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Indiahoma

Indiahoma is a city in Oklahoma.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Indiahoma


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Indialantic

Indialantic is a one square mile town across the Melbourne Causeway from Melbourne, in Florida. It has an excellent beach and fine shopping.

By air

 * Melbourne International Airport, in Melbourne.
 * Orlando International Airport, in Orlando.
 * Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach.

By car
US-192 goes east from I-95 to downtown Melbourne and across the Intracoastal Waterway to 5th Avenue — downtown Indialantic. FL-A1A connects Indialantic to Indian Harbour Beach to the north and Melbourne Beach to the south.

By bus

 * Space Coast Area Transit, Phone: +1 321 633-1878. Operates the Route 21 bus service to the beaches. They run every half hour M-Sa, and hourly on Su.

Go next

 * Melbourne Beach south of Indialantic
 * Melbourne on the mainland

title: Indialantic


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Indiana

Indiana is a state in the heart of the Midwest region of the United States. Indiana is more than a fly-over state with one large metropolitan area, rural farmland, and cozy college towns.

Cities

 * – capital and largest city
 * – bohemian college town housing the main campus of Indiana University
 * – quiet and quaint location of the University of Evansville, with the University of Southern Indiana just outside the city limits
 * – a mix of metropolitan and small town
 * – an industrial town in Chicagoland which has been rebuilding in the 21st century
 * – notorious party town with Ball State University
 * – contains the most beautiful college campus in the state: the University of Notre Dame
 * – location of several colleges (including Indiana State University)
 * – Purdue University and a well-preserved historic downtown district

Other destinations

 * – the state's only national park
 * – in the small town that song was about
 * – in the small town that song was about

Geography & climate
Indiana is mostly rural with high population concentrations in a few major cities/towns. The majority of Indiana is open farmland, though this is changing with expansion.

Time zone
Most of Indiana is in the Eastern Time Zone (same as New York and Washington DC). However, far northwestern Indiana is the Central Time Zone, so it has the same time as nearby Chicago. Likewise, for southwestern Indiana, which includes Evansville. Both zones observe daylight savings from early March to early November.

Talk
While English is the common language, there regions of Indiana where the Amish live who also speak Pennsylvania Dutch, which is related to German.

Tourist information

 * Visit Indiana website

By plane
Indianapolis International Airport is the major airport in the state with flights to many cities around the country. Direct international service to IND is limited, and includes a daily Air Canada flight to Toronto and service by Southwest and American to Cancún.

Small airports in Fort Wayne, Evansville and South Bend offer flights to nearby hub cities. Air service is also available from airports in neighboring states, in Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville.

By car
Numerous interstate highways enter and leave the state. Interstates 80 and 90 form the Indiana Toll Road in northern Indiana, linking Gary, South Bend and Ohio. Interstate 94 hugs most of Lake Michigan from Illinois to Michigan. Interstate 65 is the major north-south route from Gary south to Indianapolis then entering Kentucky at Louisville. Interstate 70 is the busiest east-west route linking Illinois (at Terre Haute) with Ohio (at Richmond), passing through Indianapolis midway. Interstate 74 does the same thing, except it enters near Danville, Illinois and leaves near Cincinnati. Interstate 64 crosses southern Indiana from Illinois (25 mi northwest of Evansville) to New Albany. Interstate 69 runs from northeast Indiana, out of Michigan, through Fort Wayne and Indianapolis to Evansville, with a gap between Indianapolis and Martinsville that is under construction. Interstate 275 (the Cincinnati bypass) briefly enters Indiana for about 5 mi. US 41 extends from Gary to Evansville and is the major north-south route through western Indiana.

By train
Amtrak's Cardinal provides service between Chicago and New York City via Indianapolis. The Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited serve South Bend and a few other stops along Indiana's northern border.

By bus
Greyhound and Miller Trailways serve Indianapolis and most of other major cities of Indiana, on a very basic schedule. Megabus runs between Chicago, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, Louisville, and other cities to the south.

By foot

 * The American Discovery Trail connects Indiana with Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and both coasts.

Get around
Indiana's motto is "The Crossroads of America" and it is deserving. Indiana has more Interstates (14) than any other state its size, although the original name comes from all the railroad tracks that went through the state.

By train

 * Amtrak offers a thrice weekly train service from Chicago to Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and more.
 * South Shore Line links Northern Indiana to Chicago, stopping at Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, Ogden Dunes, Beverly Shore, Michigan City, Hudson Lake and South Bend. It terminates at Chicago's Millennium Station. The overall travel time from South Bend to Chicago (and vice versa) 2½ hours. The line utilizes a zone-based fare system, with prices rising based on the distance, and the prices drop slightly on the weekends. The prices range from $3.80–10.75 on weekdays and $3.00–9.00 on weekends.'

By bus

 * Besides Greyhound, Miller Trailways (aka Hoosier Ride) operates intercity bus service throughout Indiana.
 * Several shuttle bus companies connect Indianapolis Airport with other cities in central Indiana (Terre Haute, Bloomington, West Lafayette, Muncie), making the airport a hub of ground transportation of sorts as well; some of them also have occasional bus service on non-airport routes (to Chicago, shopping malls, etc). GoExpress also runs regular shuttle service between Bloomington and downtown Indianapolis/IUPUI (Campus Commute).
 * Information on transit can be found here.

By hitchhiking

 * Hitchhiking is legal in Indiana, except on the interstate freeways.

See
Your traditional sightseeing in Indiana belongs in Indianapolis, which is flush with big museums, an inordinate quantity of giant monuments and memorials, and a very nice canal walk with paddleboats and public art.

Outside the cities, and outside of the seemingly endless farmland in the plains, are a host of parks and outdoor recreation areas worth visiting. Without a doubt, the one to see, if you must choose, is Indiana Dunes National Park (and Indiana Dunes State Park). The dunes are enormous, the water crystal clear, the swampy forests beautiful, and the far-off industrial views intriguing.

State parks

 * Brown County State Park
 * Chain O' Lakes State Park
 * Charlestown State Park
 * Clifty Falls State Park
 * Prophetstown State Park
 * Turkey Run State Park

Festivals and events

 * Late April Thunder Over Louisville Clarksville and Jeffersonville. The opening ceremonies to Louisville, Kentucky's Kentucky Derby Festival. Thunder Over Louisville is the largest annual fireworks show in the country, and the best viewing is along the Indiana shore of the Ohio River.  If you plan to get a good seat, prepare to come the day before and camp.  In the afternoon, private and military aircraft provide a magnificent airshow.  After sunset, the fireworks begin and last nearly half an hour.
 * Early-Mid August Indiana State Fair State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis. The biggest summer event in the state. A trip to Indiana isn't complete without a trip to the fair. Animals, crafts, art, rides, dancing, education, environmentalism, Hoosier Pride and food. They also have live music and concerts. Prairie Home Companion comes every other year.
 * Early September Valparaiso Popcorn Festival Downtown Valparaiso, Valparaiso. Named the "Best Festival of the Region" by The Times readers for 15 years, the Valparaiso Popcorn Festival continues to offer family-fun activities for all ages. Over 200 arts & crafts booths, 30 food booths, kids' games, the 5 mi Popcorn Panic, and the nation's First Popcorn Parade are only the beginning of the excitement of this incredible festival.
 * Mid-September Lanesville Heritage Weekend Lanesville. A fall festival typical of many in southern Indiana. It is similar to a county fair, but later in the year.  Local food and crafts are available, while rides and tractor and truck pulls provide entertainment.
 * Early October West Side Nut Club Fall Festival Evansville. Called the second largest street festival in the United States after Mardi Gras.  It takes place on several blocks of Franklin Street on the west side of the city during the first full week of October.  The main attraction of the festival is its food booths which sell a large variety of foods including brain sandwiches and chocolate-covered grasshoppers.  The festival draws over a hundred thousand visitors every fall.
 * Early-mid October Harvest Homecoming Festival New Albany. The largest festival in southern Indiana brings participants from miles around. The festivities begin with a Saturday morning parade through the streets of New Albany.  The festival lasts for several weeks, and includes vendor booths downtown and carnival rides.
 * Mid October Feast of the Hunters' Moon Lafayette. The Feast re-creates early 18th-century life near the site of Fort Ouiatenon, a French trading outpost.

Sports

 * College sports — Indiana is home to many NCAA Division I schools:
 * Ball State Cardinals (Muncie)
 * Butler Bulldogs and IU Indy Jaguars (Indianapolis)
 * Evansville Purple Aces and Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (Evansville, with the Purple Aces in the city proper and the Screaming Eagles to the west of the city limits)
 * Indiana Hoosiers (Bloomington)
 * Indiana State Sycamores (Terre Haute)
 * Notre Dame Fighting Irish (South Bend)
 * Purdue Boilermakers (West Lafayette)
 * Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
 * Valparaiso Beacons (Valparaiso)
 * Baseball - Indiana is home to a number of minor league baseball teams, including: Gary SouthShore RailCats, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Indianapolis Indians, South Bend Blue Sox, South Bend Silver Hawks, and Evansville Otters.
 * Auto racing
 * The Indianapolis 500 race, held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (with the holiday falling on the last Monday of May), is the most attended single-day sporting event in the world. The race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), located a little more than 4 miles (7 km) from downtown in the separate town of Speedway (which is contained within the Indianapolis city limits). It's common to see many vendors and spectacular displays during the pre-race (most notably the singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana", formerly by the now-deceased Jim Nabors, and the overfly of the stealth bomber at the conclusion of the National Anthem). Also don't forget the Allstate 400 (formerly the Brickyard 400) NASCAR race held every summer at IMS.
 * IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park), located about 10 mi west north-west of Indianapolis in Hendricks County, also holds the grand nationals of drag racing at its facility.
 * Salem Speedway. Home to many small-circuit races throughout the year, Salem is often called the "fastest half mile in the world." With only a chain-link fence separating the pit lane from the infield, Salem offers a more interactive fan experience than many larger tracks.
 * NBA - Indiana Pacers, playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
 * NFL - Indianapolis Colts, playing in Lucas Oil stadium in downtown Indianapolis.
 * WNBA – Indiana Fever, owned by the Pacers and also playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Eat
Cuisine throughout much of the state is typical Midwestern, with the occasional odd dish like Corn Casserole. Outside of the main cities most of the restaurants are diners or family-style, while in the bigger cities you can find all sorts of varied cuisine. Indianapolis, in particular, has a very cosmopolitan selection of ethnic restaurants from around the world, as do major campus towns (Bloomington, West Lafayette). Lake County, as in most everything, diverges from the norm in Indiana, and is a better place to find Chicago-style food like hot dogs and pizza.

