My mother-in-law planned a fun get-a-way weekend for my sister-in law’s birthday. We headed to Nashville, Indiana. Nashville is a fun busy little town in between Indianapolis and Bloomington. Nashville, Indiana is known for it’s historical sites, food, hiking, shopping and winery/distillery. She booked an Airbnb in the middle of town. Our Airbnb was directly in front of the Pioneer Museum which made for a quiet Airbnb at night since it was closed at night and we were surrounded by trees.
I got up early the next morning to get a run in and one of my sister-in-laws came with me. We made our way to Brown Country State Park which is only about 10 minutes from Nashville. We chose a short trail because we did not have a lot of time. We did the Ogle Lake trail #7; the trail map said it was 1.2 miles, but it ended up being 1.7 miles, partly because the end of the trail was muddy and we had to do the last part on the road. It was a great little trail run to get us started and awake for the day.
We headed back to the airbnb and took a quick shower and headed to The Hob Nob Corner for breakfast. Typical me, I got the safe and boring breakfast of 2 eggs, toast and bacon, but it was so good. Everyone else was pretty adventurous for breakfast. A few of them got Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict, one got filet mignon steak tips with eggs, and biscuits and gravy. Not only did everything taste good the presentation of the food was well done and with care.
We headed out to check out the local shops. The first stop I made was at The Wild Olive. This store specialized in Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars. All their oils were 100% olive oil and no preservatives expect for the chocolate, butter, and bacon flavored olive oil. Olive Oil is something I cook with 90% of my meals as it is so much better for you than canola oil, vegetable oil, and most others. They are rich in antioxidants and can reduce cholesterol and are high in vitamin E.
We stopped at several other shops like Bathology, The Candy Emporium, Foxfire Boutique, and Naughty Dog Book Store. One place I went into that I loved all of their stuff was Rivers and Roads LLC. They sold pottery and beeswax candles. They had candles in the shape of morel mushrooms which were absolutely adorable.
We shopped until we dropped! We walked back to our Airbnb and all fell asleep for a few minutes. We woke up and headed back out to Brown County State Park and wandered around trying to decide what to eat for supper. The decision of going to Hard Truth was made. Hard Truth is not just a restaurant. Hard Truth is also a distillery that offers tours; they have a beautiful outdoor seating area with string lights and live bands, a gift shop and more. The food was very good. The food that we ordered was The Nashville Hot Chicken salad, salmon and brussels spouts, pot roast, and burger with fries. Everyone really enjoyed their food. Since we were celebrating a birthday in the group they gave us some donuts with apple butter. They were very good and very sweet.
The next morning we all overslept so bad. Or possibly I just overslept. I had every intention of waking up early again and going for a run. I rolled over and looked at my phone and it said 10:16. We had to be checked out by 11:00. A few of us got ready and went to grab coffee quickly. We didn’t have time to go get breakfast before we left. We walked into Common Grounds coffee shop. This shop was interesting. I was not sure where to even start with it. It somewhat looked like a thrift shop. It also could have passed for an elderly ladies living room that was a hoarder. I think at best it was a failed attempt to look like surrealist art. I found a hot pink shoe sitting by itself on a ledge. They also had books there to read while you drank your coffee. I found a large picture book of chickens that really caught my eye. What was even funnier than the pictures in the book was the small sticker in the corner that said not for sale. I wondered how many people tried to buy the book before they felt the need to put a sticker on it. The coffee was good but the location of it left a lasting impression I won’t forget.
After packing up and leaving we stopped at the small town of Story, Indiana. This town is absolutely adorable. The town was just a normal small town until The Great Depression and was left almost vacant for years. Now one family owns the small town and it is run as an Inn, restaurant, and venue. Many motorcyclists stop here overnight on trips while traveling the backroads. This place is also popular for weddings or just fun weekend getaways. Many ride their horses over from Brown County State Park for a great meal. If you are from the Midwest and see the outside of the building you think you know what to expect before you walk in. The outside of the main general store looks just like all the others in small town America because they are all the same. You walk in and they have a few table with mix matched chairs, the room is hazy with smoke from the grill and you are guaranteed to have the greasiest burger or biggest deep fried tenderloin of your life. Inside you will find 3-5 old men sitting with their cup of coffee talking about the good ol’ days. Story has this feel from the outside but when you walk in the restaurant it every different. The food is absolutely top of the line. You might find the old men but you will not find a greasy burger. To quote the menu you will find, “Crab stuffed morel mushrooms or fennel root with beet root butter and wasabi crème fraiche.” I also overheard the waiter say sometimes that have special candlelight dinners and a 6 course meal. What you have at Story is small town feel and small town hospitality with five star dining. Needless to say our brunch was delicious. We had the Sunday brunch special so it will not be on the regular menu but if I could get it again I would. I had eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, grits and fruit! The meal also came with complimentary pastries for the table. Everything was savory and satisfying. I will definitely be back at some point. In addition to this restaurant they have a tavern out back where they serve alcohol, smoked brisket, and have live music. The owner said there are 14 overnight arrangements. They have tiny houses to rent, or rooms. He gave us the keys to one of the houses that were not being used to go take a peek while we waited for our table. This particular house also had a hot tub and hammock. After our lovely brunch we took all the small, winding Indiana roads back home.
Audrey Hikes a Lot 