We spent last Saturday driving the old U.S. 40 east out of Indianapolis and ended up in one of the most pleasantly surprising stretches of small-town Indiana we’ve seen in a while.
What We’ve Been Up To
We had a ball in Richmond over the weekend! In a single afternoon we walked through a natural history museum holding one of only two Egyptian mummies in Indiana, ate thin-crust pizza inside a parked London double-decker bus, and shared 4 heaping scoops of Black Raspberry Cheesecake at a local ice cream joint where the waffle cones are folded one at a time.
We started the morning at the Joseph Moore Museum on the Earlham College campus and then went straight to AJ’s Main Street Diner for some comfort food. AJ’s has been in Richmond since the 1950s, and our meal was absolutely delicious.
After lunch, we made our way to Hayes Arboretum, 466 acres of forest, prairie, and wetland threaded with sixteen miles of trail. The land was the estate of inventor Stanley W. Hayes, who consulted Indiana’s first State Forester before planting the place out with natives. Since it was a rainy day, we explore the nature center for a while, did the $5 auto tour (free if you’re a member), and then explored a little bit outside between bouts of rain. They have a beautiful outdoor play area for children, several hiking trails, and outdoor chapel, and a nature center with several themed play areas.
Then came the bit you have to see to believe: Clara’s Pizza King, where an old London double-decker bus is parked inside the dining room. The staff poured the slab, drove the bus in, and built the restaurant around it. Lower-deck bus seating is first-come-first-serve, but you could try calling ahead. The pizza is the regional thin-crust, square-cut style… if you grew up in central Indiana, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Dessert was Ullery’s Homemade Ice Cream in the Depot District — small-batch since 1993, fresh waffle cones, gluten-free and dairy-free flavors available. Then a quick swing through Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store at the Ohio line, which is exactly the silly roadside Americana it sounds like, fudge samples and all.
Recent Gem Discovery: The Joseph Moore Museum
If you have ever wondered where Indiana keeps its mastodon… The Joseph Moore Museum, tucked into Dennis Hall on the Earlham College campus, is a free, off-the-beaten-path museum that you would never know exists (unless you search for it).
In one gallery: a full Mastodon skeleton, a giant ground sloth, a saber-toothed cat, a giant beaver, and Ta’an, an Egyptian mummy purchased for the collection in 1889, one of only two such mummies in the entire state. Add on the Ralph Teetor Planetarium with free shows on open days and a live reptile collection. They also have activities for children throughout the museum, making it a fun destination for families with children of all ages.
Admission is free, but donations are aways welcome.
Local Love
Three small businesses we want you to know about.
Clara’s Pizza King (Richmond) — Because where else are you eating pizza inside a London bus.
AJ’s Main Street Diner — When you’re craving a little comfort food.
Ullery’s Homemade Ice Cream — If you take your daughter or granddaughter along with you, ask about the fairy wand.
More to come soon, and as always, if you’ve got a small-town Indiana stop we should put on the list, we’d love to hear from you!
— Brittany | Indy Family Fun