Many Dining Options in Historic Corydon, Harrison County

Hungry? Then check out the many dining options in Historic Corydon, Harrison County. Chinese, Mexican, Italian and more, you will fulfill your appetite. With four options to choose from in the heart of Historic Downtown Corydon and an abundance of options throughout the county, you will not go hungry wherever your adventure may be. For a list of great places to eat, check out our dining listing on www.thisisIndiana.org and we'll have you salivating. Sorry to make this blog short, but all of this talk of food and I’m hungry!

Blue River Cafe and Corydon Jamboree offer family entertainment

Blue River Cafe and the Corydon Jamboree will offer family entertainment this weekend.

Blue River Cafe will have live music on Friday, Jan. 29, by Tim Harman and by Troubadours of Divine Bliss on Saturday, Jan. 30. Live entertainment is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday night at Blue River Cafe. Reservations are appreciated so call 812-633-7510 to make your dining reservations today.

For a full list of the live entertainment line-up at Blue River Cafe, visit the events page at thisisIndiana.org.

The Corydon Jamboree will also have its Saturday Night Music Show this Saturday (Jan. 30) evening at 7:30 p.m. featuring The Broken Hearts Band followed by Lloyd Wood and Ethan and Savanna Batan, fiddle sensations with Lee Parr King as your host and MC.

General admission is $10. Children 6 to 10 years of age is $6 and children 5 and under are free. For reservations of seats give them a call at one of these numbers: 812-738-1130, 812-366-3393 or 270-422-3122.

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If you like reading these blogs on Historic Corydon and Harrison County, then sign-up to receive our monthly This Is Indiana e-newsletter featuring visitor information such as up-to-date festival, event and attraction information, travel discounts and much more. You can sign-up on our homepage at www.thisisIndiana.org or go straight to the sign-up form by clicking HERE, it only takes a minute.

The Derby City Classic Begins Today at Horseshoe

The Derby City Classic Billiards Tournament returns again to Horseshoe Southern Indiana beginning today (Jan. 22) and runs through January 30. Catch all of the action, whether it's 9-Ball, One Pocket or 9-Ball Bank. You won't want to miss seeing some of billiards best players in the world vying for the title. For a complete event schedule, including entry fees, spectator information and VIP passes, visit the Derby City Classic website at dcctickets.com.

Horseshoe Southern Indiana is located at 11999 Casino Center Drive in Elizabeth, Indiana. From traditional favorites to a spectacular floor filled with brand new games and slots, Horseshoe offers unparalleled action no matter what kind of player you are. With over 100 gaming tables and 2,000 slot machines, you'll be sure to find a game that's right up your alley. Stay and play at Horseshoe Southern Indiana and get ready to win big! Horseshoe is open seven days a week, 24-hours a day.

Live Music at Blue River Cafe

Blue River Cafe has live entertainment every Friday and Saturday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Enjoy the entertainment while eating a meal prepared by their certified chef. Friday's entertainment (Jan. 22) is by Katie Toupin with the Bocce Kings. Saturday's entertainment (Jan. 23) is by Guilderoy Byrne. Reservations are appreciated so call Blue River Cafe today at 812-633-7510 to make your reservation. Blue River Cafe is located at 128 Main Street in Milltown.

Check out our mobi site - thisisIndiana.mobi

On the go and looking for something to do while in Historic Corydon, Harrison County? Grab your cell phone and check out our mobi site at thisisIndiana.mobi. Our mobi site gives you access to attractions, events, restaurants and accommodations in Harrison County. Special offers are also posted to the site and are only good for those using the mobi site. Once on our mobi site you can opt-in to receive special text messages throughout the year, or you can text ThisIsIndiana to 51684. Not finding what you are looking for on the mobi site? Fill out the information request form and we’ll take care of what you need right away.

Enjoy Dinner and Wine at Indian Creek Winery

Indian Creek Winery will host a catered dinner by Carrie's Catering on Saturday, January 23 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dinner includes pork loin and Cornish hens with vegetables, starch, bread and dessert. Cheese and wine will also be available throughout the evening. This dinner event is $30 per person. Make your reservations today by calling Indian Creek Winery at 502-396-6209.

Check out the entertainment at The Corydon Jamboree

The Corydon Jamboree will have its first Saturday Night Show of the year this Saturday night. Snowy weather caused last Saturday's show to be canceled. This show will feature Amber Martin and Steve Saylor. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. with The Broken Hearts Band.

General admission is $10, $6 for children 6 to 10 years of age and children under 5 are free. For reservations or more information call one of these numbers:
812-738-1130
270-422-3122
812-366-3393

Golf Shores Fun Center offers great family entertainment for cold wintry days

Golf Shores Fun Center has many things to do on the cold wintry days. Stay warm while playing their indoor mini-golf course, you can even playing with optional 3D glasses if you prefer.




Check out all of their video arcade games while enjoying something to eat at their snack bar or a cup of Joe at their coffee shop. There is even a Wi-Fi lounge with free wireless internet access for you to catch up on email or surf the web. You can always schedule a birthday party or other special event in one of their party rooms too.


If you want to brave the cold weather, you can test your skills on their outdoor mini-golf course that is still open, as long as it's not covered by snow.

Golf Shores Fun Center is located at 2510 Landmark Way, just off I-64 at the Highway 135 exit in Corydon. All facilities at Golf Shores Fun Center are handicapped accessible. They are open Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight. For more information, give them a call at 812-738-0802 or email them at gsfc@golfshoresfuncenter.com.

