I was in the Franklin area for a work obligation and finally made it over to see the famed "Grave…read morein The Middle of The Road." One of the more unique graves around, this grave nearly always shows up on any list of Indiana's most unique roadside attractions. Of course, this isn't "roadside." It's in the middle of the road and serves as a sort of divider in the road. The grave is for Nancy Kerlin Barnett, married to William Barnett. Fun fact: William was the great great great grandson of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Nancy passed away on 12/1/31. She was buried here - a place that used to be a hill overlooking Sugar Creek. Over the years, the area became a small cemetery. Eventually, a small footpath was made. Finally, they wanted to put a small county road here. While it's not certain, it's believed that most graves in the area were moved. However, Nancy's grave stuck around as one of the son's protested moving it. Eventually, they wanted to widen the road - this time around, per report, grandson Daniel showed up with a shotgun essentially saying "Over my dead body." So, she stayed again. They built the road around her and a concrete slab was placed over the grave. On August 8, 1912, a historical marker was also placed. To this day, the grave remains and is definitely considered an "attraction." Anyone who visits roadside attractions in Indiana will eventually make it here. It took me way too long. Surprisingly, it's also fairly accessible and the road is really fairly lightly traveled. It's not hard to stop and see it, though given it's a hill you do have to be a bit cautious even with slow traffic. Is this the best roadside attraction you'll ever see? Of course not. It is, however, a cool sort of cultural icon in Indiana and worth a stop for those in the area. It's definitely not what I'd call a destination attraction. Franklin is a great community to visit, however, I'd certainly not drive down just for this unless you're truly a gravesite person.

This was on a list of unusual things to do/see in Indiana so I had to check it out. The story goes…read morelike this. They were developing the road and it was going right through where the grave is. So they decided to dig the grave up, to which the grandson of the deceased said, ohh heck nawww. It ain't going down like that, and he grabbed his shotgun and threatened the powers. to be so bad that they came up with the compromise of incorporating his gam gam's grave into the new road. So, here we are. Down the center line of the road you will find a tombstone covered with pennies and an occasional flower or two. There is also a historical road marker on the side of the road as well, detailing the significance of the spot. This stop is just or brief stop or drive by. There is really no good place to pull over. I had to be creative and pray. To my favor was that the street was not very busy. An occasional car would pass by. Well now, I can check off "seeing a grave in the middle of the road" off of my bucket list. On to the next adventure.

A very random excursion that is sort of in the middle of nowhere. If you have time to kill and you…read morehave young kids interested in castles, this is a unique, short field trip. Admissions is $5 per person. It is free for children five and younger. There is a free and small parking lot. For approximately 45 minutes, we learned about the history of the castle and how a man persistently and willingly built everything by hand. The stairs are narrow and steep. Each room is uniquely designed. There is an impressive medieval collection of swords, shields, weapons, and armors. Furthermore, there are several picture-worthy spots such as the front of the castle, flower garden, and the room with the swords.

This is such a random castle lol.. but its definitely a place to check out if you're bored and want…read moreto kill an hour. Definitely a place to take kids to since they love this kind of stuff - the story of this castle is quite unique. Apparently you can rent this space for events.. which I think would be fun to do.. maybe a little corporate event? Although... maybe just in early spring time and during autumn since the inside can get HOT during the summer (no AC). Anywho.. quite random, but neat at the same time.

Y'all!!!! I am not a frequent flyer at places like this but my son wanted to go with some friends…read morefor his birthday so we did. Things were pretty quiet until about 1:30 in the morning. Around 2:51 (haha "around" and then I post the exact time) we all RAN out of there and drove home - an HOUR tired, hungry, and freaked out! Blackford County Jail does NOT disappoint and the owners are awesome!!! MUST GO!!!

