about the Christmas Lights in Leland here.

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.

Stone Pony's website is here.

Cat Head's website is here.

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!

Cheekwood's website is here.

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!!

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.

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.

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!

Click here for Bliss Artisan's website.

Glasgow, Cave City, and Giants!

I'm in Glasgow (KY) for the Highland Games supporting my peeps in the Louisville Pipe Band. I'm not yet competition ready, but I get to participate in performances with the more established pipers. Good times! I was also super excited when I realized that Glasgow is in the vicinity of two more summer bucket list items: Cave City Wigwams and Mammoth Cave. Let the roadtrip adventures begin!

With the stay at Cave City Wigwams, I completed the "Sleep in a Wigwam" trifecta, since I've already snoozed at the other two in Rialto, CA, in 2010, and Holbrook, AZ, in 2015. (Those posts are available here: Rialto and Holbrook if you are interested in experiencing those adventures.) I'll be frank, Cave City was the least-well maintained of the three, and it seemed like the furniture was not original to the room because it did not fit the unique angled walls of a concrete wigwam. But, mission accomplished!

Click here for Cave City Wigwam's website.

The next morning, I had to race to Mammoth Cave to get a ticket for the Mammoth Passage Tour, which is limited to day-of purchases. I wanted to take a cave tour, without the crawling, claustrophobic confines of a real "cave" tour, and this one was it. The Passages Tour focused on the history of the caves, from a geologic and anthropologic sense, and was a starting point for the longer tours. It did not inspire me to put on a lighted helmet to take a more intense tour, but it was a really great experience to check off the list.

Click here for Mammoth Cave's website.

Finally, on the drive back, I swung by Bernheim Forest to see the Giants! I will definitely return to Bernheim to explore more of the grounds now that I've been introduced to the happenings there, and will I plan for a less-crowded time.

Click here for Bernheim's website.

So, great roadtrip getaway, and several summer bucket list items checked off. Who is up for the next round of adventures?

Mary M. Miller and Belle of Louisville Cruises

I am getting started on my summer bucket list! I get a reminder of these delightful pending items when I drove past and got to hear the Belle's calliope tooting away. In a short span of six days, I was able to cruise on Mary M. Miller and the Belle of Louisville. Both were fantastic experiences that I highly recommend!

I wanted to experience the Mary M. Miller first, since I had already cruised on the Belle. If you don't recognize her name, Mary M. Miller was the first female to earn her riverboat captain's license. Mary M. Miller (the boat) just came to Louisville in 2017, so I was excited to give her a spin. The date I scheduled the trip turned out to be a rain-saturated, foggy day, but she still launched! The Ohio River was churning with some good atmospheric mist.

I planned ahead and got the brunch buffet, which included a wide variety of comfort foods.

Afterward, I went up on the deck to get some fresh - rainsoaked - air, which did not lessen the experience. A DJ played music and shared tidbits of information as we cruised on, like the high mark of the 1937 flood, the Louisville Water Tower, and the former home of Jeffboat.

The next weekend, I scheduled the Belle of Louisville. As you can see, I got a beautiful, blue-sky day! For my non-Louisville readers, the Belle is more than 100 years old, and she is the oldest river steamboat in operation. She is on the National Register of Historic Places, and a National Historic Landmark, to boot.

This is that historic steamboat wheel at work!

The view coming back was stunning, and a super cool way to see the variety of the Ohio River bridges!

There are all kinds of cruises, like up to Madison or down through the Locks. I encourage you to schedule a trip, even if you think you've already experienced the Belle or Mary M. Miller. See you out there!

Click here for Belle of Louisville's website.

Dunes and Tulips Road Trip: Holland, Michigan

After maxing out on the Dunes, my next stop was Holland, Michigan for Tulip Time! For two weekends in May - and the days between - Holland celebrates everything tulips. There were Dutch-themed parades, concerts, cooking exhibitions, and tours for attendees to enjoy. I joined friends who had planned an extended stay, and I got to crash in their lovely cottage in Saugatuck, about 12 miles from all the action in Holland.



But first. some lunch. This is my spread from The Southerner in Saugutuck. (Check out the formica table!) I had to try the fried chicken, and our waiter recommended half Nashville Hot, and half Traditional. Both were delicious! I went with braised greens and a flaky biscuit as my sides. YUM!! On the walk back to the cottage, we planned our next activity: seeing some tulips!

Click here for The Southerner's website.

We could see a wide range of colors from the car, but we knew that a tulip farm was the way to go. Veldheer Tulip Gardens was both a garden and a marketplace, where you could select your varieties after touring the gardens and have the bulbs delivered in the fall for planting, in anticipation of spring blooms.

Here are just a few of the magnificent colors:







Lovely, huh?! I'm just going to see that my weeping eyes and running nose were totally worth this experience!!

Click here for Veldheer's website.



And my final food shout-out on this road trip is Scooters Cafe & Pizzeria, in the cute little shopping district in Saugatuck. It was recommended by a local artist, who eats at Scooters most days of the week. This baby is half Greek and half Margherita, and wholey cow delicious!

Click here for Scooters Cafe & Pizzeria's website.

It will be hard to go to work tomorrow, but I am totally recharged from the beauty of Dunes and Tulips!