Garden gnomes in search of a tropical Spring Break vacation traveled to Garfield Park Conservatory on the south side of Indianapolis the last two weeks of March for the sixth annual Gnome Away from Home exhibit, featuring more than 200 gnomes. Over half of the gnomes were loaned by local residents for the display, which has a different theme every year. The exhibit has grown to include over 200 gnomes for this year’s event. I’d been to see the gnome show once before, in 2013, which was the first year it was held. The first gnome show had…
That groundhog was right about six more weeks of winter. But those six weeks were over a while ago, and we still have winter! I am more than ready for spring! Mom and I headed to the Indiana Flower & Patio Show on March 12 to enjoy some spring color indoors while we wait for winter’s thaw. It’s one of our favorite annual traditions, and this year the show celebrated its 60th anniversary. Our favorite parts of the show, held 9 days each March at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, are the feature gardens in the center of West…
On Valentine’s Day, or All Hearts Day as it’s known in Sweden, I had a date with the new IKEA Fishers store! I’ve wished for a central Indiana IKEA for years, since the store closest to me until now was the Cincinnati location in West Chester, OH. So I was thrilled when IKEA opened just five miles from my house last October 11. (I’ll always remember the opening date since my friend Rebecca’s baby was born on the same day.) I can’t believe I waited four months to check out the new store…
Oh the weather outside is frightful! Greetings from Indiana on a snowy and icy day where I’m stuck inside and dreaming of spring. Luckily we had a five day break from winter’s extremes earlier this week, so I was able to squeeze in a visit to the Indiana Chinese Lantern Festival on the last day of its run. I’d been trying to get to this new event since opening day November 24, but between a full schedule for Christmas and the two weeks long deep freeze that followed, it didn’t happen sooner. Temperatures were in…
Merry Christmas! This holiday season is going by faster than any I can remember and the past month has been a blur! Luckily before I got wrapped up in everything I had to do, I was able to slow down and enjoy several Christmas festivities with friends and family like the Handmade Ornament Exchange and the Carmel Christkindlmarkt. Another holiday activity I enjoyed earlier this Christmas season with my parents was the inaugural Winterlights at Newfields, the new name for the Indianapolis Museum of Art and its gardens. A million lights were used to create the Winterlights display and they…
Season’s greetings! The most wonderful time of the year is here, or – if you prefer the warm weather months like me – at least, the most festive! My favorite part of Christmas is making memories, so I love to attend various Christmas events, and this year I am so thrilled there are several new Christmas festivals in central Indiana. Now, how to find time to check them all off my list? 2017 marks the first year for the Carmel Christkindlmarkt, which is open Wednesday through Sunday from now until December 24. There is no admission charge and parking is free…
Fall always flies by at record speed for me, and this year is no exception. It’s one of the busiest times of the year for me at work and home. I love autumn events, but finding time to check off my fall bucket list can be a challenge. I decided to take a day off work so Mom and I could attend the covered bridge festival since we hadn’t been in several years. The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is a ten day event which begins on the second Friday in October each year. It is…
Just 20 miles west of downtown Indianapolis, the small town of Danville, Indiana puts on a festive fall display of scarecrows each year from October 1-31. This year is their 10th annual display of creative scarecrows designed by local businesses and civic groups. My mom and I strolled around the square on a lovely warm Friday evening just before sunset. We’d stopped there on our way home from the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival. I’ll be blogging about our trip to the Covered Bridge Festival this week. Thirty-one scarecrows are displayed on all four…
I’ve always had an affinity for Coca-Cola history & collectibles. I talked my parents into going to the original location of the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta when it opened in 1990 at the height of my Coke obsession. Even though I’ve since stopped drinking soft drinks, I’m still fascinated by the story of Coke. I’ve also been a fan of Art Deco architecture since high school, so when I heard Indiana Landmarks was hosting a one-time tour of the old Coca-Cola bottling plant on Massachusetts Avenue…