Drink
Hoosiers know how to drink! Wherever you are, you would be hard pressed to not find a bar. The trendiest part of the state for a drink is probably Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, but you will find streets packed with bars and pubs throughout the cities of the state, especially near major universities in Bloomington, West Lafayette, and South Bend. Micro-breweries are present in all the major cities, Upland from Bloomington is especially popular and available throughout the state. Drink prices can be very low in Indiana—especially out of the Nine-County Region. It's not uncommon to find domestic bottled beer for $1 during the week, with other varying specials.

For dancing and nightlife, the main options are in and around Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, as well as by the major universities.

Liquor stores are open on Sundays throughout the state. Hours are noon to 8PM.

Bars and restaurants are allowed to serve beer, wine, and liquor seven days a week, between the hours of 7AM and 3AM (the following morning), local time. Hours for bars can vary by population density and owner preference, but the vast majority of full-service "chain" restaurants with alcohol sales will not remain open beyond 11PM or midnight. In most localities however, one can always find a neighborhood bar or nightclub that will serve drinks right up to 3AM. In all substantial cities, almost all bars will remain open until this time.

There have been many rumors about a liquor law in Indiana that prohibits the "take home" sale of cold beer. This is absolutely false. Throughout the state in any liquor store, Village Pantry service stations, and some grocery stores it can be purchased cold. Liquor stores that sell hard alcohol cannot sell pop or soda cold, rather it must be at room temperature.

Stay safe
Largely rural, Indiana has a fairly low crime rate per capita. In 2006 (the latest year for which data is available) it ranked 29th in crimes per 100,000 population. Large urban areas are exceptions like the former steel town Gary and the outlying Chicago area in the Northwest and certain segments of Indianapolis.

While outside of Tornado Alley, Indiana has a fairly high occurrence of tornados. You might want to check the Tornado safety page if you are visiting Indiana.

High incidence of HIV and hepatitis C infection were reported in 2015 in certain areas of southeastern Indiana, centered on the town of Austin in Scott County. (See official press releases here: HIV outbreak in southeastern Indiana.)

Connect
The vast majority of Indiana is on Eastern Time. For decades, that part of Indiana was on year-round standard time, but it's observed Daylight Saving Time since 2006. The five counties of Northwestern Indiana (near Chicago) and several counties around Evansville are on Central Time.

Go next

 * Illinois – Chicago, the largest city in the Midwest, is just across Indiana's western border, making it an ideal day-trip destination.
 * Kentucky – Indiana's neighbor to the south is known for its rolling hills, horses, and rural inhabitants, offering travelers a less-visited but tremendously beautiful destination.
 * Ohio – Located to the east of Indiana, the city of Cincinnati is a short drive from southeastern Indiana.
 * Michigan – Indiana's northern neighbor borders four of the five Great Lakes and features stunning natural beauty.

title: Indiana


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Indiana (Pennsylvania)

Indiana is a city in Pittsburgh Region.

Understand
Indiana is a quaint borough (town) in the heart of western Pennsylvania. Its historic downtown district centers on a street named after the city of Philadelphia, which was the U.S. capital from 1790 to 1800. In 2003, Indiana was rated by experts as one of the top five most livable towns in Indiana County. The borough and region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World", though several other locales have also laid claim to this highly sought after distinction. Indiana is also home to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), which is the largest state university in Pennsylvania to share part of its name with another state (closely followed by California University of Pennsylvania).

Which Came First?
People often question why the town of Indiana was named after a nearby state in such a potentially confusing manner. However, historians have established that the town was first settled in 1805, while the state was not admitted to the union until 1816. Thus, contrary to popular belief, there is a distinct possibility that the state of Indiana was in fact named after the town. Another existing theory is that both the town and the state were named after Indians, and neither location was named after the other.

See

 * Mack Park – This charming suburban park features an outdoor swimming pool with a 90-foot water slide, five ball parks, three tennis courts, and an enclosed picnic pavilion. Additionally, the park hosts the annual Indiana County Fair, which features a demolition derby and competitive outhouse races.
 * Mack Park – This charming suburban park features an outdoor swimming pool with a 90-foot water slide, five ball parks, three tennis courts, and an enclosed picnic pavilion. Additionally, the park hosts the annual Indiana County Fair, which features a demolition derby and competitive outhouse races.
 * Mack Park – This charming suburban park features an outdoor swimming pool with a 90-foot water slide, five ball parks, three tennis courts, and an enclosed picnic pavilion. Additionally, the park hosts the annual Indiana County Fair, which features a demolition derby and competitive outhouse races.
 * Mack Park – This charming suburban park features an outdoor swimming pool with a 90-foot water slide, five ball parks, three tennis courts, and an enclosed picnic pavilion. Additionally, the park hosts the annual Indiana County Fair, which features a demolition derby and competitive outhouse races.

Drink

 * The Coney – Known for its dimly lit dance floor and coveted VIP section, this bar’s crowd is often heavily weighted toward IUP seniors (i.e., 21-28 yr olds). If you can’t dance, then your best bet is to swoop in around 1:30AM.
 * HB Culpeppers – Formerly considered a safe haven for townies, Culpeppers revolutionized the local bar scene with the opening of its second floor bar area in 2008. Entertainment includes bubble hockey, indoor smoking, and live music from local sing-along favorites.
 * Wolfie’s – This bar is often enjoyed by people who have never been to a real dance club. Cage dancing and napkin confetti are signature features of this lively downtown venue.

title: Indiana (Pennsylvania)


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Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana Dunes National Park is a national park located in Northwestern Indiana. The only national park in Indiana, it's popular for its big sand dunes and plentiful beaches on Lake Michigan, and for its easily accessible location near Chicago. The park is also home to a variety of ecosystems including swamps and forests, with diverse plants and wildlife.

History
The history of Indiana Dunes National Park falls into settlement, preservation, and park segments.

Settlement
Joseph and Monee Bailly, the fur traders, settled on the banks of the Little Calumet River in 1822. The wetlands of the Indiana Dunes proved to be a good place for contacts between the Bailly family and the Pottawatomie tribe of Native Americans. In 1822, the Pottawatomie nation had already developed an established lifestyle of duneland use, including the trapping of local beaver, raccoon, and muskrat.

After the Pottawatomie people were forcibly expelled from the Lake Michigan shoreline in the 1830s and 1840s, railroads built lines through the Indiana Dunes westward to the fast-growing city of Chicago; but the Dunes themselves, with their comparatively infertile soil, were settled relatively slowly.

Preservation
After the newly formed U.S. Steel Corporation began to construct a massive mill complex within the dunes at Gary, Indiana, lovers of the Dunes began efforts to preserve them. The National Park Service offered in 1916 to protect much of the remaining duneland as Sand Dunes National Park, but many locals opposed the proposal. In the 1920s, the state of Indiana preserved 2,182 acres of central duneland as Indiana Dunes State Park. Other sections of duneland were developed as the small communities of Ogden Dunes, Dune Acres, and Beverly Shores.

World War II and the early Cold War years increased pressure upon the United States to increase its production of steel. For reasons of economical coal and iron ore supply, one of the most efficient geographic locations to make steel within the United States is on the southern border of Lake Michigan. During the 1950s and early 1960s, several additional steel mills were sited within the dunelands in areas that could otherwise have been preserved for parkland.

After the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired and built its Burns Harbor mill in 1962-64, a public outcry and pressure from activists, led by Sen. Paul H. Douglas (D-Ill.) led to the creation of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, now the Indiana Dunes National Park.

National lakeshore and park
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was created by Congress in 1966. But it owned no land of its own, and land acquisition opportunities were limited because of previous development. Many local residents were understandably opposed to federal condemnation. By the 1980s, much of the 15,000 acres of land making up the current National Park (as of 2006) had been acquired. The federal government included the Indiana Dunes State Park within the boundaries of the national lakeshore, but has allowed the state to continue to maintain and charge a separate admission fee to the state park.

By 2006, the lakeshore had come to include eight separate parcels of Lake Michigan beachfront land, as well as numerous parcels of property inland from the lake. Because the national park was founded after much of the drier land had already been developed, many of the inland parcels that make up the current park are riverbottoms or sandy wetlands.

In 2019, the National Lakeshore was reclassified and renamed a National Park, the first national park in Indiana.

Landscape
The Indiana Dunes, of which the Indiana Dunes National Park preserves a part, are a relatively recent product of sand deposition, wave erosion, and wind erosion on the southern tip of Lake Michigan. During the warming process that ended the last Ice Age, the lake at several periods rose to levels much higher than the current lake level and laid down sandy shorelines and beaches at points that are now inland from the current coastline. Today's lake waves and currents continue to bring more sand ashore from beds underneath the surface of the current lake. This sand, further sculpted by wind and foot erosion, has become today's Indiana Dunes.

Flora and fauna
Many ecosystem types can be readily recognized by amateurs. Ecosystem types, and characteristic grasses and flowering plants, that exist within the Indiana Dunes include the following:

 * Sand dunes - marram grass, prickly pear, puccoon
 * Wetlands (bogs, marshlands, and swamps) - marsh marigold, skunk cabbage
 * Ponds - bladderwort, gentian
 * Prairies - black-eyed susan, butterfly weed, goldenrod, lupine, prairie grass
 * Savannas - asters, prairie grass
 * Dry woods - columbines, hepatica, Solomon's seal
 * Wet woods - Dutchmen's breeches, hepatica, trillium, violet

The most common large tree in the Indiana Dunes is the black oak. There are also plenty of cottonwoods. Jack pines often grow in burned-over or disturbed areas, and there are several groves of sugar maples (the Bailly/Chellberg farm operates a maple-syrup boil in early spring). A grove of paper birches on the Cowles Bog Trail is said to be the farthest-south naturally reproducing population of this species in the Great Lakes area.

