Sadly, the original building is no longer but the marker is here and the memories of the graduates…read morewill live on. It is on the side of Washington Street near the new school. The front of the marker reads, "1883-1912. Monrovia's first high school was started in the fall of 1883 and graduated its first two alumni Mary Hubbard and Ina Phillips in 1884. The building was built in 1881 on the location of Monrovia's first Common School built in 1857 and used until 1912." And the reverse, "1912-1967. Monroe Township authorized the building of a new school in 1912. The high school served both Monroe and Gregg township students and was used until 1967. The building was razed in 1978." There is parking here and the marker is in very good condition. [Review 21138 overall - 154 in Indiana - 101 of 2024.]

For the longest time, my basic path to my downtown office was to take Emerson to East Washington…read morebefore landing at the Indiana Government Center complex. These days, as we all know, there are detours galore and several street projects to deal with along the way. Thus, I now wind my way through the Brookside Park area and then drive through what is known as the Old Northside Historic District. Aptly named because this used to be Indy's old Northside, this historic district is defined by 16th street on the North, Pennsylvania Street on the West, I-65 to the South, and Bellefontaine Street on the East. The Monon Trail borders the east edge of The Frank and Judy O'Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park. This was "the" neighborhood to live in near the turn of the 19th century. Around the 1950s, the area began a steady decline and many original structures were destroyed. In the 1970s, this became a historic district and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since the 1980s, it has really come back to its own. While it's not the place it used to be, it's once again a valued place to live. Much like my own eastside neighborhood, Old Northside is in many ways an oasis surrounded by more economically challenged areas. I don't live in a bad neighborhood, but I am surrounded by them. That's really the same thing here. As a wheelchair user, it's probably easy to figure out why I'd opt for a 4-star instead of a 5-star here. Amidst all of this marvelous history, there are stairs galore. While Indiana Landmarks has done a marvelous job of making their historic home accessible, as has the Benjamin Harrison home, others not so much. You've also got the Harrison Center, Indiana Humanities (Meredith Nicholson home), Morris Butler, McGowan Hall, Redeemer Presbyterian, and a host of other buildings, events (Talbot Street, anyone?), and places to visit. Yes, some of the area continues to need more love and care, however, this really is one of the cooler areas in Indy. Sidewalks and curb cuts are great in renovated areas, however, there are quite a few places where passage is very iffy. With large homes and lots, architecture reflecting the area's history, and a true feeling of neighborhood, this is a well-suited area for those who'd love to live amidst history and with restaurants, coffee shops, and other businesses easily within walking distance. For those with mobility issues, it'll be a more challenging task to live around here as even the apartment buildings tend to be older and challenged in terms of access. For me, I love the Old Northside but it's an area where I love to visit but would most likely never live.

OLD NORTHSIDE HISTORIC DISTRICT IN INDY IS CHARMING…read more================================================ In August of 2025 my husband and I rented an Airbnb in the Old Northside Historic District to stay close to some family members nearby. You can walk all over the place from there, but it was a bit warm at the beginning of August, so we didn't do too much walking. We stayed near College and 16th. 16th is the border on the north side, Pennsylvania Street on the west, Interstate I-65 on the south, and Bellefontaine Street on the east. The Monon Trail runs along the eastern edge of The Frank and Judy O'Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park. We walked on the Monon Trail by this park and it was beautiful. A lot of the homes in this area reflect the Late Victorian style. This area was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 1978. This area was a prominent residential area in the late 19th century when some more affluent residents built mansions in the area. Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, called this area home. It was also the original location of Butler University which was later relocated to another town. This neighborhood changed in the early 1910's when families built homes further north in Indianapolis.

I never knew this was here. It was dedicated in 2019 and was funded 100% through donations…read more Brownsburg has a very tasteful and powerful 9/11 memorial right by Arbuckle Park located at Arbuckle Commons. The highlight of the monument is a 1500-pound beam that was recovered from the World Trade Center. It is positioned the same as it would have been in the World Trade Center and is pointing in the direction of New York. The area is small, but powerful. There is a tall flag pole with an American Flag blowing in the wind. There is also a bench facing the beam that you can sit and reflect and an informational placard in front of the flag pole explaining the events of 9/11. This memorial is so surreal and peaceful (even though it is right off of one of Brownsburg's main drags). It is well put together and maintained. The memorial is well groomed and still looks new. I enjoyed my visit here and recommend checking out this place if you are in the area.

