Indiana Caverns

To celebrate the last "official" three-day weekend of the summer, I gathered the family into the Corolla and we headed west to explore Indiana Caverns. Only open to the public since June, this attraction has been generating some buzz due primarily to their somewhat unique offering of an underground boat ride - the deciding factor for me when choosing our destination. We'd been looking forward to this trip for a couple of weeks because, other than briefly exploring an unmapped cave on our neighbor's farm, we hadn't been underground since last visiting Mammoth Cave back in 2009. Ultimately, the experience lived up to expectations!

Indiana Caverns was established as a commercial venture by Gary Roberson and the Indiana Speleological Survey in order to provide a public entrance to the Binkley Cave system, the largest cave system in Indiana. Prior to this venture all of the known access points were located on private property, keeping the wonders of the caverns restricted only to those properly trained and equipped to experience them.

Located just a short drive south of Corydon, Indiana Caverns' newly constructed above-ground facilities can be a bit easy to miss unless you're sure to grab directions before embarking on your trip. Hopefully more prominent signage is in the plans for future visitors. The unassuming structure that houses the gift shop and serves as the origination point of the cave tours also contains a vending machine (great for post-tour refreshments) and well-cared for restrooms.

Tours, which depart approximately every 30 minutes, begin with a short film production that explains the history of Indiana Caverns as well as providing a brief summary of caves in general. Be prepared to encounter a subtle creationist bias to the science that's presented, if that sort of thing bothers you. Although the production doesn't come close to being a Michael Bay extravaganza, it serves as a decent introduction to the cave system and well worth sitting through its short running time.

Entrance to the cave is achieved through an airlock of sorts - one of the many measures implemented by Indiana Caverns to preserve and protect the cave system. In my mind it goes without saying, but after reading some of the reviews on TripAdvisor I learned that many cave visitors didn't expect to have to navigate steps of any sort while touring the caverns. Well, Indiana Caverns has 'em, and many of them involve spiral staircases with see-through metal grates. Be prepared to descend (and ascend) a fair number of steps.

The walking portion of the tour is conducted not on the natural cave floor surface, but on elevated "cat walks". Not only does this help preserve the cave, but it also provides a walking surface that is - fairly - consistently level. The walkway also has handrails to either side, allowing for maximum stability and "user-friendliness". You lose a little of the natural beauty aspect, with these man-made surfaces constantly in view, but it's far less of a distraction than you'd think. Instead, expect your attention to be held by the many calcium formations (stalagmites, stalactites, etc.), the evidence of prehistoric animal habitation (including the nearly complete remains of an Ice Age peccary), and the highlight of the tour - a boat ride on an underground stream.

Visitors are loaded, two-by-two, into a specially designed flat-bottomed boat to be taken to the furthest reaches of the "developed" portion of the cave. While the ride is relatively short, it's an uncommon feature found in only a handful of commercial caverns around the country. This was a first for both Wonderful Wife and The Youngest, and I can assure you that they (and I) thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Compared to other cave destinations, Indian Caverns ranks somewhere in the middle. The formations are interesting but not awe-inspiring and the tour length is relatively short, but this attraction deserves a place on your itinerary.

Antiquing in Corydon, Indiana

After spending a short while at the Corydon Battle Park, Wonderful Wife and I ventured into the town of Corydon itself for a bit of lunch and - we hoped - a successful antiquing excursion. Although there are a handful of independent eateries in Corydon to go along with the usual chain establishments, with most of the latter being located in a cluster around the I-64 interchange, none appeared to be gluten-free friendly. As a result, our lunch consisted of a hurried, mediocre meal at Wendy's.

Corydon isn't exactly an antiquing hotspot, but some pre-travel research turned up a couple of shops that looked promising. Our first stop was the Red Barn Antique Mall, located just west of downtown on Walnut Street (Indiana 62).

The Red Barn Antique mall in Corydon, Indiana

The Red Barn has great outside appeal and you can tell the owners have put a lot of effort into making their shop aesthetically pleasing. The interior is no less impressive with a great rustic theme that you'd expect to see in a renovated barn. Boasting three floors of dealer booths, there's plenty of inventory to keep browsers busy! Most items were of mid-range quality with a few higher-end pieces scattered about. Prices tended to hover a bit above normal, in my opinion, though I did see a few things marked very reasonable. Despite the mall's large inventory, Wonderful Wife and I left the Red Barn empty-handed.

When we antique, we typically target specific "wants" so that what little savings we have isn't squandered on potentially regrettable purchases. On this trip my radar was calibrated for pre-Vietnam-era military insignia (patches, DUIs, etc.) and souvenir pint glasses. I did find one grouping of World War II patches that was reasonably priced, but for reasons beyond my comprehension I didn't pull the trigger. Talk about regrettable non-purchases! Wonderful Wife tends to be a little less discriminating than me, though she also left without anything really catching her eye.

Next up for us was the downtown shopping district which, like many quaint old towns, centers on a town square. I really wish I had more pictures to share, since the square is home not only to shopping but the original Indiana state capital building. Next time, for sure. The first stop on our circuit of downtown Corydon was the Old Town Store on the corner of Mulberry and Chestnut streets (how Midwestern are those street names, right?). The store - situated in an old service station - boasts more than 3,000 sq. ft. of antiques, collectibles, and the all-important mantiques. The prices here were by and large very reasonable, but as with the Red Barn we left empty-handed.