As of January 2006, whitetail deer lived in quantity in the Indiana Dunes. The common North American wetland and woodland rodents, such as beavers, muskrats, and squirrels, can be easily seen.

Climate
The Indiana Dunes are part of the temperate Great Lakes shoreline, characterized by relatively even amounts of rain and snow year-round, but wide jumps in temperature. A dunes shoreline that is crowded with swimmers in August may be caked with unsafe but majestic shelves of pack ice in February.

Visitor information

 * Park website

By car
The Indiana Dunes area is accessible from Chicago by Interstates 80, 90, and 94; from Indianapolis by Interstate 65; from Detroit by Interstate 94; and from Cleveland and the East Coast by Interstates 80 and 90. U.S. Highways 12 and 20 go directly through the park.

By train
The Indiana Dunes are served by the South Shore Line from Chicago, Michigan City, and South Bend. There are approximately 12 trains through the Park each way on weekends, with 9 trains each way on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. As of May 2021, the train service has been replaced by buses between Gary and South Bend due to track construction. The project is scheduled to end in May, but conductors think it could last for most of summer 2021. There are several stations near the dunes:

 * Dune Park is closest to the Indiana Dunes State Park. Follow the signs out of the station and walk along a sidewalk about 20 min to the park's main entrance.
 * Portage/Ogden Dunes is closest to Ogden Dunes. To get to the West Beach Recreation Area, walk North through the town to the intersection of Diana Road and Ski Hill Road (about 20 min) and enter Long Lake Park. Follow the path past the tennis courts and along the lake; at the very end it connects to the West Beach Trail in the recreation area.

You can take bikes on the South Shore Line, but they are only permitted on some trains and some stations. As of May 2021, the only station near the dunes that accepts bikes was Dune Park, but even that was not allowed due to construction.

Fees and permits
Entrance passes are required to visit Indiana Dunes National Park. If you are travelling in a non-commercial vehicle, the entrance pass costs $20 per motorcycle, or $25 per car. If you enter by bicycle, boat or on foot, the pass costs $15 per person. the entrance pass is valid for 7 days from the date of purchase. Alternatively, you can purchase an annual pass for $45 per car. If you have an America the Beautiful Pass for all national parks, it can be used to enter Indiana Dunes National Park.

 charges separate admissions fees, and the America the Beautiful Pass is not valid for entry into Indiana Dunes State Park. An entrance pass for Indiana Dunes State Park costs $7 per personal vehicle with Indiana license plates, or $12 per personal vehicle with out-of-state license plates. If you are entering on foot, bicycle or horseback, the pass is $2 per person.

By bike
Most of the hiking trails are closed to bikes, but the Calumet Trail runs parallel to Dunes Highway and can be used to transit between some parts of the park.

See

 * Lake Michigan. Accessible via a short walk from any of the beach access parking areas.  For visitors, who have limited mobility can view the lake from Lakefront Drive through Beverly shores or from the Dunbar Ave. Parking lot. Drive out to Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk.  Here, you have a spectacular view to the north across Lake Michigan.  On clear days or days when clouds hang over the water, you can see the skyline of Chicago off to the northwest.

 * Mt. Baldy. While hiking to the top is a challenge, as worth the time, you can see the moving southface from the Mt. Baldy parking lot.  In a windy year, it will move another foot towards the lot.

 * Inland Marsh Overlook. A unique attraction is the marsh overlook.  An unimposing parking area and a picnic table are the only clue that this short trail exist.  It's all boardwalk and easily accessible by wheelchair or walker.  You'll walk a short distance across a bridge between two tree covered dunes.  From ground level to the tree tops and there are no steps.  Once to the overlook, you'll see a vast inland marsh.  During migration, the area can host flocks of arctic wanderers and other summer residents from the tropics.

Nearby attractions

 * The Depot of Beverly Shores - South Shore Line Passenger Depot,
 * Museum and Art Gallery - 525 Broadway, Beverly Shores (on U.S. 12)

Swimming
The beaches, owing to the deep blue, often clear water, as well as the huge dunes and the copious sand they bring, are beautiful. Industrial vistas in the distance can lessen the bucolic impact, although with a good sense of humor and appreciation for the weird, they can add to the experience. The worst industrial offender is the big power plant to the east of the park, which is very visible from both Central Beach and the beach below Mt Baldy. A generally useful tip is that the beaches are more crowded with proximity to Chicago. The least crowded, on average, are the two at the east (Central and Mt Baldy). Going to the beach at the state park is also a good way to get more beach space since Indiana charges an entrance fee. Now of course, if you're from a more crowded section of the country on the East Coast or California, you'll feel like you have an extraordinary amount of space no matter which beach you choose.

From East to West:

Picnic
There are numerous picnic areas for those who wish to make a day of it. Picnicking on the beaches is allowed. No glass containers are allowed on the beach. Nearby some of the beaches you'll find picnic tables, including a large family or group picnic area at West Beach and family tables at Mt. Baldy. From the west, picnic areas include: West Beach, Bailly Homestead-Chellberg Faram, Tremont (roadside rest on U.S. 12), Ly-co-ki-we Horse and Hiking trailhead (U.S. 20), Lake View beach access point(Lakefront Dr, Beverly Shores), Central Beach Access Point, and Mt. Baldy. Fires are not permitted on any of the beaches. That includes grilling on the beaches and any beach to the East of State Park Road.

Hiking
The park has several miles of dedicated hiking trails. On the dunes themselves, the trail surface can be soft sand, which is just as challenging to walk on as a sandy beach. Don't forget to empty the sand out of your shoes before you go home!

Bird watching
At the southern tip of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes is a natural way-station on the annual migration of birds. Over 300 species birds live or pass through the park. The greatest concentrations are during the spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) migrations.

Biking
The Calumet Trail, a multi-use, crushed-limestone trail where cycling is acceptable, also runs in a generally east-west direction through the eastern section of the park, providing access to the Indiana Dunes State Park and towns to the east. It skirts a wooded area where deer and other wildlife may often be seen, especially early in the morning. It also follows the path of several large power lines.

Horseback riding
Horseback riding is limited to the Ly-co-ki-we Horse and Hiking trail, off U.S. 20 at Schoolhouse Road. There are no stables provided in the park. Riders have to bring their own horses. On sunny Saturdays, this is a great area to watch a variety of horses. No dogs or any other animals are allowed, other than horses.

Fishing & boating
Fishing requires a State of Indiana Fishing license. Most fishing areas, are along streams and at a few of the ponds in the park. The newest fishing access is Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk. Located just west of U.S. Steel along the Burns Waterway, there is parking and a walkway along the waterways entrance breakwall. Here, you can fish in the waters of Lake Michigan. Other fishing accesses are available at Long Lake (West Beach entrance road), Burns Waterway and Lake Michigan (Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk), Little Calumet River (via the AmeriPlex access trail), and the Little Calumet in the Heron Rookery.

Skiing
In the winter, cross-country skiing is possible. The park is beautiful under the snow.

Eat
There are no services in the park, but the park has numerous communities adjacent to its boundaries. Concentrations of restaurants, including fast-food and family restaurants are at the major freeway interchanges:

 * I-94 and Hwy. 51-Gary/Miller/Lake Station
 * I-94 and Hwy. 249-Portage
 * I-94 and Hwy. 20-Burns Harbor/Porter
 * I-94 and Hwy. 49-Porter/Chesterton, and,
 * I-94 and Hwy. 421-Michigan City.

If you're willing to browse around, you can find many smaller local restaurants in the communities nearby.

Drink
Alcohol is allowed everywhere in the national park, except inside NPS buildings. No glass is allowed on the beach.

Lodging
There are no lodging options within the state or national parks aside from camping, but the nearby towns of Chesterton and Porter have several options.

Backcountry
The National Park has no wilderness area nor backcountry. Overnight stays are permitted only in Dunewood Campground, the State Park's campground or local motels which may be along the boundary of the park. All of the beach access parking lots are closed at dusk as there is no overnight use of the beaches.

Stay safe
Lake Michigan can have strong riptides and there are no lifeguards on several sections of the beach. Look for the warning signs at beach entrances. Sometimes they advise not entering the water at all. During the winter pack ice forms in thick chunks but is dangerous to walk on.

The area's only venomous snake, the massasauga rattlesnake, is occasionally seen in the forested parts of the park away from the beaches and dunes. However, it is not aggressive if left alone, hardly the most potent of rattlers, and the chances of running into one are nil.

title: Indiana Dunes National Park


text:
Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and also the state’s largest city. The population is roughly 882,000 (2022), making it the 16th largest city in the United States, and the metro area has about 2 million (#34). Efforts to beautify and modernize the city have brought Indianapolis into the 21st century as a world-class destination for everything from business meetings and trade conventions to backpackers making their way across the States.

Indianapolis is widely hailed as the "Racing Capital of the World" because of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 at the Brickyard, and as the "Amateur Sports Capital of America" for hosting the NCAA Hall of Champions. The city has several attractions outside of sports including museums, a large zoo, over 100 ethnic restaurants, several arts and historic districts, and a revitalized downtown. Although Indy has been mocked with the epithet "India-noplace", Indianapolis has several attractions for visitors, with a mix of a large metropolitan city and a simple Midwestern community. You will find beautiful architecture, monuments, and pristine cornfields in the Circle City.

Understand
When Indianapolis was founded, it was expected to be a "Great Inland Port", but the White River is non-navigable most of the year. The pay-off is that this desire for a port left the city with a gorgeous canal district, though the canal itself is only useful for recreational kayaks and paddleboats.

Today, Indianapolis is known as the "Crossroads of America" due to its centrality in America's Interstate Highway System. Indy is warm in the summer, with average highs around 85 F in June, July, and August. This is paired with a typical mid-western winter—January is the coldest month, with an average high of 34 F. Every few years, the winter gets sharp with significant snowfall and once a generation or so there is an ice storm or otherwise impassible winter weather event. Indianapolis exists within a tornado region but has never been impacted by major twisters. Travelers really only need to beware the occasional nasty winter and sometimes overly hot summer. The city has had two droughts since 1980, neither of which was disastrous.

