Harvest Moon Drive-In Theatre

Whenever I see a drive-in theater on my travels, I crane my neck and look for as long as I can until it passes out of sight.

When I was in my 20s, my friends and I used to take road trips to a drive-in near Joliet, Illinois.

I knew there was one in Gibson City, Illinois, and I took my husband on a surprise trip to the Harvest Moon Drive-In Theatre in 2003.

The film was Pirates of the Caribbean. We had dinner at the Bayern Stube, then killed time before dark when the film would start.

Before the movie was finished, we were getting drowsy and starting to worry about the long drive home still ahead of us, so we left before the end and headed on our way.

The theater, reopened in 1989, still pops into my head now and again, and when we were on our way back from Indiana early this month and looking for a different route, I was excited when we chose to drive through Gibson City.

Once again we stopped for an excellent meal at the Bayern Stube, then went to take a look at the drive-in, which had already closed for the season.

We were surprised to see a new sign on site touting the theater as the world's first wind-powered theatre.

In the spring of 2009, the owners of the theatre installed two small wind turbines on site that they hope will eventually produce 100% of their electricity.

It seems to me that this a great way to maintain a slice of Americana while looking out for the future.

Harvest Moon Drive-In Theatre

Route 47, South

1123 S. Sangamon Ave.

Gibson City, IL 60936

France Park

We don't have a lot of chances to see waterfalls when traveling, so when I heard there was one near Logansport, Indiana, I made plans to visit.

France Park is a lovely site to visit in the fall.

Driving in to the wooded park, we were greeted by the Fouts Cabin, a Beech log cabin built in 1839.

We paid our $2 each admission and got directions to the falls. After a short drive, we reached the parking area and got out to see the falls.

The waterfall itself is not very tall, however the site is scenic and beautiful.

I walked up the wooden staircase to the top of the falls, then joined my husband back at the bottom to go search out a Geocache hidden in the woods nearby.

Getting back in the car, we drove around the park a bit more checking out the scuba diving area where a couple of divers were in the water on this cool October day.

We also saw a brick box structure that my husband said looked like a brick oven. Later I found out that's exactly what it was.

Referred to as the Italian Oven, the recently restored oven was used by Italian immigrants who built the Wabash and Erie Canal which runs from east to west through the center of France Park, or by those who worked in the quarry. The canal operated from 1840-1875 and was used was to transport the stone mined at the quarry.

The oven, located near the entrance of the park, was used weekly as a community resource for those needing to bake their bread.

France Park is also home to camp sites and hiking trails, plus much more.

France Park

4505 W US Highway 24

Logansport, IN 46947

Whitehouse

The Whitehouse is a long-standing restaurant in Logansport, Indiana, we visited in early October of this year.

Most of the signs on the building listed the name as one word, but there was a sign listing it as two words as well.

The exterior is charming and time-worn, a small stone diner-style building with an old Coca-Cola logo board atop a rusty sign proclaiming the restaurant name.

We took a seat at one of the 13 small counter stools and were immediately able to order drinks and soon were sipping them, perusing the menu.

Along the countertop was a jukebox, and there was a full size one near the door.

We found by talking to the woman running the grill that this Whitehouse is considered Whitehouse number one and that at one time there were three or four of them. This location, opened in 1941, is the only one remaining.

Their ground beef comes from a local Cass County meat locker, I believe she said it was called Royal Center, delivered fresh daily. They hand make the burger patties once the meat arrives at the restaurant.

I was going for the Whitehouse burger, which we were told has cheese and bacon on it, until our grill master told me about the spicy chicken sandwich, an all white meat chicken breast breaded with a peppery mix.

When she brought it out from the back to place it on the grill, presumedly frozen and institutional, and I feared I may have made a bad choice. Once I tried it though, I was happy with my selection. The chicken breast was hot and juicy and the seasoning on the breading was delicious.

My husband had a double cheeseburger, after a discussion about how thick the patties were. He was assured he wanted a double, and was pleased with the sandwich.

The prices were incredible compared to what we see in Illinois: $2.30 for a double cheeseburger. Our entire meal, including two drinks, an order of onion rings and a slice of sugar cream pie, was less than $10.

