I think that this festival started in1974... We went as a family and sometimes I went on my own…read moreyear after year. Many neighborhoods were closed around town and there was booth after booth filled with antiques, crafts, handmade treasures, and flea markets that I furnished my house with. The main street had lots of food trucks and yummies as grilled meat smells drifted thru the air. The sound of Ecuadorian panpipes also filled the air with sweet melodies, along with other acoustic trios. Today was a beautiful day and after many years we thought we would give it a try for a little get away. Like many things that change, some get better, some get worse. There was a good attendance and they were all partaking at the many many food stalls. -but that was about it. I enjoyed the company of my hubster and found a couple vendors that were somewhat flee market where I found a very nice bowl for $5 and an ornamental birdhouse for 3bucks. Not a total wash, but not our cup of tea anymore....

This festival is nothing short of great. It literally covers the entire town of Atlanta, from…read moreprofessional booths all the way from other states to meager garage sales (virtually everyone in town and in Arcadia and Cicero has them on this weekend) where you can get really good deals. I have to say I am shocked that this was not already on Yelp. They have something for everyone here. Craft booths, art booths, food booths, airsoft gun booths, jewelry booths, and every other type of booth imaginable. I am a huge Star Wars fan, and I love to find vintage stuff. There are a couple booths that sometimes have really great Star Wars stuff for dirt cheap prices. I love this festival so much!!!!!! I usually go in the morning because it can get crowded sometimes later in the day. This year I get to come on both days because my cousins are coming--hoorah!!!! I have to say I am really shocked that the Earthfest was not already on Yelp.

Doesn't the name Minnetrista make you think that you'll be visiting a place with puppets? Like…read moremarionettes, right? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there are no puppets or marionettes here. But there is an exhibit dedicated to Ball jars. Fun fact: Minnetrista was created by the Ball family, who created Ball canning jars, which you can learn about here. They are also the "Ball" behind Ball State University, which is located in Muncie. I had no idea! You will learn interesting facts like these, and others about this area of Indiana, at Minnetrista. The main museum itself is a bit small, and part of it is conference and meeting rooms. But the museum is just one part of Minnetrista. This is actually a 40-acre campus with gardens and paved trails. As you stroll along the grounds, you'll come across some houses. Some of the houses are part of Minnetrista, and you are welcome to pop inside and check out what's going on. What's going on in one of them is an exhibit dedicated to Bob Ross, the painter. At the Bob Ross Experience, you can step inside the historic home where The Joy of Painting was filmed, and see some of the actual filming equipment and art supplies that were used to create the television show. It's sort of surreal that Bob was painting his happy little trees right here in humble Muncie. Some of the houses that you encounter are not a part of Minnetrista, but belong to IU Health or other entities. It's not really clearly marked on the houses which is which. I'm sure if you consulted a map, it might tell you! I consulted no such map, and I was just walking around blindly. I visited during the late fall, when it was cold and the gardens were dormant, for the most part. But I bet this place is amazing in the spring and summer, when everything is in bloom.

Minnetrista is an event center and museum that was built in 1988 by the five Ball brothers. The…read moremodern center is part of a complex of museums and gardens on the former Ball property that sits across from the White River in Muncie. There is an admission fee to visit the galleries of $15/adult and $12/child, but the ticket grants admission to the other museums and garden as well. During our visit, we saw the Narwhal exhibit, which is a small exhibit dedicated to narwhals. A curator greeted us at the entrance and was available to answer questions. My granddaughter is a narwhal fan enjoyed the interactive displays. We also visited a special children's exhibit called Good Night Forest. Again a curator welcomed us and invited us to build a backpack and enjoy the nighttime activities set up for the kids. My granddaughter loved the firer fly dance, wandering through the dark forest listening for animals and the shadow puppet show. There were fun and educational activities suitable for all ages. We also visited a permanent exhibit describing the Ball Store History. I liked seeing all the vintage items and describing them to my granddaughter. We also toured a display for a local artist competition. The staff is super friendly and engaging. The center is immaculate and accessible. There is plenty of parking in their dedicated lot. Minnetrista is a great legacy from the Ball family to the community. Exhibits change and can be found on their website. I highly recommend a visit if you like art and history.