Bridgeport honors the local men who served in the Civil War with this elaborate monument in Seaside…read morePark https://www.yelp.com/biz/seaside-park-bridgeport?hrid=VuI9YRr0wFJzrDzQoIr4BA. The monument features a large, granite base with several decorative elements that narrows into a shaft topped by a bronze allegorical figure representing the United States. The monument's side feature bronze statues depicting an infantry soldier and a sailor. The plaque on the southeast face reads, "Dedicated to the memory of the heroic men of Bridgeport who fell in the late war for the preservation of the Union. July 1876." The plaque also features the conclusion of the Gettysburg Address. Plaques on the other faces list approximately 180 local residents killed in the war, along with their unit, as well as their date and place of death. [Review 15155 overall, 657 of 2021, number 12 in Connecticut.]

With my family and I were doing on North East trip we stopped in Bridgeport Connecticut and we saw…read morethis wonderful monument for soldiers and sailors. I've noticed that a lot of cities that I've visited have the same soldiers and sailors monument on this trip. It looks a little different but it's always titled soldiers and sailors so curious might look that up. But anyway there's a nice looking Memorial monument and it just really represents the respect and love for soldiers and sailors and people that have fought for our country and have passed away it's just a nice tribute

I'd seen a social media post that W.S. Gibbs Memorial Park had added a major ADA accessibility…read morefeature - so, after a recent clinic appointment I was able to get a friend of mine to take a detour so I could go check it out. W.S. Gibbs Memorial Park is a Hendricks County Park with an official address in Danville, though the park itself is considered to be in Avon. One of Hendricks County's newer parks, it offers two fishing ponds, nature trails, a disc golf course, and a playground among other features. The feature that attracted my attention is the recent addition of a fully accessible, ADA compliant fishing dock on the park's smaller lake. This dock was paid for in part by a federal Land & Water Conservation Fund grant and is part of a larger project at the park to improve ADA-accessibility and park security. The park is open from dawn to dusk daily, and admission to the park and the 18-hole disc golf course within it is free. In addition to checking out the new dock, I checked out the park itself. The park features: 70 acres of woods, prairie, ephemeral creek, and ponds. Over 2 miles of well-marked trails (gravel and natural surfaces). Two ponds totaling 5.5 acres stocked with bass, redear sunfish, bluegill, and channel catfish. ADA-accessible fishing dock Nature-themed playgrounds for 5-to-12-year-olds and for 2-to-5-year-olds. ADA-accessible concrete walkways from paved parking lots to pavilions. 30-foot-tall observation/sledding hill. Picnic areas. Green space. There are two pavilions that can be rented, both ADA accessible. There's no fee to fish the ponds; properly licensed anglers may keep what they catch as long as all Indiana fishing laws and regulations are being followed. This is an absolute gem of a park and I'm so excited to see that they're taking accessibility so seriously. If you're in Hendricks County or on Indy's far westside, this park is worth the trip.

Beautiful new nature park and Disc Golf Course off of Gibbs road between Danville and Plainfield…read moreIN. There is a large sign that helps you find it off the main road. New park so google maps info was actually wrong when I first came here! Fishing pond, nature trails, disc golf course and playground here.

Loved this theatre experience! Great popcorn! Very friendly…read morestaff and will definitely be going back!

I was not impressed with this theater at all. First of all the website acts like they serve food so…read morewe booked an afternoon movie thinking we would eat lunch and watch. This place is not like Flix where you can dine while you watch. The website had what I thought was a limited menu (hot dogs, chicken egg rolls, mozzarella sticks) but when we got there, they didn't even have that. It was pretzels, nachos or popcorn/candy. Also the seats were rocking chairs which doesn't compare to the AMC recliners and they had a velvet seat cover that looks like they haven't been cleaned in YEARS. I mean the arm rests we're so gross looking I didn't even want my arm to touch it. No thanks. Too much money and too many other better options to put up with that. Not to mention trying to find parking at the mall... Hard pass.

