Brown County, Indiana, southwest of Indianapolis, offers visitors a variety of experiences unique to the area. It hosts the state's largest park, an arts and crafts colony and a haunted inn, plus a selection of wineries, eateries and shopping.
Brown County is easily accessible by car from Indianapolis or Louisville, via I-65. At Columbus, Indiana, state route 46 leads westward to the county seat, Nashville, about 20 miles away.
Nashville is the largest town in the county and home to many arts and crafts shops, studios and galleries, mostly along the main street. The town's history as an artists' colony goes back about 100 years; roughly 250 resident artists still draw inspiration from the local landscapes.
Famed Hoosier artist T.C. Steele built and home and studio, "House of the Singing Winds," near Nashville in 1907 on about 200 acres. Today it is a state historic site, open for tours and hiking through the grounds that inspired many of Steele's landscapes.
Covering more than 15,000 acres, Brown County State Park offers prime outdoor recreation, including hiking, swimming, fishing and mountain biking, as well as colorful fall foliage and wintertime sledding and cross-country skiing. At the north entrance of the park is one of the county's two historic covered bridges, which crosses Salt Creek.
Brown County is also a hub of New Age-oriented activities and businesses, such as massage therapy, spiritual reading and yoga. In the hamlet of Story, Indiana, south of Nashville, ghost hunters can investigate alleged hauntings at the historic Story Inn.