There's a pretty good chance that if you ever drive east on U.S. 40 that you've driven by the…read moreHuddleston Farmhouse Inn Museum in Cambridge City. I believe it's actually right on the Cambridge City/Mount Auburn line. Set up on a hill, this 1841 farmhouse was the home of Quakers John and Susannah Huddleston and their 11 children. The home also offered two "traveler's kitchens" offering a place to cook and sleep for those who traveled. In other words, this lovely porch was always busy. The lower level of the farmhouse is accessible and National Road Heritage Site exhibits offer a glimpse into travel on what is known as National Road in some cities, East Washington Street in Indy, U.S. 40 in some places, and in some smaller towns simply Main Street. This farmhouse now is host to Indiana Landmarks' Eastern Regional Office and the office of the Indiana National Road Association. The farmhouse, barn, and exhibits are available for touring by appointment. You can also rent the main level of the house, the barn, and the grounds for a variety of events. It's all quite spacious and could easily host weddings. The organization largely uses volunteers and if you volunteer at least 30 hours annually you get an Indiana Landmarks membership, free admission to Huddleston House events, and the Indiana Landmarks bi-monthly magazine. The floor level of the barn is mostly accessible, though certainly upper areas are not. While I often mark off businesses that are not accessible, when it comes to historical sites I'm certainly respectful of the inherent limitations. The home is a three-level home that was made using 125,000 bricks. The entire farm is 78 acres and includes the main house, spring kitchen, smoke house, and two barns. Research indicates there was originally another building on the grounds. Indiana Landmarks purchased the property in 1966 with funding supplied by Eli Lilly (the person, not the company). The house, barn, and other outer buildings have been restored. In addition to being able to rent it, the farm hosts a variety of period-appropriate events. I drove by this farm almost every weekend for quite some time on my way to seminary before finally stopping to check it out. It's a beautiful farm and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Fairytale-like house [Cincinnati OH]…read more We couldn't just drive-by this whimsical house without stopping and doing a double take... and staring. This is the Mushroom House in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati. The amount of detail is really breathtaking: circular steel steps, deck rails of wood shingles, stained glass windows, tiled ceilings... of course, I had to snap some pics. How often do we come to Cin City. The original owner/builder by the name of Terry Brown has passed away in 2008. The house is currently not on the market and occupied as a private residence as of 2021. Here are the deets in Zillow: 1 beds, 1 baths, 1,260 sq-ft. If you are curious about the inside of the home you can click on this link and watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pVUFwH9Q6fk Review #3885

If you're passing through Cincinnati you have to stop by the Mushroom House. This is the most…read moreunique real house I have ever seen. It is a relatively young house, when it comes to house age. It was started to get built by architect Terry Brown in 1992 and completed in 2006. Terry Brown him self resided in it until his passing in 2008. This house looks like a mushroom from a certain angle, and like an owl from another. It is a fairytale house in the real world. There's so much fine detail, there's no wonder it had taken this genius man 14 years to complete this artistic masterpiece of a home. The spiral orange stair case was chained off not allowing access to the public. There was a car parked in the driveway as well as a surveillance camera. They also had a "no trespassing" sign. The land around, although very minimal is very well groomed and well kept. Something tells me there are people who currently reside here. I don't know how I would feel about living in a home that gets so much attention and that is always being photographed. The Mushroom House is a must see in Cincinnati. Use your fairytale imagination to guide you inside. Happy travels!

A wonderful historical stop in Versailles to pay tribute to the celebrated sharpshooter Annie…read moreOakley. Easy to navigate to and plenty of room to park, it's really cool to see that people are still stopping by her resting place to pay their respects.

I was just driving along a country road from Indiana to Lima, Ohio when suddenly a small sign…read morepopped up saying "Annie Oakley Grave" with an arrow pointing to a side road. I thought, "What??". I grew up on cowboys and Indians and one of my favorite TV shows was "Annie Oakley". I had missed the turn but took the next right to reconnect with the road. After driving aways, there was another sign and Brock Cemetery. I turned in slowly, parked, and walked reverently up to the headstones for Annie, her parents, and husband Frank Butler. It was pretty awesome to be standing at her final resting place. I read the information on the plaques, took some pictures, and somberly continued on my trip. You just never know what you will come across when you take the small roads to your destination instead of freeways.

Commonly known as the Channel 9 castle, you won't find armored knights protecting our local news…read morestation. Elsinore Castle was erected in 1883 by the Cincinnati Waterworks to house a valve for water to be transported to Eden Park. The company was interested in enhancing the view of the park, and this location was the former main entrance. The castle was built be renown architect Samuel Hanneford, modeled after Kronberg Castle, which was featured in a local play of Hamlet. The real Kronberg Castle can be found in Denmark. When the Cincinnati Art Museum opened in 1886, stairs were placed at the base of Elsinore Castle. The steps were too steep to ever become popular and the Elsinore Castle soon lost its appeal as an entrance to Eden Park. A mere 100 years later, it was integrated into the landscaping of Channel 9 and is seen more as a landmark of the news station than of the park. Set alongside Gilbert Avenue, the public can still stop and photograph the castle, however it was sadly never used for anything magical, like kings and armored battle. Viewing Time: 15 minutes

Pretty. Nothing spectacular but neat. I was looking for things to do local in Cincinnati that are…read morefree and this came up as a option.