In general, travel in and through Indianapolis is safe, clean, and logical. Visitors can always find something to do without becoming overwhelmed at a sprawling metropolis. In a few minutes, you can go from a sleepy and peaceful cornfield to a vibrant downtown. City planning is intelligible to outsiders with a grid system broken up by a few major diagonal streets, a large beltway loop (I-465), and a general lack of gridlock and traffic.

Visitor information

 * Visit Indianapolis website

By car
Indianapolis is known as the "Crossroads of America" for a good reason. Interstates 65, 69, 70, and 74 meet here. The city's outer belt is I-465. Travel directly through the city on I-70 (east and west) or I-65 (north and south). Direct travel using I-74 or I-69 is not possible; I-74 is routed around the center of the city on I-465, and I-69 ends at its intersection with I-465 to the city's north (though it resumes to the southwest near Martinsville, with a segment now open to Evansville).

Interstates 65 and 70 intersect at a region known as "the split" south of downtown. There is also a ramp onto Washington Street, which is the main east–west artery in the city. Traffic here can be extremely busy and construction is routine. It's possible that you'll have situations where you want to cut across five lanes of traffic going in a distance of less than !

Motorists wanting to experience a bit of history may wish to take a trip along Washington St. which forms part of the National Road (a.k.a. Cumberland Road). This route was the first federal highway in America that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean through most of Illinois. It has been extended into Interstates 40 and 80, so travelers can take a trip from Baltimore to San Francisco along it today. Small milestones mark all of the major cities along this All-American Road.

By plane

There are several private jet companies operating near the old terminal location, at the north side of the airport, such as Jet Linx and Million Air.

The following are of interest to private pilots:

 * 4101 Dandy Trail. +1 317-293-6935. It's nestled inside the beltway loop in a little westside nook, just north of the International Airport.
 * 897 Airport Pkwy, Greenwood. +1 317-881-0887, South of the city.
 * 9913 Willow View Rd, Fishers. +1 317-849-0840, Just northeast of Indianapolis, in a quaint little town.
 * 3867 N Aviation Way, Greenfield. +1 317-335-3371, East of the city.

By bus

 * , Located in the heart of the city. +1-800-231-2222. Greyhound covers almost the whole country, thus buses arrive in the city more than a dozen times a day from various regions.
 * , Only makes stops in the Midwest and uses the same station as Greyound. +1 319-753-2864.

By train

 * Route stopping in Indianapolis:
 * Cardinal operating three trips weekly between Chicago and New York City with stops in Dyer, Rensselaer, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Hinton, White Sulphur Springs, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.
 * Cardinal operating three trips weekly between Chicago and New York City with stops in Dyer, Rensselaer, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Hinton, White Sulphur Springs, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.

Get around
Outside of the walkable Downtown and some Cultural Districts, you'll need a vehicle to navigate the urban sprawl. The public bus system is fairly clean and efficient but routes are sometimes complex, and substantial portions of the metro area are inaccessible. Outside of peak hours, waits can be prohibitively long. Bike lanes alongside major roads have been constructed in the early 2010s, so cyclists will be sharing the road.

By car
On highways, the general speed limit is. On city streets, if no speed limit is posted, assume that it is. Indianapolis generally lacks the aggressive driving, bad roads, and congestion associated with major U.S. cities. The city planning is largely logical and follows a grid pattern with some exceptions. A handful of streets cut across the city north–south and only a few (10th, 38th, 82nd/86th, and 96th) go across east–west. Washington Street is the main east–west through street, which bends to the south on the westside and Meridian runs north–south far past the boundaries of the city. Due to the flat terrain of central Indiana, you can see downtown from most spots in the city. If you are desperately lost, you can at least get your bearings by looking for the handful of skyscrapers.

Starting in the 2000s, Indianapolis and the surrounding areas—especially Avon in the west and Carmel in the north—have added several roundabouts. American motorists may not be familiar with them but they are safe (and have reduced collisions in the areas where they have been installed). Local drivers are accustomed to them. In 2013, a Michigan left was installed at 96th and Allisonville, the extreme north of the city.

Parking meters are found downtown. The city sold control of these to a private company in 2011–2012 and parking tickets are handed out aggressively. Meters accept cards, coins, and small bills and parking is free in late hours and on weekends.

By bus

The public bus system is Indy Go. It travels through much of the city and into some suburbs. Single fares are $1.75, day passes are $4, and if you think you will be staying longer, you can get a week-long card for $20 or a 31 days for $60; purchase them at the station downtown or online. All buses are equipped with two bike racks in front. Although the city has slowly increased funding for transport, outside of rush hour routes, you may still find yourself with a half-hour wait or longer. Most routes travel from a locality in the outskirts of the city to the centrally-located bus stops downtown and back out; there are also a handful of smaller circulators and loops. Consequently, if you want to go across town, you will likely have to catch two buses.

One of the handiest routes for visitors is #11 East 16th Street, which runs many of the city's most popular dining and nightlife spots, including the Mass Ave strip. #18 Broad Ripple heads from Downtown up Broad Ripple Ave. Runs roughly M–F 5AM–9:30PM, Sa 6AM–9:30PM, Su 7PM–9PM.

#8 Washington is a helpful path to travel quickly west through Downtown to the Zoo and the Canal. It runs west through downtown on Ohio, then down West St by the Canal, and then on old US-40/Washington St past the Zoo, and then all the way out to the Airport, passing by a Latino district and along the old US-36 route. The #8 route also heads east from downtown and can be used to access the quaint neighborhood of Irvington. M–F 9AM–11PM, Sa 6AM–10PM, Su 7AM–7PM.

#18 Nora will take you north on Meridian St past the Children's Museum and near a large shopping district on the northside. M–F 6AM–9:15PM, Sa 8AM–9:15PM, Su limited.

The Purple Line also goes by the Children's Museum but then heads west on 38th past Newfields (formerly the Indianapolis Museum of Art) and Crown Hill Cemetery. M–F 7AM–9PM, Sa 8AM–9PM, Su 9:30AM–7:30PM.

JAGLINE provides free shuttle service from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus to Riverside and University Park in downtown.

By bike
Biking is easy due to the smooth topography. There are a variety of bike paths throughout the city, including the Monon Trail and the Central Canal. The Indianapolis Cultural Trail was built through several years in the early 21st century and takes riders through downtown providing signs with Indianapolis history; public art dots many stops and you will be guided past several restaurants and local businesses. This world-class bike and pedestrian path marks an interconnectivity that no other city of Indianapolis' size can achieve, connecting the city's seven Cultural Districts, neighborhoods, and entertainment amenities, and serving as the downtown hub for the entire central Indiana greenway system. Starting in 2008, Mayor Greg Ballard announced a plan to make Indianapolis a bike-friendly city for those venturing out on open, and often busy, roads. The plan includes constructing 200 miles (322 km) of additional bike lanes throughout the next 15 years, many of which are already constructed.

Motorists in Indianapolis are not known for being aggressive but it is still novel for many of them to share major roads with cyclists. Bike lanes are clearly marked but some drivers may encroach upon them. Also, while the Monon is a beautiful and well-traveled path, it is frequently unsafe at night—particularly north of Downtown. Solo biking along the trail at night is best avoided.

IndyGo buses include two bike racks in the front for storing your cycle but if they are full, then you'll be out of luck.

By taxi
There are plenty of taxis available, mostly in Broad Ripple Village and downtown, including Indy Airport Taxi. Taxis are usually not flagged down outside of certain areas. Taxi services are available 24/7 and will transport you anywhere in the city and the surrounding areas.

Lyft and Uber also operate in the city. Download their mobile apps and you can get picked up anywhere in the metropolitan area and brought to your destination.

Skyscrapers
The tallest building in Indianapolis is the Salesforce Tower, standing at, followed by the OneAmerica Tower which is and the Regions Tower standing at a height of. The fourth and fifth are the Market Tower and 300 North Meridian at. Other skyscrapers include the BMO Plaza and the JW Marriott Indianapolis, which is the tallest hotel in the state and the largest JW Marriott in the world. All skyscrapers are in a relatively compact cluster downtown.

Festivals and events

 * May,
 * Early June,
 * Late June,
 * Late June,
 * Mid-July,
 * Mid-July,
 * Early-Mid August,
 * Early August,
 * Late August-Early September,
 * Late August-Early September,
 * Early-Mid September,
 * Mid-September,
 * Mid-September,
 * Early October,
 * Late October, Irvington Halloween Festival
 * Mid-November,

Parks
Indy Parks features information and links regarding all Indianapolis public parks. Below is an example of some of the cities finest—that attract visitors and locals alike.

Sports

 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * See a soap box derby at Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill. Starting in April check out hundreds of kids from Indy's soap box derby clubs battle it out for awards and placings. This is the longest soap box derby track in the country and was built in 1953.
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!
 * Golfing anyone? here is a list of fine golf courses located throughout Indianapolis, many award-winning!

Art
Includes art galleries, opera, classical and traditional music, dance, performance art.

Music
Includes rock, punk, hip hop, top 40, soul, blues, jazz and all that goodness. A lot of great shows also take place in non-traditional venues (i.e. VFW's) so check out local papers for information.