The Marion AMC closed & now as of the last 4 months. I go to movie at least twice a week. How many…read moretimes people came in 45 minutes to a hour into the film. Talking very loud like a film has not been playing. Just adults who don't know how to act in a theater. I have been threatened many times. My last time I filled AMC on everything in corporate. But they are only using AI now. I was going to try to get the manager someone cause the whole theater was screaming at kids who walked in 40 min into obsession. All of them high and everyone started yelling at them. I left and got body checked then threatened the whole way out to beat my a** and calling me gay hate names. The manager didn't do 1 thing but again just look confused. She could have walked them in like other theaters do. I mean DO NOT GO TO THIS THEATER. The amount of fights that are happening then they will use your A list member. I was the only one they had a name of. So I have horrific footage of it all. Which I will be posting on Reddit. Because people taking Children here. Think twice they will NOT PROTECT YOU THERE. I have seen so much in these last 4 months. Me & my partner & mother took a 3 week break. Hoping AMC would protect the people coming. Fights are happening 5 to 10 times a week. & it will only get worse & worse. You sadly can't trust AMC to protect you or your kids. Some of these people fighting is all they know. & if AMC did walk through this would happen far less. Called 5 different theaters & all of them do Walk throughs! Don't let film be ruined for you here. Just go Emagine Theater or Regal or the best DraftHouse. They have someone outside each theater. & if your late your not aloud in. That's sadly what has to happen because AMC only cares about trying to survive before they go completely bankrupt. But these smaller theaters Make Sure this does not happen. It's incredible the amount of people I have talked to who have told me insane stories about AMC Muncie. The theater is gone now Don't waste your time or energy. Going during the week won't even save you! Trust me!

We always order our ticket through the mobile app so no standing in lines, sometimes we even order…read morepopcorn and drinks before we go and it's always ready when we get there. They always have up to date options for movies. We love the reclining seats also.

The third Thursday of the month is the Muncie Makers Market at MadJax, a community space for…read morecreators and makers. I happened to be in Muncie on the day that the night market was happening, so I popped in to see what was what. It takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. The Muncie Makers Market is like an indoor farmers market and craft bazaar, but also with pop-up food stalls, live music, hands-on activities (there was jousting/fencing going on when I visited), and art everywhere. You can also pop into MadJax's drop-in creative corner and make some art, or take a tour of the facility. I wandered around and looked at the things people were offering for sale: handmade jewelry, plants, hand-painted stationery, ornaments, clothing and lots more. Ultimately, I had to get a strawberry pie from The Pie Lady, who had her delicious-looking pies displayed so nicely. And each pie was only $5! What a steal for a homemade pie. This is a great place to shop local and eat local, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy to be surrounded by creative Muncie people (Muncians?).

Don't overlook the Muncie Children's Museum--we played for over 3 hours and still weren't ready to…read moreleave! Think less traditional museum and more imaginative, hands-on pretend play. A massive upstairs train room A giant bird's nest to climb into A water table with three unique play features An entire pretend-play town with everything from a veterinary office to a marsh A dedicated toddler area An ant maze ...and so much more! Admission: $8 per person (ages 1-100) Hours: * Wednesday-Saturday: 10 AM-5 PM * Sunday: 1 PM-5 PM The museum participates in the Access for All program, offering reduced admission and discounted memberships for qualifying families enrolled in programs like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and HIP. Bonus savings: * Find a $1 off general admission coupon online (valid for up to 4 people; cannot be combined with other offers). * Kids who complete the coloring page available at admission can redeem it for a free sand jar from the gift shop. A few things to know: * The building is older, but they're continuing to add new exhibits and experiences. * Only parts of the museum are stroller and wheelchair accessible. Before or after your visit, walk just two blocks to The Caffinery--one of my favorite kid-friendly coffee shops, complete with a play area for little ones.