If there's one curse I associate with being a wheelchair user, it's the fact that I tend to fall in…read morelove with historic houses that are far from wheelchair friendly. Such is the case with the Irvington area's "The Benton House," a home built in 1873 and intended to be one of the homes to set the architectural flavor of the Irvington area. Alas, the home's construction was shortly followed by an economic downtown and many of the surrounding homes were built on smaller lots and were a bit more modest in size. This 10-room home served as home from former Butler University President Dr. Allan Benton (Fun Fact: His wife was named Silence, which I personally think is an incredibly cool name). By 1907, it had changed hands and stayed in the Miller family until 1966 when it was sold to the Irvington Historic Landmarks Foundation. There are items from Dr. Benton still located in the home. The home recently underwent renovations and is available for club meetings, weddings, private parties, and retreats. As it is a historic home and noted as a historic landmark, it is not wheelchair friendly. Getting around the yard is fairly easy, though there are steps into the home. Geocachers will be interested to note that there's a geocache located within close proximity of the home - this is actually how I originally discovered the home myself. It remains a nicely wooded lot and is quite often decorated seasonally. You can actually become a "member" of The Benton House - $25 for individuals annually and $50 for families and/or organizations. There are benefits associated with membership, though the greatest benefit is supporting a really beautiful and historic Irvington home. As a wheelchair user, I love homes like this even though they are far from wheelchair friendly. My own home is a 1955 California ranch that, quite fortunately, is on one level. However, I've long felt like if I ever obtained the ability to walk or increase mobility one of my first actions would be to buy a home such as this incredible beauty.

The Benton House will be in my fondest memories for decades to come... granted I might be a little…read morebiased since we had our rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, and reception here. Working with Linda was a breeze. She is so sweet and accommodating. The preferred tent company is a little exhausting, but I kind of think the whole formal wedding process is a little exhausting, so that might just be personal preference. I can't handle talking about table cloth colors for two hours without feeling like I'm losing my mind a little. My husband and I couldn't have been happier with the weekend, and it seems like our guests had a great time, as well. If you're looking at renting The Benton House for any type of indoor event under 100 people, or outdoor event under 150, I 100% recommend it.

Driving across the Robert N. Stewart Bridge is like driving across a work of art. The bridge is…read moregorgeous during the day and spectacular at night. The bridge was built as part of a project to attract and welcome drivers off the highway into the city of Columbus. Jean Muller, a renowned Chicago architect, designed the cable-stayed bridge, which was completed in 1999. I drove and walked across the bridge today. Driving into Columbus, the bridge frames the lovely courthouse. To walk across, there is a narrow sidewalk on the west side of the bridge. I had to cross several busy streets to get there, but it was worth the challenge. The bridge is breathtaking and view of Flatrock River from the bridge is tranquil. The colors of the lights that illuminate the bridge change on certain holidays and for special events. I recommend a stop in Columbus to experience this amazing work of art. There is street parking near the courthouse.

There are entirely too many boring and uninspired bridges in the world so it's pretty awesome to…read morefind something inspired and beautiful. And the Stewart bridge in Columbus is that. Formerly called the Second Street Bridge, it is a cable-stayed suspension bridge that carries SR-46 over the Flatrock River. The bridge was completed in 1999 with the colored lighting added in 2012 and the name change in 2013 in recognition of the former three term mayor of Columbus. There isn't much parking immediately near the bridge and there is no stopping on it. But it's worth a bit of a walk to check it out. [Review 20524 overall - 70 in Indiana - 1505 of 2023.]

Local artist, Michael McAuley, created this bronze statue of local music legend, Hoagy Carmichael…read more Hoagy sits at his bronze piano just outside the IU Auditorium on the IU campus. The patio is surrounded by a lush serene garden. There is no parking close to the statue and you have to walk to see the statue. It took me some time to find, as it is tucked in near a wall just outside the doors of the Auditorium. I recommend visiting when classes are not in session. IU has a lot of interesting and beautiful art scattered around the campus.

Beautiful tribute to one of America's best composers. It captures his image well and it's so…read morerefreshing to see this be a fixture at IU, given his legacy and time there. I love that the pose is of him at work with "Stardust" at his fingertips, as he penned that just a few blocks away. It's easy for me to conjure up the image of what his style of work may have been like and I can totally hear the song in my head as I go by. I'm so happy that this tribute to him exists.

Still in Parke County but outside Rockville, this is another Joseph A. Britton covered bridge that…read morehe completed in 1913. It is a single-span Burr Arch structure. This is originally the site of two other bridges that had been washed away before this one, the State Sanatorium Covered Bridge, was moved to here. It is open to traffic But I opted to take the bypass with the Sprinter van. The road to the east is hard packed dirt and not a great run. Total length of 170 feed with a clearance of 12.5 feet, it would have been fine for my heavy van but I thought, let's not today. [Review 1297 of 2024 - 174 in Indiana - 22320 overall]

This Single Span Burr Arch Truss originally crossed Little Raccoon Creek on State Sanatorium…read moreproperty, about a mile downstream from its current location. It was moved in 2008 to carry County Road 100N across Little Raccoon Creek. #1 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the bridge was built by J.A. Britton in 1913-- one of the twelve covered bridges that he constructed in the county.