A free museum, you say? Why yes, I will pop in and see what's what! Porter County Museum is small,…read morebut it's free to visit, so there's nothing to complain about. Just walk in and see what they have on display. I literally just walked in off the street after shuffling around downtown Valpo. I didn't even know that this museum existed until I came upon it randomly. This is the area's oldest museum dedicated to the history and culture of Porter County, so you're seeing local art and history at its finest here. There are three different rooms in this museum that have interesting things to look at. Some of the exhibits have multimedia aspects to them, and some are just a collection of objects on display. I was in this museum for maybe 15 minutes and saw all of it that I needed to. But if you're one of those people who likes to read everything and talk to the people at the front desk, then you might be here a little longer. Either way, the Porter County Museum should be a stop during your visit to Valparaiso.

This was one of our many stops during our visit to Valparaiso. It is a very small museum, but has…read moreseveral interesting things to look at. The lady who was there was very helpful. She told me all about the fire that burned the courthouse. Her extra information helped me understand the photo exhibit more. They have a very lifelike taxidermy dog in one room. It's eyes are so real and follow you. It was the cherished pet of a little girl way back- I think the 20s. I think you should always stop in the local museum whenever you visit any new place. Even small towns like Valparaiso have a lot of history to share.

Great pizza, love the retro atmosphere too. Mystery rooms, arcade, mini glow golf, bouncy house and…read morea play area so perfect for all ages

I decided to have my sons 1ST birthday here as I read a lot of amazing reviews and had heard…read morenothing but good things about this place! Boy was my experience complete opposite from what we had heard and read. For starters when I began setting up all the tables and table cloths were already set up but the table cloths were dirty! I assumed the man was still maybe getting everything set up so I didn't say anything but quickly realized he was done setting up so we had asked for a rag to wipe down the table cloths and let me just say the "workers" demeanor/ attitude was rude to say the least. They seemed as if I was bothering them by just simply asking for a rag to clean the tables as they were very visibly dusty and dirty. Then my mom had asked if we could move a circle table up to the front by the other food table so I could put our cake on it and the woman working the front register was instantly rude and bothered that we asked. Then once the party started the bounce house on the side and back were deflating and I brought it to their attention all for the woman to roll her eyes and look at the man, and him to say "well you have a lot of kids in there it's not meant for that!" In a shitty tone meanwhile, no more than 3 kids were ever in there at one time and at the time of the incident happening only my 1 year old was on it! There was no paper towel in the bathroom, you had to use Kleenex to dry your hands. I went to the register to ask where I could get trash bags and the two working the register sat and bickered back and forth about how the other didn't replace the bag yet. The yellow slide was broken at the end with bolts poking out, no warning nor sign to stay off of it or anything... a child could have gotten seriously hurt had we not notice and catch the child coming down. Overall absolute horrible experience for us. Which was very disappointing considering all the amazing reviews and ratings. Honestly had the staff been more pleasant and not completely rude (which I had several guests comment on how rude the staff were) our experience wouldn't have been AS bad. One thing I will say is the owner is definitely not any of the staff that were working today from my knowledge so this is not a reflection on her. Expected ALOT more out of this event center especially after paying 200$ just to get treated poorly and the bigger attractions to be down. 0/10.

One of the best festivals of the year with many vendors and food. The very best thing is the…read morefireworks. They are absolutely AMAZING!! We have traveled up from Indianapolis for years. We claim they are longer and better every year!! some you don't see anywhere else, even at Disney! Then they have a HUGE fireball at the end. Set your chairs up early so you can see it!!