This place is fine. It isn't an Indianapolis, or an Ogden Utah Children's Museum but this one was…read morefine, especially for a small community and for the price of entry. If it's raining outside or your kids are bored, give it a go.

I love a good roadside attraction and this one has been pinned on my map for a little while. We…read moretraveled from Wisconsin to Ohio for a wedding and made the detour to set a world record (even if it was for only an hour and a half). Everyone was a little weary about it as it added some time to our trip, but after everyone was happy we did it and it became a conversation topic for the weekend! We called on our way (be sure to pay attention to the time change if you're doing in a day) and Mike didn't seem like he wanted to chat, but we let him know about when we were going to be there and when we arrived, he was ready for us. He went through the story, getting into the world record book, then we picked out our color and got to painting. As we painted we chatted more and he told us some stories of all the different types of people that have visited, weird and unique paint jobs, and more. I am assuming he gets paint donated or he has paint that has been around a while, because it did have a unpleasant smell so we rolled quickly. Don't be too worried about getting it on your clothes unless you are reckless, there are long handles on the rollers, the most you'll get is on the bottom of your shoe. Its awesome you get to be a small part of a world record and worth the detour if you're in the area. He does accept donations through cash, venmo, or credit card. I recommend a stop!

I totally understand obsessions and the need to be first at something that many consider odd or…read moreunusual. Having the most reviews on Yelp would certainly be an obsession and that's where I am. So I went out of my way to stop here at the World' Largest Ball of Paint which is located in Indiana. Arriving during business hours, I was able to meet up with the painter himself, ask Mike some questions, see the wet paint and understand a bit about this pretty awesome piece of Americana. It is a bit out of the way but worth it. The Ball of Paint is free to visit and they do accept donations. You can also contribute to the paint ball. [Review 1313 of 2024 - 189 in Indiana - 22336 overall]

Went to escapades with the grandkids. It has changed a lot (for the better) since my kids were…read morelittle. The kids had a great time, food was amazing and the staff is super friendly.

I have been bringing my special needs child here for about a decade, minus Covid closures, and have…read morealways had an amazing time. That being said, you do need to watch young children because Escapades is not a babysitting service. You can think you are the best parent ever and then find your older child in the baby area or climbing on the outside of the equipment anyway, just because someone else's child had the idea and yours thought hey, why not? There is always risk of injury at any playground and the staff at Escapades are extremely busy checking kids in, making food, and taking care of the arcade in addition to cleaning up the messes so many people leave behind. Watch your own children.

Orchids! Orchids galore. There are around 2,000 orchids in the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse, plus…read morehundreds or maybe even thousands of tropical plants, including some endangered species. Rinard is considered to have the largest university-based orchid collection in the United States! This place is a tropical orchid oasis in the middle of Indiana. The Rinard Orchid Greenhouse is located on the Ball State University campus, and is used and maintained by students and staff. But the public is welcome to visit and take in the beauty of the greenhouse. And for free, too! Just walk in and enjoy being surrounded by lots of plants and living things everywhere, breathing right along with you. When I visited, I was told that I could wander freely, or I could wander while doing a scavenger hunt. I chose the scavenger hunt, and was handed a cute laminated paper with clip art images of some of the edible plants they have in the greenhouse. I walked around and tried to find the black pepper vine, and the purple passion fruit, and the turmeric plant, and the vanilla orchid. I'm happy to report that I found them all! This is a fun activity to do if you're visiting with kids, because it makes you pay attention to the types of plants that are living in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is small, but they pack a lot of plants and information into the building. Apparently, they have programs during the week, as well as guided tours by request. But I suggest just doing a self-tour and wandering at your leisure. This is a great place to just zone out and look at beautiful things.