Little Indiana: Small Town Destinations

by Jessica Nunemaker

Where was James Dean's hometown? What do A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, and Al Unser have in common besides winning the Indianapolis 500? Where was the world's first theme park? Find these answers and more in Little Small Town Destinations . Featuring towns of 15,000 or fewer inhabitants, Little Indiana explores where to eat, stay, play, and shop in over 90 small towns. After six years of traveling the state in search of amazing local experiences, blogger and TV host Jessica Nunemaker shares a treasure trove of what to expect in Hoosier small towns. Perfect for any length of excursion―day or weekend―the book is organized by region and town and provides travelers easy access to information found nowhere else. From wineries to antique shops, alpaca farms to chocolate stores, unique attractions are awaiting discovery. Full-color images showcase specialty stores, mouth-watering meals, and exciting attractions tucked off the beaten path. Proof that there's always something to do in a small town, this book is the perfect way to kick-start your next Indiana adventure!

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

324 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2016

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every wide spot in the road from the Michigan state line to the Ohio River is in this book. Except, of course, MY tiny little home town in Indiana. Fine. Nobody there wants an influx of tourists anyway-- trust me.

I've visited a fair number of the towns featured in the book, and despite the glowing reviews of restaurants and "antique shops" (for those of you outside the Midwest, that's code for a permanent, glorified rummage sale with stuff that no one wanted in 1970, let alone now) in the book, let me say that with a few exceptions, you'd be wise to keep your expectations low.

[Robbi C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not motivated to finish this book. :( I love the topic but I just don't think this format works for me for this topic by this author. Some of the reviews sound a little too cliche and it felt like there were times the author had difficulties stringing it all together. Disappointed but hoping to check out the author's website instead. Perhaps it's better in smaller chunks.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the book and jotted down numerous notes on stores to visit and restaurants to eat at when I plan some summer road trips. I had several "Huh, I didn't know that was there" moments even with towns that I'm familiar with. Conversely, a game: find a town you know well, speculate which attractions will be mentioned, and then see how many you get right. I was something like seven for seven with Nappanee.

Something that bothered me throughout the book was the lack of a map with each town showing its location, and some towns lacked the mention of even a county within the text to help pin them down. I now know that the unincorporated town of St. Meinrad exists, but where exactly is it?

This is a book better suited for picking up and glancing through to get ideas instead of reading from start to finish. If you start at town 1 and continue straight through to town 91, you'll soon realize that many entries follow a similar pattern: The town was founded along the railroad tracks but had a few name changes over time; you should stay at this cute bed-and-breakfast before exploring an antique shop (probably in a historic building — otherwise, a multi-thousand-square-foot mega mart) or checking out locally made soaps, candles and jewelry; for lunch, get the best-ever pork tenderloin sandwich* at that nifty little restaurant (and eat at the counter to be like the locals) and then have dessert at the nearby bakery or ice cream parlor; and the town's Fourth of July celebrations are not to be missed.

It's not necessarily a bad itinerary, but it does get repetitive. Still, that's not going to stop me from planning some one-day getaways!



*There are almost an embarrassing number of tenderloins mentioned (and I love a good tenderloin sandwich). Indiana living up to one of its stereotypes.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fun little book. I learned several things about nearby towns that I did not know. Sadly, several of the businesses in some of those towns have closed since the publication of this book. I would like to see a revised edition in about five years!

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was about going crazy trying to figure out where every place was either through memory, asking Mr. Rayman, or googling it - my kingdom for a map of all the featured towns in the book!

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

this has to be the most comprehensive tour book that I have read. It was well worth buying and I hope to make use of it in the future with a visit to the state of Indiana. I have never found anyone has spent the time to actually tour the entire state visiting all the small towns spending time with the local residents finding about the history of the town, personally going to the attractions and eating places so people will know what is available the way that Jessica Nunemaker has with this book. This book is not only for people visiting the state of Indiana but the residents that will find places that they might never have heard of or the historical history behind the town's name.