This is a very nice local fair way down in Marshall County, Indiana. Now one will note that a…read morenumber of the reviews are one or two stars and nick the event because there are no fresh blueberries - but that should have been expected. The Marshall County Blueberry Festival is held around Labor Day each year, and anyone who knows berries knows that the blueberry season has long since passed. So, other than a timing issue since the berry season has passed, this fair is a local delight even without fresh berries. Over the years this fair has really grown - now encompassing an area for kids amusement rides, an area for adult amusement rides, a softball field area where a large fastpitch tournament is held each season, rows and rows of canopies selling all sorts of fair food and knick knacks, and typical fair stuff. While I did not count the canopies, there had to be over 100 booths around the fairgrounds. And yes, there is probably a booth selling every kind of deep fried food you can think of - including elephant ears (aka fried dough or funnel cakes), fried Oreos, foot long corn dogs, etc. and etc. They also have Amish pies, blueberry donuts, lemon shake ups, Philly sandwiches, tenderloin sandwiches, hamburgers, and on and on. This is all held at Centennial Park in Plymouth, Indiana just off US 30 (https://www.blueberryfestival.org/). Events include 5K walks and a 15K run, car shows, tractor pulls, a Labor Day parade, and a fireworks show. It is hard to get your arms around how big this event is - but visit one year and you'll see for yourself. Parking is easy (usually $10) and they have a tram that will cart you in from the entrance to the activities. Now 56 years old, this is a great fest to try at the end of the summer season. And yes it is typical fair food, you don't come here looking for a meal of kale anything. Give this event a try at the end of summer.

your typical small town bowling alley. nice pool tables, okay lanes, mid food, but the owners…read morefunky. 3 star place

Had an awesome time. Very family and kid friendly and special needs friendly.the experience was…read moregreat and the people were very handsome on and interacting.

We did the Santa Claus train ride and it was wonderful. everyone was so friendly and my 2 grandsons…read moreloved it. we will definitely make this a new tradition and we will definitely be doing another ride soon too.

Came here the other night with one of my best friends to see Ian Munsick play. It was through one…read moreof the hometown jams sessions that they're doing across the Midwest this summer and it was a lot of fun. A good number of local food trucks were parked to the side of the amphitheater and it was def a vibe that night. Really fun way to spend a Thursday night in downtown Valpo.

This new performance stage is huge and great for performances. The adjacent covered shelter is…read moreperfect for sheltering from the rain or sun. The park hosts the annual popcorn festival. I would recommend going then. When The park is not being used as a music venue, there Stone plaza turns into a water feature. This is a great park for the family.

The Times Theatre is beautifully restored with amazing art work that shows the history of the area…read more The show's I've attended have all been fantastic! I highly recommend attending a concert there!

Rochester, Indiana's Times Cinema, now more often known as The Times Theater, was originally built…read morein 1923 and opened as a movie house known as the Char-Bell. It was built on the site of a former auto dealership with some of its bricks coming from a nearby demolished college. It started as a cinema for silent films, became a two-screen cinema, and throughout its history functioned in a variety of ways for the Rochester/Fulton County community including hosting of live events, movies, performances, and in many other capacities. It closed in 2014, however,by 2016 a movement began to re-open it as a sort of community hub. While there's still much restoration to go, thus the 4-star instead of the 5-star, this is my favorite kind of movie house space and it's even more delightful that The Native Nook is right next to it. In some ways, the space reminds me a lot of Indy's Emerson Theater, though I give a slight nod to the Times Theater in terms of the way it is being used and its overall potential. The Char-Bell name came from its original owners - Charles and Belle Krieghbaum. It was originally a 780-seat theater. In 1942, it came under new ownership and the name was changed to The Times Cinema. The cinema actually closed in 1973, however, it re-opened a year later with owners and in 1979 the cinema was split into two screens. In 1985, a fire damaged the cinema and it closed briefly. However, it was repaired and re-opened. It closed on January 1, 2014 due to the inability of the owners to afford the cost of switching to digital projection. Just today, the Times Theater is hosting a fundraiser as they continue to work on renovation and restoration. Currently billing itself as a "community and entertainment center," The Times Theater uses its marquee often for special events and community announcements. These days, it also is reminding me of Franklin's Artcraft Theatre. I've always loved spaces like The Times. Of course, it's kind of a fantasy to own an older theater one day. For now, I'll simply continue to support those who actually do. Here's to new life for The Times Theater in Rochester, Indiana!

Fuel mud and metal...mmmmm...and beers...just cant get enough...i hope jims got his care…read morestraightened out for this weekend