Battle Ground, Indiana, in Tippecanoe County, is so named because it is the site of William Henry Harrison’s famous battle with the Indians at Tippecanoe. Battle Ground is far off any beaten path and Wolf Park is even farther.
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Admission to the howl or to the park on weekends is $3. The howl is free to children under six, and park admission is free to anyone under 14. Certain hotel discounts are available.
The most famous attraction in Battle Ground itself is the Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum (317-567-2147). It’s located in a pleasant park, but the museum’s appeal is in direct correlation with one’s opinion of Indian massacres. Admission is $1 and the hours are 10 AM to 8 PM this summer and 10 AM to 5 PM otherwise. An annual park tradition is the fiddlers’ festival during the last weekend of June. Fiddlers, folksingers, and bluegrass musicians come from all over the country. Changes in management, though, mean that whether or not the festival will continue after this year has yet to be determined. For those interested in the battle, an outdoor amphitheater featuring weekly reenactments just opened outside Battle Ground. Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for children on weekends, and $10 and $5 during the week. Family rates are available.
Another good eatery is the Cracker Barrel (317-447-9544) just off 65 on 26 in Lafayette. This country-cooking restaurant and country store is part of a chain, but the food does not taste mass-produced at all. Their specialty is rosin-baked potatoes. The homemade soups and desserts are excellent. Locals also suggested two other places we did not get a chance to visit: the Pub in Lafayette, a peanut-shells-on-the-floor bar that is said to have good prime rib on weekends, and Steiney’s, on route 43 in West Lafayette.