In addition to the counter seating, there are four booths along the wall.
The Whitehouse opens very early, 4 a.m., and closes fairly early as well. On the Saturday we were in, they closed at 1 p.m.
Next time I am in the area, the Whitehouse will certainly be on my list.

Whitehouse

87 S 6th Street

Logansport, IN

The Rootbeer Stand

It's purely coincidental that we hit two historic root beer stands in one summer.

We've driven past the exit sign touting The Rootbeer Stand in Oglesby, Illinois so many times while on our way to other destinations. This time we made a plan to stop.

I believe The Rootbeer Stand was an A&W root beer stand until some time in the 1980s. Henry Moore owned it for 50 years, purchasing it after World War II.

In the parking lot, we were greeted by Woody the Root Beer man, with root beer and burger in hand.

Inside, we took a booth along the left side of the restaurant, and soon placed our order for cheeseburgers, an iced tea for me, root beer for my husband and fries and onion rings. My meal also came with a salad, for which I selected a creamy garlic dressing.

The prices were very reasonable.

The food took a little while to be prepared, but our onion rings came out quickly. My husband was trying to save them for his meal, but once I sampled them I kept having to have more.

They were super crisp through and through, none of those slithery onions slipping out once you bit through the outer crust. They were great alone, but I found them even better with a small dollop of ranch sauce.

The garlic dressing on my salad had nice garlic powder punch, and the burgers were good.

My wavy fries were also nicely prepared, with a distinct crunchy outer shell leading to soft potato goodness tucked inside.

My husband enjoyed the root beer, and I found it to be much more to my liking than most I've tried.

I perused the "flavor burst" ice cream menu many times debating between butter pecan and a cotton candy flavor, but in the end decided to skip dessert.

After lunch, we walked around the site a bit, admiring the drive-in parking complete with curbside menus.

The Rootbeer Stand

225 N Columbia Avenue

Oglesby, IL 61348

Triple XXX Family Restaurant

Driving through Lafayette, Indiana one time, my husband and I noticed a rather gaudy orange and brown striped building on the hill. We saw a sign that said Triple XXX, and wrote it off as some odd college shop or bar.Much to our surprise while watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network a few months later, we recognized the orange and brown building, which was featured on a burgers episode.

It was then that we decided the next time we were in Lafayette, we had to check the place out.

Why the name Triple XXX? The restaurant was named after a root beer brand of the same name sold in the 1900s.

There were once several Triple XXX root beer stands. Besides the Lafayette, IN location, one remains in Issaquah, WA.

Arriving at the restaurant in Lafayette in late August, we pulled up to the former drive-in area, which was filled with tables of people waiting to get inside and eat.

On this Saturday, it didn't appear that they were offering curb side service, and I am not sure if they do so anymore.

Walking in, we were told that it would be a few minutes wait for seating inside, so we started to head out to wait, but just as we reached the door we were told to grab a couple of the round orange vinyl stools that had just opened up.

All of the seating in the Triple XXX Family Restaurant is counter seating, and depending on which section of the room you're in, you may be starting across the oval counter at someone sitting just across from you.

The restaurant has been serving up chop steak burgers (from sirloin ground in house) since the late 1920s, so of course we both selected items off the burger menu, after ordering a chocolate malt for me and a root beer for my husband. After the fact, I noticed they had butterscotch malts and wished I had ordered one of those.

I decided to be a bit adventurous with my meal after seeing this description on the menu: "The Duane Purvis All-American - A very special taste treat! 1/4 lb. of 100% ground sirloin served on a toasted sesame bun with melted cheese on top with lettuce, tomato, pickle, Spanish onion and French fries. Add thick creamy peanut butter on the lower deck and you're in for the touchdown!"

While we waited for our food, my husband headed to the small ATM located in the corner of the restaurant, as the only form of payment accepted was cash. He headed back to his stool, and soon our food arrived.

Surprisingly, the peanut butter was not a big standout when I bit in to my burger, but was more of an interesting side note.

I would not be shocked to find myself putting some peanut butter on a burger some time in the future, but if you had told me that before I tried the Duane Purvis, I would have thought you were crazy.

The fries were okay.

The restaurant is currently open 24 hours and also serves breakfast.

