Okay, can you tell I'm in the mood for a vacation?

Have you ever thought about the fact that you live someplace that is "away" for someone else?  Travel guides always talk about going where the locals go, so as a local, YOU have an the inside scoop on your area, especially if one is on a tight budget.  All that to say, why don't we share our favorite frugal places for fun in our area so that our fellow forumites can have a nice frugal getaway with their families?

(I will post things as I think of them.)

My first idea would be one of the gzillions of free or cheap festivals all over the state.  There is everything from the Circus City Festival to the Marshmallow Festival to art, yarn and popcorn festivals.

http://www.indianafestivals.org/

 

According to Yankee Magazine there is a Garlic and Herb Festival in Bennington, Vermont. It sounded like so much fun.

 Free, self-guided tour of the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World."

http://www.coveredbridges.com/

 Nearby Turkey Run State Park is a pretty place to camp.

http://www.turkeyrunstatepark.com/

I just did a search for it and that does sound like fun VNW!  I wonder how they play "Garlic Golf."

My budget won't allow me to go to Vermont this year. Darn !!!

Maybe Babs and some of the Vermont DS members will go to the festival and report on it.

That would be nice!

Fun things to do in Indianapolis are spend time at the canal which has the zoo, conservatory, IMAX, several museums and the ballpark. http://www.in.gov/whiteriver/.  This is a favorite gathering place for locals and visitors.  The very nice art museum and garden, which is farther north, is free!  http://www.imamuseum.org/  A fun splurge is the Indianapolis Children's Museum.  It's supposed to be the world's largest, I think.  http://www.childrensmuseum.org/  Conner Prairie is also fun for kids. www.connerprairie.org.  I've gotten coupons for discounts to Conner Prairie through the Hamilton County CVB.

You can wander around Amish Country for just the cost of gas.  Most of Indiana Amish Country isn't overly touristy, so you can get Amish cheese, baked goods, etc. for very reasonable prices. 

 Shipshewana has a lot of activities, including a water park, Amish restaurants, and, of course, the flea market.  I haven't been over there in about 10 years but was not impressed with the flea market when I went.  Being familiar with flea markets in the south, this one is a lot different with new, and to me, overpriced items.

Throughout a good part of the summer, the 4-H county fairs are running all over the state.  That's a good activity to do for a staycation.

State parks are wonderful!  If you're into camping, it's quite inexpensive.  Pokagon has 2 swimming areas, camp sites, the Potawatomi Inn, nature trials, horseback riding, and different craft of nature programs at different times.  Bixler Lake in Kendallville is a city park with 2 swimming areas (with lifeguards on duty), camping, nature trails that are marked with education info about the different areas along the trail, fishing, and some activities as well through the parks and recreation department.

There are lots of museums scattered around the state as well.  Auburn has the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg museum.  They also have a festival in the summer and the Kruse Auto Auctions (pricey collector cars) and car show.  Rome City has the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site.  Ft. Wayne has several museums, The Children's Zoo, and more.

Of course, there are all the lakes up in the nothern part of the state with lots of camping, fishing, etc.  Lots of small towns have festivals that are fun for the whole family.