This is such a great example of surprise and delight community placemaking. This was our second…read morevisit to the alley and both times it filled our family with a sense of wonder and delight. The slow swinging lanterns in the breeze accompanied by the small red bridge and mural painting of Koi fish are such a lovely experience. Big kudos to the town of Franklin for making this magic happen. You will stumble upon this alley as you walk your way around the square. It's wedged between coffee shops and bakeries. Definitely worth a little pitstop.

I love this alley in downtown Franklin. Dedicated to the sister city in Kuji Japan, you will find…read moregorgeous koi fish murals on the walls of the buildings on either side, a new Japanese Cherry Tree installation, hanging lanterns and a bridge. Enjoy coffee or lunch at the tables and chairs in the alley and be sure to read the plaque with the information about the sister city and relationship with Japan. Location is between Benjamin's Coffeeshop and the City Hall.

We drove a long distance to get to Franklin with the sole purpose of finding dinner. After stopping…read moreoff a a couple of bars with limited food and very noisy guests, we were pointed towards Shale Creek. It's near the main square so isn't a far walk. It's a beautiful place with interesting history. The burgers were really good. Service was excellent and she was very helpful in finding the right beer for our tastes.

We met some friends here on a cold sunny Sunday afternoon at 1:00. The atmosphere inside is kind of…read moreindustrial with some big machines greeting you as you first walk in. The staff was super friendly and were eager to help us, especially since it wasn't very busy. We shared the stuffed onion rings and the mozzarella cheese sticks. Both were unique and very good. The onion ring "hole" was filled with spicy cheese sauce and the cheese sticks were lighter and fluffy in a way.The food was all good, I had a chef special of 3 chicken legs with macaroni and cheese (the cheesiest I have ever had). My wife had the smoked turkey Reuben Wrap - it was fat, good and juicy! She loved it, but the french fries were just too salty to eat. Our friends agreed they were salty, but took them all home in a to go box anyway. The beer selection seemed good, I had the Scottish ale which was real smooth but a little heavy for me at 8.4%. I also had the Downtown cocoa brown which was creamy good. Can't wait to come back for some more!

This mural is part of the 2017 Color the County Mural Program. I love that program. It brings the…read morecommunity together, under the direction of a local artist, to bring a mural to life. This mural's artist is Danny Causey. This mural covers three of the building's walls and fittingly is of the town's namesake Benjamin Franklin. The mural depicts an image of Franklin on one wall and and colorful flights on the walls on each side. The mural is not actually painted on the wall, but was painted on boards that were put together to form the completed mural. I really love that the image of Franklin is monochrome blue and has some green glasses on that just comes out at you. It is very detailed and has an uncanny resemblance to Franklin. The kites are pretty basic, but most community murals have to be, but the colors and design still works. I just wish that they could have made the sky stormy, to depict Franklin's famous discovery of electricity, but oh well. Getting a closer look at the mural is easy. There is free street parking located across the street (that is where I parked). There is also a little strip mall parking lot next door and a free parking lot within a reasonable walking distance. As with most murals that I visited, this is not a long stop. I was there maybe 5 minutes tops. I recommend visiting here on your way to somewhere else or making this part of a larger itinerary. Depot park, an antique store and an awesome candy/ice cream are very close by.

In 2017, one of the Color the County murals for Johnson County was added to east Jefferson Street…read morenear the railroad tracks in Franklin. Artist Danny Causey was responsible for the design and installation of the mural. After community members helped fill in the basic design, Causey had to come back to complete the finished work. There are two main components to the mural. The walls facing east on the ends of the mural are covered with multiple colored kites being flown over rolling hills in a partly cloudy sky. The image is simple, much like a child might draw, but large in scale and generally appealing due to its relatability. The center of the mural which is on a north facing wall features Ben Franklin's portrait done in a deep blue color over a black background. It takes on the look of someone standing under a blacklight. To add whimsy, Causey added florescent green glass frames to Franklin to further the effect. As the city's namesake, it seems fitting that the connection to Franklin is immediate between his image and the story of his flying a kite to determine that lightning was electricity (though no storm is painted on the wall.) Review #1263

This mural is painted on an underpass on the Franklin Greenway Trail right near Franklin's new…read morepark, Youngs Creek Park. The city has really invested in beautification and has been an active participant in the Color the County Mural Program, which this mural is a part of. This mural was a community effort, led by artist Erin Davis in 2018. As with most community murals, this is a pretty basic design that allowed community members of all artistic abilities to participate. Even though a lot of it luster is now gone, the mural consists of bright colored geometric shapes and figures. It resembles a quilt pattern of shorts. The mural also has two colorful abstract birds flying away on one end and a bird flying solo on the opposite end. Parking to get a closer look at this mural is easy. You can either park in the Youngs Creek Park parking lot or the Extreme Skate Park lot and walkover. It is a bit of a walk but you can park at Province Park at walk the trail over. The mural is pretty weathered and has seen better days. I normally love community projects that bring communities together like this one, but this mural is in need of a serious refresh. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, such as one of Franklin's wonderful parks or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

In 2018, the Johnson County Community Foundation continued its annual celebration of the arts with…read moreanother "Color the County" mural in Franklin. A community day was scheduled as friends and neighbors gathered to paint a mural designed and coordinated by artist Erin Davis. Following a paint by number template, the community transformed a blank wall underneath the Main Street Bridge (where Young's Creek and the Franklin Greenway Trail pass) into a colorful arrangement of repeating triangles in layers. The ends of the underpass also have silhouettes of flying herons/cranes. This was the third Franklin mural in this program that started in 2016 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the foundation. Review #2942

This mural is easily accessible as it is on the side of a building off of a road that does not get…read moremuch traffic. I easily pulled over on the side of the road across the street to get out and take a closer look. It is part of the Color the County Program and was painted in 2017 by Dave Windisch. This program brings local artist and the community together to create a mural that they all can enjoy. At least one design is selected each year. The mural depicts a heart with rays coming from it and a red line draw under it by a red colored pencil. There is an attempt at shadowing, but it is basic, as is the design itself. It consists basically of 4 colors, red, white, gray and yellow. The red of the mural does pop though. The mural is starting to show signs of severe wear. It is starting to flake and peel in sections and/or fade in others. The taupe background is fairing the worse of the mural. This is definitely not a destination piece, but if you are in the area and near by, then it may be worthy of a quick visit. As with most murals that I visit, this was not a long stop. I was there about 5 minutes and I was off. I recommend making this part of a larger itinerary or a stop on your way somewhere else.