The next two stores that we visited - Little Texas Consignments and A Place In Time - were also busts. The inventory of both shops was more of the flea-market variety. By now, it seemed that our chances of having a successful antiquing excursion were slim to none.

So Dear 2 My Heart Vintage Jewelry in Corydon, Indiana

As it would turn out, the last shop on our list - So Dear 2 My Heart - would salvage the trip. For Wonderful Wife, anyway. This particular shop specializes in vintage and antique jewelry, which is right up her alley, and sure enough she scored this largish owl necklace.

Although we didn't add much to our collections, antiquing in Corydon was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The town has plenty to offer for history lovers, making for a pretty well-rounded experience.

Battle of Corydon

On July 9th, 1863, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his more than 2,000 cavalrymen met less than 500 "home guards" of the Indiana Legion just south of the town of Corydon in Harrison County, Indiana. Needless to say, Morgan's men carried the day and continued to push deeper into Union territory in what would become known as the longest cavalry raid of the Civil War.

The town of Corydon holds a reenactment celebration each year to commemorate this event, which also happens to be the last battle fought on Indiana soil, but due to our travels to Gettysburg we missed the 150th anniversary festivities. Nevertheless, I was determined to visit the site of the battle and get in some antique shopping!

Although the forecast threatened rain and storms, fantastic weather accompanied our trip westward on I-64 through Louisville and across the Ohio River into the Hoosier State. Once in Indiana, I elected to slip off the interstate and take in the scenery along State Road 11. It's definitely an indirect route to Corydon, but allows for a hilly, curvy driving experience that easily dispels the "flat" Indiana stereotype - not to mention passing along the point where Morgan's Confederates crossed the Ohio at Morvin's Landing.

View toward Brandenburg, KY from Morvin's Landing Road

A day before the fight in Corydon, Morgan crossed the Ohio at this point by utilizing two captured steamboats. Men of the Indiana Legion attempted to oppose the crossing with musket fire and the rather ineffectual bombardment from one piece of artillery set atop a nearby ridge. A direct hit on the gun from one of the Confederate artillery pieces silenced the Federal cannon, killing its crew, and all opposition to the crossing faded away.

Brandenburg's Riverfront Park seen from Morvin's Landing

Even though the Matthew E. Welsh bridge spans the Ohio a short distance downstream from Morvin's Landing, standing on the muddy bank of the river one can still get a sense of connecting with the events of that hot July day in 1863. The town of Brandenburg, Kentucky, lies on the opposite shore and will most definitely be a stop for us on a future excursion.

Brandenburg homes overlooking the Ohio River

State Route 135, the old Mauckport-Corydon road, lies just to the west of Morvin's Landing and was the route used by the main thrust of Morgan's invaders. The road in service today has been greatly "modernized", but the old road runs parallel at several points and offers a bit of a glimpse into the original scenery passed by the Confederate troopers.  About 10 miles after joining Route 135 we turned off on Old SR 135 for the remainder of our trip to the battlefield site since the new road veers to the west of town.

Corydon Battle Park is a rather unassuming bit of land just outside the southern city limits on Old SR 135. You need a sharp eye to catch the entrance when approaching from the south, but a nice sized sign serves as an adequate guide when coming from the direction of Corydon. Fully wooded now, the five acres comprising the park was an open ridge where the small band of Union defenders positioned their artillery in the hopes of halting or delaying the Confederate invaders. The dense foliage thwarts any attempt to get a good feel for the terrain as it might have appeared to either the invaders or the defenders, unfortunately.

Replica Civil War cannon at Corydon Battle Park

A replica cannon stands near the access road, as does a recovered mooring post and anchor chain from the steamboat Alice Dean (sunk by Morgan after his cavalrymen reached the Indiana shore). A short, paved path takes visitors past a monument inscribed with the names of both the Union and Confederate men killed during the brief battle to a replica log cabin. The cabin was shuttered on our visit, but I from what I understand it serves as a sort of living history display on special occasions.

Anchor chain and mooring post from the Alice Dean

I also expected to see a monument dedicated to Jeremiah Nance, one of the men killed manning the artillery piece at Morvin's Landing. He was buried at a farm cemetery just east of Laconia, but his grave marker was moved to the Battle Park in 1986 when the cemetery ceased to exist. At the time of our visit, his marker, and the iron fence that had been surrounding it, were completely gone. There was nothing to explain its whereabouts, so for now the situation is a bit mysterious.

Missing grave marker of Jeremiah Nance

After a brief stay at the park we headed into Corydon for a bit of antiquing (the subject of a future post). The time available to us for exploration was severely limited due to having to be back home to take The Youngest to work. As a result, a number of spots that I had hoped to see had to be saved for our next visit to the area. Both Indiana Caverns and Squire Boone Caverns are in the immediate vicinity of Corydon, so there's at least one more trip on the horizon!

View some more photos in my Flickr album.

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