March 18, 2023
Hertzell’s Ice Cream, Bloomington, Indiana
Hertzell’s Ice Cream was such a pleasant surprise – friendly, pleasantly decorated, clean shop with great ice cream.
Bloomington, Indiana is the home of a State University campus, and Hertzell’s Ice Cream is located near the busy downtown. After parking nearby, we walked into a bustling shop which offered a variety of ice creams, vegan desserts, sorbet selections, smoothies, slush puppies and spinners (soft serve with mix- ins). I of course chose ice cream – Shamrock Grasshopper (yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day) and Lemon Poppyseed Cake Batter (which the server wanted me to try first because of the non- traditional flavor). I loved them both – flavorful, not grainy, smooth and creamy, not melting too quickly.
The shop shop was set up in a way as to enhance the atmosphere. We sat inside at a large table chatting with other customers, learining about about the town and and the ice cream – the friendly atmosphere made the trip even more enjoyable.
In the area – I actually combined two days worth of exploring here which started at the Clarksville, Indiana on the Ohio River and ended in Indianapolis.
Falls on the Ohio State Park – Clarksville, Indiana – the Ohio River starts near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and travels nearly 1,000 miles to the Mississippi Rivr. The Ohio River was mostly navigable except the section between Clarksville, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky. A dam and a canal was constructed in this area to aid cargo ships and other vessels using the river. Falls on the Ohio State Park was located near the dam and gave history and enviornmental information about the area.
After walking through the Falls on the Ohio the nature center with displays somewhat interesting, but a bit too juvenile, I walked down to the river. The dam and redirection of the water left fossil beds exposed. I actually found fossils many, all small, but very satisfying none the less..
Spring Mill Park, Mitchell, Indiana – Gus Grissom Museum – Gus Grissom, was a decorated and higjly esteemed American Air Force pilot, turned astranaut. He was and one of the first men to visit outer space and he remained active in the space exploration for the rest of his life, eventually meeting his demise in the Apollo 1 fire. Gus grew up in Mitchell, Indiana, and Spring Mill Park in his home town has a small museum celebrating his life. It was a fun place to visit with both exhibits about Grissom’s voyages including a space capsule, and his personal including his grade school report cards and family photos.
Spring Mill Park, Mitchell, Indiana – Nature Center – Our second stop in Spring Mill Park was the nature center which was also small, but cute. Our favorite thing here was the snapping turtle who followed us as we walked back and forth in front of his cage.
Spring Mill Park, Mitchell, Indiana – Pioneer Village – Built in 1817, a working gristmill is the center piece of Pioneer Village in Spring Mill Park. In additin tho the mill, the pioneer town include houses, an apothecary, a leather working shape (mainly shoe making), herb gardens and numerous other buildings. Our favorite place here was the mill with an extremely knowledgeable attendant who showed gears, hardware and how everything worked together.
Beanblossems Bottoms Nature Preserve, Ellettsville, Indiana – This path had a peaceful charm that made it really special.
Indianapolis Speedway Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana – the Indianapolis 500 is probably the most well known automobile race in the world. Almost every year since 1911, 33 of the world’s best drivers race 500 miles in the world’s fastest cars. In 1911 saw an average speed of 74.6 miles per hour. Today’s cars will average over 200 miles per hour.
This museum was set to celebrate the race, but I felt it was poorly done. It was mostly a set of cars set on a floor with dates and racer’s names. Nothing interactive, nothing that sparked my interest. There was a friendly staff anxious to answer questions, and could tell you where the restrooms were, but little else, I was actually shocked that no one there could enlighten us as to how cars changed over the years in terms of safety and what made them faster and safer. Overall a big disappointment to me.
Indianapolis Canal Walk – in 1936. when water travel was the most efficient form of transportation, many states built canals, including Indiana. The Central Canal was planned to connect the Wabash and Erie Canal to the Ohio River. Although the project was never completed, mainly due to financial reasons, Sections of the canal were made, and one was recently turned into a canal walk in the center of Indianoplis. The 1+ mile canal section is a beautiful and scenic walking path. We saw some runners and other walkers (and a opossum sitting on a garbage can that startled me) today, and figured this place is really crowded on nice summer evenings – great place for a visit in Indianapolis.
Colleen's Ice Cream Blog 