Other fun

Learn

 * In 2024, the IU and Purdue systems will dissolve IUPUI, replacing it with separate IU- and Purdue-affiliated institutions. IUPUI programs in engineering, computer science, and technology will become part of the new Purdue University in Indianapolis, and the Purdue system will introduce a number of other programs that are now offered at the main campus in West Lafayette. All other programs will be taken over by the new IU Indianapolis, which will also take over the IUPUI athletic program.
 * In 2024, the IU and Purdue systems will dissolve IUPUI, replacing it with separate IU- and Purdue-affiliated institutions. IUPUI programs in engineering, computer science, and technology will become part of the new Purdue University in Indianapolis, and the Purdue system will introduce a number of other programs that are now offered at the main campus in West Lafayette. All other programs will be taken over by the new IU Indianapolis, which will also take over the IUPUI athletic program.
 * In 2024, the IU and Purdue systems will dissolve IUPUI, replacing it with separate IU- and Purdue-affiliated institutions. IUPUI programs in engineering, computer science, and technology will become part of the new Purdue University in Indianapolis, and the Purdue system will introduce a number of other programs that are now offered at the main campus in West Lafayette. All other programs will be taken over by the new IU Indianapolis, which will also take over the IUPUI athletic program.
 * In 2024, the IU and Purdue systems will dissolve IUPUI, replacing it with separate IU- and Purdue-affiliated institutions. IUPUI programs in engineering, computer science, and technology will become part of the new Purdue University in Indianapolis, and the Purdue system will introduce a number of other programs that are now offered at the main campus in West Lafayette. All other programs will be taken over by the new IU Indianapolis, which will also take over the IUPUI athletic program.

Buy
Indianapolis is made up of various areas that feature unique and typical shopping alike. From Broad Ripple Village and Fountain Square—two unique areas, to typical suburban shopping malls and chains like Castleton. Every area has different options and chances to experience all levels of shopping. Below are some local, regional and national shops and districts that are frequented by avid shoppers.

Broad Ripple Village
About 20 minutes north of downtown. Broad Ripple is Indy's closest thing to "Greenwich." A big variety of vintage, hippie, trendy, and punk shops. Gift shops galore too. It's a great place for unique local fare.

Castleton Square Mall
is Indy's biggest shopping mall chock full of mall-chains, mall rats and mall food. Surrounded by mega-shops and a few local joints.

86th St. is very complicated in this area because it alternates between 86th St. and 82nd St. There are two Vietnamese restaurants called Viet Bistro and Pho Tasty at the mall. There are also several international grocery stores including Viet Hua, China Mart, and One World Market. There is also a Trader Joe's on the south side of 86th St. near Allisonville Road.

Historic Irvington
Irvington is a historic district located east of downtown.

Fountain Square
is a historical area about a mile from downtown Indy, to the Southeast. Mainly comprising of antique, thrift and art shops.

Keystone at the Crossing & West
Is easily findable as "86th and Keystone." West includes shopping West of Keystone—Nora, 86th & Ditch, etc. Indy's high scale shopping district with fancy chains and boutique shops and restaurants.

Mass Ave
A hop skip and a jump from the Circle, Mass Ave has gone through an amazing rebirth to become one of the coolest shopping areas in town full of local shops.

Wholesale District
Is basically downtown Indy. The heart of the city. The main shopping attraction here is the mall.

Suburbs North
Northern Suburbs include Carmel, Zionsville, Noblesville, Westfield and Fishers. These start anywhere north of 96th St. and are about 30 minutes from downtown. Shopping varies area to area.

Suburbs West
Includes Speedway & Lafayette (parts of Indy incorporated) and Plainfield.

Booze and cocktails
To drink and get into bars you must be at least 21. Bars close at 3AM; 12:30AM on Sundays. Alcohol can be bought in stores on Sundays from Noon to 8 PM. Age requirements vary and are listed below.

Sleep
There are many national/international hotel/motel chains in town; listed below are some more unique and/or regionally owned operations.

Cope

 * Indianapolis and the majority of the state of Indiana are on Eastern Time and observes Daylight Saving Time in the summer. Locals are accustomed to it now but as always, there may be some clocks that don't spring forward or fall back.
 * Indianapolis and the majority of the state of Indiana are on Eastern Time and observes Daylight Saving Time in the summer. Locals are accustomed to it now but as always, there may be some clocks that don't spring forward or fall back.

Stay safe
Indianapolis is a generally safe city, but some areas of the city are prone to crime. The downtown center of the city is very safe, but the inner-loop (inside I-465) suburbs can be dangerous in certain areas. The biggest exceptions to this are Northern Indianapolis (directly north of downtown) and much of the Eastside, particularly the Far Eastside. The Near Eastside is made up of a patchwork of neighborhoods which are generally safe and have historic buildings interspersed with some urban blight as a product of White Flight. The Near Eastside has been recovering in the 21st century and the break-up of some organized crime rings in the 2010s has had an uneven effect on crime.

Television

 * WTTV 4 CBS
 * WRTV 6 ABC
 * WISH 8 CW
 * WTHR 13 NBC
 * WFYI 20 PBS
 * WNDY 23 MY
 * WXIN 59 FOX

Newspapers

 * Indianapolis Star The city's daily and Sunday paper. Formerly locally owned, now published by national syndicate Gannett.
 * Indianapolis Recorder Published by and for the African-American community for over a century, the Recorder is a useful resource for anyone wanting to know about the city's history and contemporary events.
 * La Voz de Indiana Free bilingual English and Spanish newspaper based in the barrio.
 *  Franklin Township Informer A weekly newspaper published by the Franklin Township Civic League with township news and events.
 * Southside Times Free paper serving Indianapolis' southside communities.
 * The Republican, a weekly based in Hendricks County since 1847.
 * Southsider Voice Free Indianapolis southside newspaper.

Consulates

 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico

Go next

 * Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Country Star Museum is a hidden secret in Southern Indiana. This is also the site of the legendary annual bluegrass festival in June that draws people from all over the world to perform, jam out, drink, eat and celebrate bluegrass music and culture. Check out the Walk of Fame, Bill Monroe's personal collection of memorabilia and other items from the likes of Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, George Jones and more. $4 for adults, $3 seniors, children are free.
 * Morse Reservoir This man-made lake, located between Cicero and Noblesville has 1,500 acres for boating and water activities and 35 miles of shoreline. More than 95% of the shoreline is residential, but recreational boating is allowed. Launch your boat from the Carrigan Road Bridge marina. Morse Lake Park, by the dam on the east side of the lake, allows supervised swimming in the lake and year-round picnicking as well as fishing.
 * Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Country Star Museum is a hidden secret in Southern Indiana. This is also the site of the legendary annual bluegrass festival in June that draws people from all over the world to perform, jam out, drink, eat and celebrate bluegrass music and culture. Check out the Walk of Fame, Bill Monroe's personal collection of memorabilia and other items from the likes of Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, George Jones and more. $4 for adults, $3 seniors, children are free.
 * Morse Reservoir This man-made lake, located between Cicero and Noblesville has 1,500 acres for boating and water activities and 35 miles of shoreline. More than 95% of the shoreline is residential, but recreational boating is allowed. Launch your boat from the Carrigan Road Bridge marina. Morse Lake Park, by the dam on the east side of the lake, allows supervised swimming in the lake and year-round picnicking as well as fishing.
 * Morse Reservoir This man-made lake, located between Cicero and Noblesville has 1,500 acres for boating and water activities and 35 miles of shoreline. More than 95% of the shoreline is residential, but recreational boating is allowed. Launch your boat from the Carrigan Road Bridge marina. Morse Lake Park, by the dam on the east side of the lake, allows supervised swimming in the lake and year-round picnicking as well as fishing.
 * Morse Reservoir This man-made lake, located between Cicero and Noblesville has 1,500 acres for boating and water activities and 35 miles of shoreline. More than 95% of the shoreline is residential, but recreational boating is allowed. Launch your boat from the Carrigan Road Bridge marina. Morse Lake Park, by the dam on the east side of the lake, allows supervised swimming in the lake and year-round picnicking as well as fishing.

title: Indianapolis


text:
Indian national parks and wildlife sanctuaries

This is a list of some of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of India, where visitors can see South Asian wildlife.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar
 * , Andaman and Nicobar

Andhra Pradesh

 * , (Kishkindha) Andhra Pradesh
 * , Andhra Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh

 * , Arunachal Pradesh
 * , Arunachal Pradesh

Assam

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 * (Manas Wildlife Sanctuary), Assam
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 * (known as mini Kaziranga National Park)

Bihar

 * (Valmiki National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary), Bihar

Chhattisgarh

 * , Chhattisgarh
 * , Chhattisgarh

Goa

 * (Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park), Goa

Gujarat

 * , Gujarat
 * (Sasan-Gir), Gujarat — the only place outside Africa with a wild lion population.
 * , Gujarat
 * , Gujarat

Haryana

 * , Haryana
 * (Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary), Haryana

Himachal Pradesh

 * , Himachal Pradesh
 * , Himachal Pradesh

Jammu and Kashmir

 * , Jammu and Kashmir
 * , Jammu and Kashmir
 * , Jammu and Kashmir

Jharkhand

 * , Jharkhand

Karnataka

 * , Karnataka
 * , Karnataka
 * , Karnataka
 * , Karnataka
 * , Karnataka

Kerala

 * , Kerala
 * , Kerala
 * , Kerala
 * , Kerala

Ladakh

 * (Hemis High Altitude Park), Ladakh – known for its snow leopards

Madhya Pradesh

 * , Madhya Pradesh
 * , Madhya Pradesh
 * , Madhya Pradesh
 * , Madhya Pradesh
 * , Madhya Pradesh
 * , Madhya Pradesh
 * , Madhya Pradesh
 * , Madhya Pradesh

Maharashtra

 * , Maharashtra
 * , Maharashtra
 * , Maharashtra
 * (Borivali National Park), Maharashtra
 * , Maharashtra

Manipur

 * , Manipur
 * (Shirui National Park), Manipur

Meghalaya

 * , Meghalaya
 * (Nokrek Biosphere Reserve), Meghalaya

Mizoram

 * , Mizoram
 * (Phawngpui National Park), Mizoram

Nagaland

 * (Ntangki National Park), Nagaland

Odisha

 * , Odisha
 * , Odisha

Punjab

 * , Punjab

Rajasthan

 * , Rajasthan
 * , Rajasthan
 * Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan
 * , Rajasthan
 * , Rajasthan
 * (Sariska Tiger Reserve), Rajasthan

Sikkim

 * (Kangchendzonga National Park), Sikkim Sweden road sign I4.svg

Tamil Nadu

 * (Guindy's Lodge), Tamil Nadu
 * , Tamil Nadu
 * , Tamil Nadu
 * , Tamil Nadu
 * , Tamil Nadu
 * , Tamil Nadu

