Top Things to Do in Brown County, Indiana

Do

Brown County Music Center

Just a mile from Brown County State Park, the 2,000-seat center offers a lineup of local, regional and national performers.

Brown County Playhouse and Performing Arts Center

See plays, musicals, concerts and movies in this 426-seat theater founded in 1949.

Brown County State Park

Climb a lookout tower for a bird's-eye view of the 16,000 acres of forests, lakes and wooded campgrounds. The park's 27 miles of mountain biking trails rank among the state's best.

Covered Bridges

A winding road leads to one of two covered Brown County bridges. The 1880 bridge across Bean Blossom Creek once served as a major passage into Nashville. It's closed to vehicles but a popular spot for photographers.

Explore Brown County

Fifteen ziplines among the treetops include the state's fastest, longest and tallest twin-racing zips. Also available at Explore Brown County: paintball, arrow tag, ATV tours and camping.

Hard Truth Hills

Take a distillery tour, mixology class or ATV adventure on a 325-acre Nashville property that is also home to a Big Woods restaurant.

Hoosier National Forest

Picnic at one of the tables overlooking the 203,000 acres and explore some of the 266 miles of trails.

Shopping

You'll find antiques stores and crafts studios throughout Brown County, but if you'd rather walk, spend an afternoon in Nashville. Find sweet treats at stores like Miller's Ice Cream House or Carmel Corn Cottage, and swing by the Brown County Art Guild to see works by more than 40 local and regional artists.

T.C. Steele State Historic Site

Tours of T.C. Steele's home and studio teach about the Hoosier Group impressionist who helped turn Brown County into a thriving artists' colony.

Yellowwood State Forest

You'll have to hunt for the specimen yellowwoods, but plenty of pines, walnuts, locusts and oaks shade horseback and hiking trails at Yellowwood.

Eat and Drink

Bear Wallow Distillery

Indiana-grown grains distill into whiskey, moonshine and other craft liquors in at Bear Wallow in Gnaw Bone. Taste the fifths in a room meant to look like a backwoods shack. Farm-to-Fifth tours offered on Saturdays.

Big Woods Pizza Company

Artisan pizzas, such as The Smokehouse (pulled pork, smoked chicken, mozzarella, barbecue sauce), pair with beers like Busted Knuckle from the local microbrewery, Quaff ON!

The Farmhouse Cafe and Tea Room

Fresh herbs and produce star in salads, sandwiches and dinner fare in an 1800s brick farmhouse at The Flower and Herb barn nursery near Bean Blossom.

Hobnob Corner Restaurant

Original oak fixtures from 1873 set a casual tone at Hobnob, but the menu reflects foods both homey (liver and onions) and upscale (duck breast with red wine reduction on a butternut squash fritter).

Our Sandwich Place

Yes, you can order sandwiches, but the real draw at Our Sandwich Place is the cream-and-crimson interior crammed with memorabilia honoring Indiana University basketball and legendary coach Bob Knight.

Stay

Abe Martin Lodge

In the heart of Brown County State Park, rooms in the stone-and-timber 1932 main lodge have patchwork quilts and furniture trim resembling branches. Families might want to opt for a two-story cabin.

Artists Colony Inn

Shaker-style furnishings, plank floors and four-posters decorate rooms at Nashville's downtown inn. Munch on sweet potato Sun Fries with brown sugar sauce in the Colonial-style restaurant.

Robinwood Inn

Friendly barnyard animals and a farm-fresh breakfast set a pleasantly rustic tone at this lodging a few minutes outside Nashville. A well-supplied art room encourages creativity.

Story Inn

Ten miles of country roads lead to this escape outside Nashville. Stay in one of 18 rooms in the renovated buildings—mill, general store, cottages—that made up the village of Story in the 1800s.