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Don’t you love finding a new favorite spot to camp? Or maybe it’s a place that everyone seems to know about and you’re just discovering it for the first time. Our recent trip to Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana proved to be just that.
There’s no denying that we are State Park enthusiasts. The parks are usually dedicated around some feature that we enjoy, like a historic site or a geological wonder. State Park campgrounds easily accommodate our under 30’ rig, and many are thoughtfully laid out with plenty of green spaces and a network of hiking trails. The larger parks also have an inn or hotel with a dining room that we look forward to visiting.
On our recent trip to Spring Mill State Park we found that it was loaded with all these amenities, plus some unique attractions to boot.
Spring Mill’s central feature is a working mill, complete with water wheel, grindstone, and water-powered sawmill. The mill’s awesome wood and iron engineering is demonstrated every hour - fascinating to watch.
The mill is centered in a large village complex, with log cabins housing old-timey artifacts and many offering living museum demonstrations by expert craftsmen. We encountered the blacksmith, leather worker, broom maker, weaver, and herbalist - all bustling with the activities of their trade. Other buildings included a distillery, apothecary, carriage house, tavern, and pottery shop.
Though we’ve been to many State Parks which provide picnic areas, we hardly see the pavilions and tables being used. Not so with Spring Mill – this is a picnic lover’s haven. Groups of families were busy spreading tablecloths and coolers at all of the park’s numerous picnic areas, but surprisingly it didn’t seem crowded. The small, clear spring which feeds the mill also winds prettily through the main visitor area, and we saw both children and adults unable to resist the temptation to kick off their shoes and delight in an ankle-deep wade. This was good summer fun at its finest!
We enjoyed several other features unique to Spring Mill. The area is threaded with underground springs, and the park has several wet caves. We took a $3 tour on a small boat through Twin Caves, guided by a park ranger who gently pushed us through the cavern and spotted with a flashlight the odd formations and blind water creatures.
Astronaut Gus Grissom is a hometown hero and a good size museum, located at the park entrance, is dedicated to this space pioneer. Grissom was an early space program veteran, piloting missions for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. He died tragically in a fire on the launch pad while conducting a routine test for Apollo 1 - a prep mission for landing on the moon.
There are numerous hiking trails in Spring Mills, including one that winds through an old-growth forest where some trees have reached 200 years old. A good-sized Nature Center is located in the back of the park, and a hefty camp store is stocked with all your last-minute needs. Hay wagon rides and movie nights are also offered in the campground.
There’s so much to see here that we couldn’t do it all in one weekend, which begs for a return trip. So come on down to our new favorite State Park, and enjoy a ride through central Indiana!
Websites:
www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2968.htm
www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/springmill
September 14, 2023