Telangana

 * , Telangana
 * , Telangana
 * , Telangana
 * , Telangana

Uttar Pradesh

 * , Uttar Pradesh

Uttarakhand

 * Uttarakhand
 * Uttarakhand
 * (Corbett National Park), Uttarakhand
 * , Uttarakhand
 * , Uttarakhand
 * , Uttarakhand

West Bengal

 * , West Bengal
 * , West Bengal
 * , West Bengal
 * , West Bengal
 * , Darjeeling, West Bengal
 * , West BengalSweden road sign I4.svg

Wildlife sanctuaries
Listed below are but a few of the 500+ wildlife sanctuaries in India:

Assam

 * , Assam

Goa

 * , Goa
 * Goa
 * Goa

Gujarat

 * (Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary), Gujarat
 * , Gujarat
 * , Gujarat

Jharkhand

 * , Jharkhand

Karnataka

 * , Karnataka
 * Shirhatti — Gadag (district) of Karnataka

 * , Karnataka

Kerala

 * , Kerala
 * , Central Kerala
 * , Kerala
 * , Central Kerala
 * , Central Kerala
 * , Kerala

Maharashtra

 * , Maharashtra

Rajasthan

 * , Rajasthan

Tamil Nadu

 * , Tamil Nadu

Uttar Pradesh

 * , Delhi-Uttar Pradesh

Uttarakhand

 * , Uttarakhand

West Bengal

 * , West Bengal
 * , Rajpur Sonarpur, West Bengal
 * , Siliguri, West Bengal


text:
Indianola

There are several places in the world named Indianola:

United States of America

 * Indianola (Iowa) - A town in Iowa.
 * Indianola (Illinois) - A town in Illinois.
 * Indianola (Mississippi) - A town in Mississippi.
 * Indianola (Oklahoma) - A town in Oklahoma.
 * Indianola (Washington) - A town in Washington.
 * Indianola (Pennsylvania) - A village in Pennsylvania.

title: Indianola


text:
Indianola (Mississippi)

Indianola is a city of 9,300 people (2018) in Sunflower County, Mississippi in the Delta region.

Get in
Indianola rests beside US Highway 82, a four-lane east-west highway, from Interstate 55.

Get around
Drive around on streets with names associated with blues legend B.B. King.

Eat
Indianola has an assortment of fast food chains, and several homegrown restaurants offering a variety of traditional Southern foods.

 * Pea-Soup's on Hwy 82 on the western end of town. A long-time local favorite offering mostly traditional Southern foods such as mashed potatoes, country fried steaks, chicken fingers, and salads. Highly recommended by the locals. Prices are very reasonable. Their homemade potato salad is one of the highlights you shouldn't miss out on.

Go next

 * Belzoni
 * Cleveland
 * Greenwood
 * Greenville
 * Jackson - The Mississippi state capital is 100 miles to the south
 * Memphis, Tennessee - 135 miles to the north.

title: Indianola (Mississippi)


text:
Indianola (Washington)

Indianola is a community of 3,500 people (2010) on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. It lies on the north shore of Port Madison, just east of Miller Bay.

Indianola, within the boundaries of the Port Madison Reservation, started in 1916 as a summer/weekend community with the only access via steamboat.

Today this rural residential area, located between Kingston and Suquamish, remains a small and friendly community.

By car
Located between Kingston and Suquamish on S Kingston Rd NE.

By boat
The Indianola dock, built when the Mosquito Fleet supplied the majority of transportation on Puget Sound, is a local landmark that's considered one of the best places in the area to watch the stars or any major celestial event since it juts hundreds of feet out into the water. No overnight moorage, but you can pull up your kayak or canoe up to the dock and head to the general store for refreshments!

Get around
Everything is walking distance from the central dock. A small community center, at the base of the community dock, includes a country store, Post Office and community center.

See
Nearby attractions include Old Man House and the Clearwater Casino in Suquamish, the historic Scandinavian town of Poulsbo, the historic lumber town and museum in Port Gamble and Kingston, star of an episode of a reality TV home show. No, you don't really need a landing craft to get to Kingston and yes, they do have indoor plumbing.

Do
Swim, fish, play on one of the best beaches in the State, crab or do nothing at all and watch the sun reflect off of the skyline of Seattle.
 * One of the more interesting things in town is the annual summer festival, complete with fun run, amateur sand castle building, salmon bake, occasional talent show, and children's games.

Sea kayaking
Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the coastline around Indianola, allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings and making Kitsap one of the most popular areas to kayak in Puget Sound. Indianola's dock is a great starting point for a regional adventure and it is one of the northern most points on the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails and one of the many towns in the area that cater to boaters. Harbor Seals, Otters, Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and Blue Herons are common sites while the occasional viewing of an Orca or Grey Whale is not out of the question.

Kayak trails
Organized trails offer overnight camping options and maps divided into appropriate lengths through scenic travel destinations.

Buy
Some high quality local artists are in town, otherwise shopping is limited to the Indianola Country Store and the farmers market.

Eat
You may eat what you catch, eat breakfast or lunch at the deli in the Indianola Country Store or run into Kingston or Poulsbo for the nearest dining.

Drink
Again; the Indianola Country Store. Not a long list. You may be fortunate enough in the summer to find an occasional beach party with which to imbibe.

Sleep
No lodging in town. Occasionally there are summer homes in town that people are willing to rent out.

Go next
Kingston is to the north and Suquamish is towards the south.

title: Indianola (Washington)


text:
Indian Wells

Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County in the Desert region of California.

By plane

 * Bermuda Dunes Airport is just a few miles from Indian Wells and is the nearest airport. This airport is accessed by private aircraft.  Private jet charter services are provided at this airport by Desert Jet.

Do

 * Play golf

title: Indian Wells


text:
Indigenous Australian culture

Many travellers to Australia are interested in the culture of Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people).

Indigenous Australians practise the oldest continuing human culture in the world.

Before the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, more than 250 Indigenous language groups existed in Australia, with some of the languages still being spoken today. Unfortunately many have been lost, though they are being revived.

Understand
Australia had been home to many indigenous ethnic groups prior to the arrival of the British. Much like their counterparts in the Americas, their numbers have been greatly reduced today, with many having been wiped out by European settlers either through diseases brought to Australia by the settlers, military conquests, genocides or other reasons.

The indigenous Australian people are officially known by the Australian government as Indigenous Australians, and have also been officially divided into two groupings; the Aboriginal people of mainland Australia and Tasmania, and the Torres Strait Islanders from the Torres Strait Islands located between Far North Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

The term "Aborigines" was common from the start of colonisation to the late 20th century, but is now deprecated in favour of the terms above. It is now considered to be a racist slur and should be avoided.

Each state and territory of Australia has important indigenous heritage museums, events, activities, as well as shops with indigenous arts and crafts.

Each state has organisations that coordinate promotion of Aboriginal/Indigenous tourism.

 * In New South Wales, it is the NSW Aboriginal Tourism Operators Council
 * In Western Australia, it is the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council.

Australian Aboriginal people are related to the Melanesians who are a majority in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Torres Strait Islands and Maluku in Indonesia, and a minority in some other regions. The two groups are thought to have arrived as parts of one migration around 50 to 60 thousand years BCE.

The last group of Indigenous Australians living in their traditional lifestyle was the Pintupi Nine in the Gibson Desert in Western Australia in 1984. However, there have been reports of one in the Great Victoria Desert in 1986, which is fairly recent.

Read

 * Dancing With Strangers, Inga Clendinnen, 2003. Australian historian Clendinnen presents her reading of a wide range of primary sources from the 18th century describing early interactions between indigenous Australians and invading British colonisers. She illustrates very early days of genuine curiosity and attempts at cultural understanding eventually soured and thwarted.
 * The Battle of Parramatta: 21 to 22 March 1797, Johnathan Lim, 2016. Based on a true story, it shown the perseverance of Pemulwuy in the 1790s, having escaped 3 times, with all being successful and dared to rebel against white European settlers, haunts the story of the early European colonisation of Sydney.

Destinations
There are a large range of places all around Australia that have sites that reflect the full array of the indigenous experience of the last two hundred years. In each state there are museums, galleries and places where the richness of the culture can be found.

There are also sites of ancient rock art and stories that go back thousands of years, there are places where you can see living expressions of indigenous art and culture, and everything between. The time of the British presence in Australia is very short in comparison to the time of the indigenous population’s presence on the continent. It is well worth looking at the places that have records of the presence.

New South Wales

Sydney

 * Rock Carvings, can be seen in - catch the train and ferry to Cronulla and Bundeena. There are extensive carvings in, near West Head that are accessible only by car. Closer to the city, there are examples at Balls Head and Berry Island, near to Wollstonecraft station. There is an interpretive walk at Berry Island.
 * Rock Carvings, can be seen in - catch the train and ferry to Cronulla and Bundeena. There are extensive carvings in, near West Head that are accessible only by car. Closer to the city, there are examples at Balls Head and Berry Island, near to Wollstonecraft station. There is an interpretive walk at Berry Island.
 * Rock Carvings, can be seen in - catch the train and ferry to Cronulla and Bundeena. There are extensive carvings in, near West Head that are accessible only by car. Closer to the city, there are examples at Balls Head and Berry Island, near to Wollstonecraft station. There is an interpretive walk at Berry Island.
 * Rock Carvings, can be seen in - catch the train and ferry to Cronulla and Bundeena. There are extensive carvings in, near West Head that are accessible only by car. Closer to the city, there are examples at Balls Head and Berry Island, near to Wollstonecraft station. There is an interpretive walk at Berry Island.

Talk
Like other Australians, the vast majority of Indigenous Australians are fluent in English. However, in remote communities, the majority of them speak an Indigenous language as their first language and then English as a second language.

Some older Indigenous people in certain remote communities can also speak German, as some of the missionaries in Australia were from Germany. For example, in the town of Hermannsburg near Alice Springs, the Western Arrarnta language is the local Indigenous language, but since the town was once a Lutheran mission, both English and German are widely understood by adults.