In the second year of the Color the County program, Whiteland received one of the two murals in…read more2017. Local artist Dave Windisch created this mural on the east wall of a building in downtown Whiteland. The mural uses bright reds and yellows to create a heart on the left side of the mural, and a red pencil on the right side. The heart is made to look like a simple Valentine type heart that is lighter on one side and darker on the other as if it had been folded. The point of the pencil draws a line along the base to connect the two images. An unseen point of light creates "shadows" of the heart and pencil to the lower right of each image done in light gray. The mural is done over a medium brown brick exterior. Review #1262

You will find this mural near Taxman Brewery, right across Johnson BBQ. It was painted in 2020…read moreJohnson County Community Foundation Mural Program. The project was headed artist Stacie Drane. The mural was completed as part of a community day, bringing in community members of all ages and abilities to paint the mural. It was a large paint by numbers deal. Sadly the front side of the mural is used as parking spaces. While I was there there were cars parked in front of the mural pretty much blocking the view of the entire bottom of the mural. It is a basic abstract mural. I can see the image of a dove, hands with arms, a heart, partial faces, flowers, plants, buildings, and random shapes. They were all very abstract and colorful, with overlapping and interesting colors. The mural is in great shape. I will admit though, I am not a fan of abstract art, but love community involved projects. Parking to get a closer look here is very easy. You can park in front of the mural directly, right next to it or across the street at Johnsons BBQ. I parked right next to it and had no issues. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, getting a drink from Taxman, grabbing a bite at Johnson's or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

In the fifth year of its Color the County mural program, the Johnson County Community Foundation…read morehas sponsored a local artist to create a community "paint day" where the artist would create a full sized wall mural in a paint by number scheme that allowed volunteers to come and participate in the painting of a new community piece. In 2020, the town of Bargersville got its second mural (in 2016, they added one I call Bargersville Sunrise by Amber Berninger. See separate review #1261). The new mural was designed by Nineveh artist Stacie Drane and the mural was painted in August. The mural is a mixture of city and county scenes which come together as the small town is now one of the most rapidly growing areas in the Indy metro area. The mural shows different people along with crops and buildings all coming together in one place. The colorful mural uses solid colors and has a cool tone of colors which is very pleasing to the eye. Although the piece is painted on one of TaxMan's southern buildings, it is directly across from the patio of Johnson Barbecue. I appreciate that the artist has to simply the project so that community members can participate in the painting. Still, the final product is pleasing and some attention to clean up left the lines solid and the filled in blocks of color complete. Review #3803

This mural honors local first responders, military service members and doctors and is located at…read morethe Greenwood Mall by the TGI Fridays entrance, next to Sola Salon. It was painted in 2023 and is the work of Sydney Nichols. It took her nearly 50 hours to complete and was unveiled on Public Safety Day. The mural is in the style of a Greetings From.....postcard and depicts police officers, firefighters, paramedics military service members and a doctor with a mask on. The figures in the mural are black and white and the font is yellow and orange. It is a nice mural and the orange and yellow "Greenwood" really pops. The wall is rough and textured, which Nichols found to be a bit challenging. All in all, it is a nice mural to see if you are in the area or visiting the mall. Well, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops, making this stop part of a larger itinerary, or coupling it with a visit to the mall, to maximize your time and trip.

This mural is starting to show signs of wear and tear. This mural was painted by Amy Hommell in…read more2016 as part of the Johnson County Community Foundation's 25th anniversary. It is pretty abstract. It is some colorful circles on a bright blue background. The perimeter of one of the circles looks like piano keys. There is a tree that runs up the center of the mural. It is a simple design, but it had to be that way because it was a community paint by the number project. That had members of the community, even those without artistic ability, to do the painting. I am a fan of community art. I guess it is the sappy side of me. The mural is located on the side of a photography studio, overlooking a small parking lot belonging to De Baun's Service, Inc. So, parking and getting out to get a closer look at this mural is simple and easy, if that is what you want to do. As with most all murals that I have reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops or making this part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

In the inaugural year (2016) of the Color the County mural program of Johnson County, a site in…read moredowntown Greenwood was selected for a new mural by Amy Hommell. Hommell is a full time artist with a degree from Indiana State University and is the owner of Teal Canary Art Studio. The mural has a background of blue sky and rolling green hills with a series of overlapping circles with intricate patterns within them. In the center is a large tree with new leaves growing. The only negative about the mural was the site selection which is often partially blocked by dumpsters from the neighboring business. Review #1260

The pictures tell it all. I know I have reviewed this before but for some reason the pictures fell…read moreoff so I wanted to add them back. I would have to say that service is the number 1 one thing you can expect from this place besides location and the jaw dropping beauty of it. All the brides I have talked to for referrals say: Bill will find a way to make your wedding dreams come true.

High end gallery some very interesting pieces. If you want to look around or are looking for…read moresomething for you our a gift. Art is of course very subjective ... what one person loves .. another might dislike but I saw a lot here that I thought was interesting.