The thing I enjoyed about dining at the Triple XXX was the hustle and bustle of everything, and the fun of people watching while basking in a bit of history.

Triple XXX Family Restaurant

2 N Salisbury St

West Lafayette, IN 47906

Riley Suspension Bridge

Planning our most recent trip to Indiana late this August, I ran across an interesting site I had never visited, the Riley Suspension Bridge.

The bridge spans Deer Creek in Delphi, named for the Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley, and is at least the fourth suspension bridge at this site. Three previous bridges were built in 1911, 1988 and 1998 and were all destroyed by floods.

Supports for one of the previous bridges can still be seen nearby.

The land for the Riley Park Annex, where the suspension bridge is located, was donated by E.W. Bowen and his wife in 1930.

The park also features ball diamonds, playgrounds, basketball courts and picnic shelters.

Riley Suspension Bridge

S. Washington Street to Riley Park Drive

Delphi, IN 46923

Indiana Beach

Several summers while growing up, my mom loaded my brother and I in the car and make the fairly boring drive to Flora, Indiana to visit family, while my brother slept for four hours and I stared out the car window.

I have lots of great memories of those days: visiting my great-grandparents; staying with Grandma; walking to the gas station behind her apartment for Slush Puppies and donuts; the sheep at Aunt Mary's house; a pontoon boat ride along the lake where ducks had just left their eggs to fend for themselves.

And one of the big highlights of those summer visits was trips to Indiana Beach in Monticello.

I've gone back several times over the years.

My first road trips sans parents were at age 17 and 18 to Indiana Beach with a high school friend.

I remember paying admission to the swimming area, trudging up the stairs to the bathhouse to get a wire basket to stash our stuff in while we went to sun ourselves on the beach for the day.

Another group of friends and I visited several years after that and had a great time.

And now I am lucky to have a husband who loves road trips, loves amusement parks and loves kitsch, so we try to go every year.

Opened in 1926, Indiana Beach offers roller coasters, arcade games, a swimming beach and more, tucked among cottages and motels offering lodging right nearby.

There are wooden roller coasters on site, as well as the Steel Hawg, Indiana's tallest steel coaster.

Indiana Beach is also home to one of the last few remaining Fascination parlors, a wooden table game in the same family as Skee Ball.

For me, a trip to Indiana Beach can mean a ride on the Shafer Queen paddle wheel boat; riding the antique cars; a ride from one end of the park to the other on the chair lift; feeding the huge fish; riding the Scrambler over the lake; a stop at the creepy fortune teller guy in the arcade; a visit to the beach shop and gift shop and a round of Skee Ball.

For my husband and I, our trip now also involves a trip down the log plume ride and some of the World's Best Tacos.

Yes, when we first saw the sign touting the World's Best Tacos just ahead, we snickered. Please, the WORLD'S BEST tacos are at Indiana Beach?? I don't even recall why we tried them. But we absolutely love these tacos and rave about them every time. Sometimes, we drive three hours to the park, make a pass through the grounds, eat our tacos and head back home.

We didn't get to visit the park last year. This year, they waived admission to the grounds.

At some point since our last visit, they have made some changes, perhaps for the better, perhaps not.

I was dismayed to see as we approached the park that the former wood-sided boardwalk buildings have been covered in ordinary tan vinyl siding.

We also noticed that all of the arcade games no longer accept coins, but now use swipe cards, which are also used to pay for rides.

One thing I noticed on this visit was that there are many employees over the age of 50. I did see a few teenagers manning some rides, but overall there were many mature employees. I don't have anything against teenagers as employees at the park, but it was very refreshing to see so many mature people working, and seemingly enjoying themselves.

The food choices are still plentiful, and reasonable. There are several fair food options, and tacos will only set you back $2 each.

After enjoying our tacos on this year's visit, we continued our walk to the other end of the park.

We walked across the suspension bridge, which I had learned some history about recently.

In 1966 Tom Spackman, son of Earl Spackman, the original founder, expanded the park further over the waters of Lake Shafer with the addition of the largest suspension bridge in the Midwest.

The pedestrian bridge offers a beautiful view of the park and lake, especially on as nice of a day as it was when we visited.

Indiana Beach

5224 E. Indiana Beach Road

Monticello, IN 47960