In some communities, a Creole language known as Kriol is widely spoken. It's an English-based creole language with influences from Indigenous languages. Kriol is mostly spoken in the Top End of the Northern Territory (excluding Darwin and Arnhem Land but including in around Katherine) and in the western portion of the Kimberley region of Western Some older Indigenous Australians in remote communities may speak very little English.

Learning a few words in the local language is always a good idea, as it shows understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture. Even a simple word such as "hello" can be useful.

Indigenous people often use some of their own words in their languages as slang. These slang terms are often different in each region.

Events

 * 26 January, the anniversary of the invasion of the First Fleet, and commemorated officially as Australia Day, is marked by indigenous Australians as Invasion Day, a day of political action, or Survival Day, marked with concerts and community events celebrating the survival of the indigenous peoples. In more recent times, the term "Invasion Day" is being marked by more and more non-indigenous Australians.
 * The National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee has a week of events in the Australian winter each year.

Learn
In all of the capital cities and towns with significant Aboriginal populations (such as Cairns or Alice Springs), there are plenty of workshops and lessons where you can immerse yourself in indigenous culture.
 * Boomerang throwing is a popular skill that many tourists want to acquire. If you want to learn throwing a boomerang that comes back to your hand, make sure you have a suitable boomerang for returning. Most boomerangs available in Australia are in fact non-returning. It is best for beginners to not try throwing in windy weather. It will be hard to make progress and build confidence. You can also learn how to throw hunting boomerangs that move in a straight line. Similarly, spear throwing lessons are available across the country.
 * Didgeridoo lessons are as common throughout the country. Learning how to play the didgeridoo is not easy and it can take a long time to truly master the instrument. You will need to have strong lungs and learn the art of circular breathing. Despite that, there are many lessons suitable for novices that teach the fundamentals, which are more than useful. Note that it is disrespectful for women to even touch a didgeridoo due to its long and sacred history. However, most places don't allow women to have didgeridoo lessons due to many cultural reasons.
 * The practice of fire-stick farming, used by Indigenous groups to change the composition of flora and fauna, control weeds, reduce hazards and increase biodiversity, is taught in interactive cultural tours, particularly in the Top End.

Buy
Aboriginal arts and crafts are among the most sought-after souvenirs when overseas tourists visit Australia.

There has been a rise in fake or inauthentic Aboriginal artwork, that is, products that claim to be made by Aboriginal Australians but were not, or where the design of a particular product was not licensed to be reproduced. One way to make sure what you are buying is genuine is to look for the Indigenous Art Code logo. Not only does the logo signify that the product is authentic but that the artists have been fairly paid too.

Eat
The food and cuisine of Aboriginal Australians, and for that matter any dish made from native Australian ingredients is known as bush tucker. Unlike the foods eaten by many of the pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas, the European colonisers were not too keen on the foods encountered in Australia and did not attempt to grow most of them on a commercial scale. The one exception is the macadamia nut which spread to Hawaii in the 1880s and is now famous the world over.

Meats include kangaroo, crocodile, emu, goanna and witchetty grubs. The seafood Indigenous Australians particularly on the coast ate was diverse and comprised barramundi fish, catfish, mud crabs, angasi oysters along with many other fish and crustaceans. Plant foods range from the quandong and riberry fruits to the warrigal greens leafy vegetable. Lemon myrtle is a spice that has become popularly used in teas and bakery items. The traditional diets of some Aboriginal ethnic groups may include endangered species, the consumption of which is strictly limited to those specific groups using only traditional hunting methods, and unlikely to be available to you.

The Indigenous Australian bread making tradition is among the oldest in the world. Breads are made by grinding seeds, roots and corms. The precise ingredients and methods used vary by group and location. Certain seeds had to be leached of their toxins before it was made into dough and cooked over an open fire.

In many fine dining restaurants, many chefs are incorporating more indigenous ingredients into their dishes in what is known as "Modern Australian" cuisine.

Respect
The best way for a traveller to contribute to the well being and dignity of the people is to support indigenous-run tourism and cultural ventures and to treat individual indigenous people with respect.

Indigenous Australia is a complex group of living, continuing cultures: it is important to understand many Aboriginal sites are not museum pieces arranged for the benefit of curious travellers. When visiting sacred sites or fragile ecosystems of cultural significance, many indigenous communities prefer that visitors arrange their trips through formal community programmes or indigenous organisations.

Some communities, townships and protest sites can also be places where issues are fragile and current and can be problematic with a range of issues occurring. Understanding that some locations might best not be part of a travel itinerary is well worth researching before travelling to them.

There are two flags representing Indigenous Australians; one representing the Aboriginal People, and the other representing the Torres Strait Islanders. Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman famously did her lap of honour carrying both the Australian and Aboriginal flags after winning the gold medal in the women's 400m event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Some sites may not look sacred, but they are sacred for many Indigenous Australians – do not take photos of sacred sites. In particular, don't take photos of sites that are depicting rock art of a human.

Until January 2022, the Aboriginal flag was under a strict copyright, and it was unavailable for most uses. However, in January 2022, the federal government bought the flag at a cost of $20 million, making it free for public use.

Names
Indigenous Australians is the official blanket term used to cover all people indigenous to Australia. Aboriginal people is generally used to refer only to those indigenous to mainland Australia and Tasmania, while those indigenous to the Torres Strait Islands are regarded as a separate group called the Torres Strait Islanders, and do not identify as "Aboriginal" as they are more ethnically Melanesian. The term First Nations is increasing in use.

The term "Aborigine" is now considered a racist slur and should not be used. "Aboriginal" is the more acceptable term.

Never use the terms "abo", "noonga" or any other similar term as these words are considered racist and highly offensive.

Variation
It is important to understand the diversity of the indigenous communities. There are over 400 Aboriginal nations in Australia, with over two hundred different Aboriginal languages still spoken among them. Aboriginal people in Sydney are not the same nations as those in Dubbo.

In Tasmania, there are descendants of Aboriginal people who are serious about their indigenous roots. It is not correct to say the Tasmanian Aboriginal community no longer exists.

Each state has variation as to how the governments have related to the indigenous population; it is not just the peoples responses. States have differing levels of involvement in indigenous rights and heritage.

Disadvantage
Due to a long history of oppression, indigenous Australians, as a whole, are disadvantaged relative to other Australians in many ways. Although they have been granted full citizenship rights on paper since 1971, many indigenous Australians are impacted by many problems arising from higher poverty rates, including higher rates of imprisonment, unemployment, alcoholism and drug abuse, as well as lower education levels, life expectancy and access to adequate sanitation and healthcare.

When travelling, you may encounter Aboriginal people asking for money or other items. This is called 'Humbug', and should be refused. If humbug is entertained, you only encourage the problem. However, this is becoming less of a problem now.

Rather than giving money to beggars, consider visiting an Aboriginal art centre (there are many around) and support those who are making a living, or if you can't access an art centre, consider giving to an Aboriginal charity, such as Conways Kids, a charity in Central Australia set up to ensure that cultural Aboriginal Children from remote communities have the same opportunities as youth from the rest of Australia.

title: Indigenous Australian culture


text:
Indigenous Peoples Trail

The Indigenous Peoples Trail is in Ramechhap District of Nepal.

Understand
The first of its kind in Nepal, the Indigenous Peoples Trail offers unique, living exposure to one of the most culturally diverse areas of Nepal. The Indigenous Peoples Trail offers scenic trekking at relatively low elevations, below 3,000 m. Bound by Thulo Sailung peak in the north, the golden Sun Koshi river flowing along the south and the Tama Koshi river in the east, the Indigenous Peoples Trail presents an incomparable and natural blend of cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity coupled with breathtaking Himalayan panoramas, stretching from Dhauligiri and Annapurna in the west to Numburchuili and Kanchenjunga in the east.

History
57.9% of the total populations in Ramechhap belong to indigenous communities. Out of the total 55 VDCs, Indigenous populations are in majority in 34 VDCs. In all, there are 21 Indigenous groups in Ramechhap.

Ramechhap district falls within the territory what is historically known as homeland of Indigenous Tamang nation, they form the largest size. Tamang peoples constitute about 21% of the total population. In Ramechhap visitors gain memorable insight into the culture and lifestyle of at least six indigenous communities: Sherpa, Newar, Thami, Tamang, Yolmo and Majhis. Among these groups, the Thami and Majhi are rarely encountered on trekking routes anywhere.

Landscape
Against a magnificent Himalayan backdrop visitors gain invaluable insight to the culture and lifestyle of several local Indigenous Peoples including Tamang, Newars, Sherpa, Thamis, and Majhis. The two predominant religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, are ever present with the variety of gods and goddess, temples, stupas and monasteries.

Climate
The Indigenous Peoples Trail is possible throughout the year, although the best season is October to December and March to April when the rhododendrons are in bloom

Get in
The starting point of the Indigenous Peoples Trail is Dhunge via Mude, a 3-hr drive from Dhulikhel or 4½ hr from Kathmandu. Get off the bus in Dhunghe and begin the short climb towards Thulo Sailung. Follow the trail down to the Sherpa village of Khola Kharka where you will spend the night in the newly established Khola Kharka Community Centre. If coming from Kathmandu; the other option is to take a bus to Mude, spend the night there, next day walk to Khola Kharka via Dhunghe. Start early, because it may take 3-4 hours.

See
Thulo Sailung. Rise early to reach the summit of Thulo Sailung as the sun rises over the Eastern Himalaya. At 3300 m Sailung offers magnificent views over Kalinchowk to the Annapurna, Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Rowaling, Everest and Kanchenjunga ranges, to the South the Mahabharata hills roll over the Sun Koshi River and down to the Terai below.

Thulo Sailung is regarded by the Tamangs as the abode of the territorial deity, Sailung Phoi Sibda Karpo, Sailung’s ‘White Male Lord of the Earth’. The chorten atop the hill of Sailung is the seat of this divine protector and the Tamang Community are the ‘custodians of the land’. The souls of the ancestors together with the ‘Lord of the Earth’ guarantee the well-being of the people and the fertility of the soil.