My life is now complete. I have see one of the world's largest wooden rocking chair. It is located…read moreoff of the parking lot of Long's Furniture. The chair, built in 2004, is 32 foot tall and known as "Big John", after the former owner of the furniture store. The chair was the largest of its kind until 2008 when one that was 42 feet, 4 inches tall was built in Fanning Missouri. In 2015, a chair standing 56.5 foot tall was constructed in Casey, Illinois putting them both to shame. So that makes Big John actually the 3rd largest wooden rocking chair. The chair is adorned with "Caution Do Not Climb" signs all over it, but you can easily find pictures of people that have made it to the top on the internet. I came during normal working hours, so I did not even try it. It does look a bit challenging without a ladder. and I can not attest to the integrity of the wood supports. I am all for adventure, but a 42 foot fall would leave a little mark. The chair is illunimated at night so it is easy yo see no matter what time it is. Even though this is not the biggest chair. It is still a local sight to see and I am glad that I came to see it. This chair is on a few list of unique things to do/see in Indiana and feature in Roadside America. It is a quick stop that took me all of five minutes. It could be used as a stop on the way somewhere, to do some furniture shopping or as part of a larger itinerary. I don't see it as a destination shop. Fun fact: The originally chair collapse under its own weight soon after it was constructed due to poor design. They tweaked the next one with much more success. It is the one that is still standing today.

I had the good fortune of visiting The Asylum early in its current manifestation as a key…read moredestination spot for those seeking paranormal investigations and opportunities to visit a location said to be Randolph County's most haunted spot. As I arrived at my 666th review here on Yelp, I began contemplating what I could possibly review that would be worthy of such an occasion. Having a dark sense of humor, I began contemplating both my past and present journeys through Indy's more haunted spots and locations with a history of evil and, in most cases, either found them not appropriate for Yelp or inappropriate review. While I briefly contemplated either a review of an Indiana Satanic church (Yes, we have them!) or a visit up to Hell, Michigan, I settled on a revisit to this location that turned the old Randolph County Infirmary/Asylum into one of Winchester, Indiana's few touristy spots. If you know me, then you know that while I do review most businesses for accessibility I'm also a pretty adaptable wheelchair user who regularly does long-distance events and who joined Yelp down in the incredibly not wheelchair friendly Catacombs. In other words, I tend to go where I want whenever possible even if it's not wheelchair friendly. The Asylum is not actually wheelchair friendly, though it's better than you might expect. If you have mobility issues, you might want to contact them in advance or ensure you have a companion with you for assistance. As a building built in 1899, it is exempt from ADA laws. In its early days, the nearly 50,000 square foot building housed six wards, several private rooms, a kitchen, laundry facilities, and separate dining rooms for men and women. It also had several other features on the adjacent property including a cemetery 230 yards northwest of the "home." Over the years, the facility served different populations including the poor, orphans, physically and cognitively disabled, single mothers, and the elderly. In 1994, the facility was bought from the county and turned into the Country Care Center. Around 2008-2009, Country Care Center closed and the facility was used for county storage until current owners came along in 2016 with the stated intention of using the facility as a paranormal attraction. I mean, seriously, do you know a single old asylum that isn't haunted? The treatment in these facilities was typically quite lacking - even in this type of setting, which certainly wasn't a Central State type place but still had its share of tragedy. The current owners have done a nice job of creating a functional setting for paranormal investigations, several videos from which are located on The Asylum website. The website features a wealth of information about the history of the facility along with current information about visits for investigations - this allows for overnight visits. While it's certainly not inexpensive, this is frequently done in groups and that certainly helps defray the costs. The Asylum, to my understanding, is still currently under a contract which means that actual production companies cannot be accommodated. The facility also does not have heat at this time, though they are working on this issue and that may change in the future. I should note that they do occasionally have special events that may include productions - look under the events tab of their website for more info. They even had a Christmas event this past holiday season. I really respect what they're doing here and the fact they've been respectful to the cemetery within the area. There's also said to be unmarked graves. While The Asylum is being utilized for paranormal, the team behind all of this truly is respectful of historical buildings and that makes it all a little more special to me. I've been through Winchester, Indiana a couple times on fundraising events and, indeed, all of Randolph County is pretty sparse in terms of tourist options. However, you have the Randolph Inn where you can stay and enjoy yourself in a small, friendly county and this pretty remarkable setting where you never quite know what you'll encounter!

Had the pleasure of meeting both Dann and Ted during our visit. They were both some of the nicest…read morepeople I've ever met and had a fantastic time talking with them both. Both are very genuine and knowledgeable with a good sense of humor (especially Ted). The building is very active and becomes very alive at night, lots of moments that make you stop in your tracks. Thank you Ted and Dann for letting us spend the night and everyone please go support saving the old properties (Stop).