The four groups of stone chorten on the summit are related to the Tamang communities in the surrounding area – the groups on the highest point facing south over Ramechhap, today in ruins, are the largest. At the chortens Buddhist Priests perform ‘mandala offerings’ for the rebirth of the souls of the deceased. The lingos surrounding the Chorten were erected during Tamang death rituals and are left there to succumb to the forces of nature.

The main rituals held here are Buddhist offerings to the souls of the deceased. During the festival of Saun Purnima, held on the full moon of July/August during which Tamang pilgrims crowd around the ruined Chortens at the highest point of Thulo Sailung. Nowadays, no blood sacrifices are permitted on Thulo Sailung. The shamans have surrendered to Buddhist Dominance and refrain from offering blood to the fierce female deities.

Other sites of interest around Thulo Sailung include three rocks - tiger, snake and cow representing the Hindu, Buddhist and Shamanic simultaneous rivalry and co-existence. The King of the Tigers lived on Thulo Sailung. One day he was pursuing a cow grazing on the meadows of Thulo Sailung. Suddenly a snake appeared from the soil and came between the tiger and the cow. The three turned to stone and the cow was saved from the tiger. Two rocks below Thulo Sailung bear the footprint of Padmasambhava and his sword.

Gaurighat cave. Located below the summit of Thulo Sailung is Gaurighat cave, it is believed that on full moon nights ‘milk’ is said to ooze from the stalagtites inside the cave. The cave is believed to be a source of fertility and health. Pilgrims pray there for sons, relief from illness and for personal success and wealth. The cave is also considered the entrance to the netherworld, the realm of the nagas serpent deity. Legend has it “when a yogi meditates inside the cave for five years, a door leading to the interior of the mountain appears”.

Buddha’s Gate. A second cave locally known as ‘Buddha’s Gate’ or the ‘Door of Dharma’ has an exit hole that almost too small for human passage. Only the most devout Buddhists who have not committed any sins can pass.

Godavari cave. In the third small cave, Godavari cave, it is believed that every twelve years at the full moon of August/September white water is said to flow in which Hindu’s take a sacred bath to ritually purify the body. These caves are also associated with the Hindu God Mahadev, the popular form of Shiva, together with his female consort Seti Devi, the ‘White Goddess’ Parvati. A shepherd discovered his cow was giving milk a large phallic rock inside the cave. According to legend the rock was Mahadev himself.

Enjoy lunch in Khola Kharka and continue along the trail, passing through rhododendrons downhill to the Monastery in Raj Veer Built by the Bhutanese Drukpa Kagyu School in 1972. The craftsmen responsible for the paintings and frescoes came from Bhutan. The patron Lama Kalsang of Kathmandu's Dharma Centre has donated comfortable accommodation quarters where you will spend the night. Rise early to the sound of chanting Monks and receive a blessing before continuing on your journey.

Raj Veer. Continuing downhill from Raj Veer Monastery the trail leaves behind the thick alpine forests and opens up to the green terraced fields. Along the route you pass through the Sherpa village of Dadhuwa-Dara and a Tamang village, each with their own Buddhist gompas. Prayer flags, chorthens and mani stones are scattered along the route.

Surke-Thinghare. The trail continues to descend where the spectacular 40-foot 'Thinghare' water fall crashes onto the rocks below. A short climb brings you to the beautifully terraced settlement of Surke where you will spend the night in one of five newly renovated homestays.

Spend a day in the village, climb to the viewpoint of Gaurigaun or visit the endangered Thami Community. The local Thami band are on hand to entertain and visitors can sample the local Raksi Thangmi, known in Nepali as Thami, is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by around 30,000 people in eastern Nepal. Unfortunately, much of this local knowledge is falling into disuse as fluency in Nepali increases, see the Thami phrasebook and surprise the locals with a few words in their native tongue!

Doramba. As you leave Surke you pass through Thami Settlements before crossing over into the Doramba valley where the trail traverses along the forest covered hillside around to the terraced fields of Doramba. The trail leisurely follows the contours of the valley leading to the bustling Doramba Bazaar, where you can purchase cold drinks, snacks and music cassettes of local Tamang songstress, Shashi Moktan. Tonight you will sleep in a local homestay.

Doramba is one of the largest Tamang settlements in Nepal, in fact, most of the Thangka painters found in Bhaktapur and Bouddha are originally from this remote village. Try your hand at a few words in Tamang with the Tamang phrasebook.

Khandadevi. After a pleasant walk out of the Doramba valley, the route ascends to the sacred Hindu shrine atop Agleshwari Danda where you will be rewarded with stunning views of the Himalaya and the rolling Mahabhata hills below. Descend through the local slate mine, through pine forests to emerging at Galpa Bazaar. Perched on a pass between two valleys Galpa Bazaar is a bustling centre where you can purchase cold drinks and snacks, an ideal place to break for lunch.

Perched on top of a 1977m peak, Khandadevi is situated around a captivating Hindu Temple complex encircled by ancient stone walls. The temple, dedicated to Goddess Khada Devi, was discovered in 1458 AD by a shepherd who discovered milk oozing from a sacred stone, an emanation of the Goddess Khandadevi. The site served also as a fortress during the Anglo-Nepal war. The setting is dominated by high hills of lush green Maharabharat Range with snowy peaks of Numburchuili and Gaurishankar on the northern horizon and southern views over the flat terai below. Daily animal sacrifices, Panchabale, are still carried out today. As of spring 2009, there is one homestay where you can spend the night.

Sunapati. Leaving Khandadevi, the trail follows a long ridge with views down into the Terai on one side and up into the snow capped Himalayan peaks on the other. The trail traverses up and down through thick alpine forests before crossing into another valley. Amidst the forest you encounter an enormous rock adorned with a Shiva temple before emerging at Dhonghme, an ancient Yolmo or settlement, inhabited by many Lamas. The local Lama may show you his vast collection of Buddhist scripture and photos from trips to Bodhgaya. Like the young Tamang's much of the Yolmo youth are employed as Thangka painters in Kathmandu.

In the evening, make the gradual climb to the summit of Sunapati, well-known for its spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Here amongst the Buddhist Chortens and Hindu shrines you can enjoy sunset over the Himalaya before returning to the Gumba or homestay to spend the night.

Lubughat. After breakfast the next morning you get to enjoy an equally stunning sunrise before the final descent to the village of Lubughat on the renowned Sun Koshi River. Here you will meet the Majhi peoples, renowned for their fishing expertise. Roaming through the rivers, men, women and children repeatedly hurl nets into nearby water in hopes of trapping passing fish. You will spend your last night here, in lubughat before rising early, crossing the river to catch the bus to Dhulikel where you can enjoy the luxurious hotels and stunning Himalayan views, before returning to Kathmandu.

Eat
All food and services are locally produced, virtually all of the money stays in the community.

Drink
Though there are small shops, where one can buy snacks and drinks, in most of the villages along the way, none of those sell water. So be prepared to boil water at the homestays.

Sleep
Home-stay accommodation and cultural performances offer closer contact with Nepali hospitality and greater insight into ethnic lifestyles that cannot be found along the more developed trekking venues where interactions can be more commercially orientated.

The ‘Indigenous Peoples Trail' allows you to stay overnight in private homes in traditional villages far from commercialized tourist trails. Unlike highly commercialized routes trekkers walk through uninhabited areas and meet few fellow travelers.

 * Accommodation on this trek changes in each village and is either in a local family homestay, a monastery, or a community homestay, all of which were upgraded through the UN-ILO EmPLED project to meet international tourist standards. Hygienically tiled toilets are available at all accommodation options.

What is a Home-stay?
 * Rural Nepali’s have a traditional love for meeting people, making new friends and welcoming guests into their homes. In turn, for many Nepali as well as visitors to Nepal, there is little that is more interesting than staying as guests in a traditional Nepali home. When staying with a Nepali family guests live the life as the local people do, and are treated like part of the family.

 * Homestays provide an authentic visitor experience that directly improves the lives and heritage of local Communities and aims to discover the real Nepal and to enjoy the untouched and undisturbed country-side. The homes are not hotel-like; instead they reflect the traditional and simple atmosphere of the people. Apart from the pleasure of being amidst peaceful and serene environment, tourists can also enjoy the traditional folk dances and music presented by the local men and women. The focus for the guests is on experiencing and learning from an authentic and enriched culture. Visitors are often involved in local activities that range from cooking classes through to attending a traditional wedding, watching a local cultural dance. In addition, the program increasingly responds to the growing interest among urban Nepali to rediscover, taste, appreciate and maintain contact with their rural roots.

 * Initially five homes in each select target villages were provided with grant support for infrastructure upgrading and skills development training in order to raise comfort and hygiene standards to meet international tourist demands.

 * Local people organize and host the visitors and therefore are the primary recipients of the benefits, financial and otherwise, that accrue from the tourism activity. In addition to the host families, many of the micro-enterprises in the locality also benefit directly from the influx of tourists and increase demand for their products.

 * The homestay concept provides the ideal vehicle for visitors to experience the rural and traditional Nepali way of life, and for the local community to participate in and benefit directly from tourism. By staying at one of our Homestays a certain percentage of the accommodation price you provide is placed into a community fund to support further community projects as decided by the local village tourism development committee.

 * The program also acts as an important mechanism to learn, share and conserve local values and customs. Activities that are performed for guests, could, in some cases, disappear from these communities which are increasingly influenced by the factors of modernization, urban sprawl and international development. It is hoped that the visitor's interest in the Indigenous Peoples culture will stimulate and maintain the locals pride of their distinctive culture and heritage.

Stay safe
The highest elevation reached is 3146 m making the trail an all season trek (however, March to June and September to January are the best seasons). It is a relatively soft top-down, gentle trek fit for all categories of trekkers and particularly suited to visitors wishing to avoid extremely high altitudes within a week or less of holiday.

This is a great trek if you wish to avoid extremely high altitudes. As the trek remains at relatively low altitudes there is little chance of altitude sickness.

Go next
The final stretch of the trail crosses over the Sun Koshi and shortly ends at Nepalthok where your bus or jeep will be waiting. A pleasant 2 hour drive on the brand new hard-top road back brings you back to Kathmandu, through Dhulikel.

title: Indigenous Peoples Trail