Begin Planning Your 2010 Vacation in Historic Corydon Harrison County

Whether you visit in the Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall, Historic Corydon Harrison County has something for all. Lots of great attractions to visit and see; unique and distinctive events there will be; and cozy and relaxing accommodations for you, Historic Corydon Harrison County, OH MY, all of things there are to do!

For a complete listing of attractions, events and accommodations in Historic Corydon Harrison County, visit thisisIndiana.org.

Here are just a few of our unique and distinctive events for 2010.

Southern Indiana Uncorked
5/29/2010

Friday Night Summer Band Concerts
Friday Evenings Memorial Day through labor Day at 7:30 p.m.
First concert is on 6/4/2010








Battle of Corydon Reenactment
6/25/2010 - 6/27/2010



Bluegrass on the Square Concerts
6/26/2010, 7/24/2010 and 8/28/2010






Harrison County Fair
7/25/2010 - 7/31/2010






World on the Square
8/14/2010








Lanesville Heritage Weekend
9/10/2010 - 9/12/2010






76th Annual Halloween Parade
10/23/2010






Light Up Corydon
11/27/2010

Wineries find welcome reception in Harrison County

It’s true. Southern Indiana has something in common with those well-known wine regions: It offers the unique blend of topography, soil composition and climate that’s essential to producing juicy, hearty, distinctive grapes. It even has a rich wine making history that stretches back a couple hundred years. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the rolling hills and high plateaus of Harrison County, where four wineries offer a highly palatable excuse for driving the scenic highways of Southern Indiana.

Jim Pfeiffer knows those highways well. He wandered over them for two years to find the perfect spot for his winery. The college class that got him interested in vineyards – “Geography of Wines” – had taught him to seek out specific conditions. He found what he was looking for in 1996, when he chose to establish his Turtle Run Winery on land along St. Peters Church Road in Corydon, about 20 minutes from Louisville. There the heavy soil concentration of limestone and chalk, a high altitude and good winds and rain promised the perfect blend of variables. He and his wife, Laura, spent the next three years planting vines. Now they’ve got 11½ acres of grapes.

So why does this area offer such a perfect scenario for grape growing? Thank the glaciers. On their trek south so many eons ago, they stopped in this region, leaving deep valleys adjacent to untouched plateaus. This resulted in a triangular area called the Uplands – an area that gives you a dramatic view of the cataclysmic power of the glaciers, and also gives wines distinction.

“Things grow differently here,” Pfeiffer says simply.Modern winemakers like Pfeiffer weren’t the first to discover the magic of Southern Indiana soil. In the early 1800s, vineyards were common in this area, and its wineproduction was so respected that the land along the Ohio River was known as the “Rhineland of America.”

While the fortunes of winemakers rose and fell over the years (thanks to factors ranging from vine disease to economic upheaval and the Civil War), Indiana was still America’s 10^th largest grape-producing state in the years leading up to prohibition. In the years following prohibition, however, the state’s wine making pretty well dried up.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that small wineries began to appear with any frequency around the state again. Then, in the 1970s, changes in legislation made wine making a more feasible endeavor. Since then, the state has been home to a growing number of vineyards, including the ones in Harrison County.

And that brings us back to Jim and Laura Pfeiffer. Like their grape vines, they’ve put down roots here. Trained in the art of wine making in Bloomington, the couple now raise grapes and four kids on the Uplands. Named after a huge turtle seen crossing the road nearby, Turtle Run boasts a gift shop, as well as a tasting room with a great view of the production facility. Visitors can watch grapes being crushed and pressed, see the big oak barrels being filled and witness new vintages being filtered and bottled. Around the facility, huge steel vats and shipping boxes set the stage for an operation that, when things really get busy, ropes in good friends to help with harvesting and bottling.

Less than 10 minutes away from Turtle Run is Best Vineyards, which owner Wilbert Best says started as a crazy idea to grow table grapes and make a few bucks off the farm he bought in 2000. Wilbert recruited his sisters, Rachel and Berretta, and began planting in April 2002. After selling his crops and tinkering with wine making, Wilbert entered the commercial wine business and opened a tasting room in 2008.

Today, he has 2,500 vines on four acres, with grape varieties that include Chambourcin, Chardonel and Muscat. He also owns acre of black raspberries and nearly an acre of Elderberries, and plans to grow red raspberries soon.

Those fruits will be added to Best’s wines, which already feature fruity flavors, including peach and strawberry. Best’s Red Raspberry and Blackberry Mead won medals at the2008 Indy International Wine Competition, as did their Chambourcin, Chambourcin and Hummingbird Red.

Step out onto the winery’s deck with Best, and he’ll explain that the land you see was once a flower farm. The view, a perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine, entices you to wander the vineyards and brambles.

Then head just a little farther down the road to Indian Creek Winery. Its unfinished exterior testifies to its being open less than two years, but inside you’ll feel comfortable enough to think it’s been there for years. The tasting room bids for your attention with its ceiling of western cedar and wall of carefully selected local stones.

All of this is the passion of Mark and Mary Kendall who, along with their family and dogs Ziggy and Blue, welcome the chance to share samples of their wines with visitors. Although Indian Creek is not yet mature enough to produce its own grapes, that doesn’t mean the Kendalls aren’t creating winning blends. In fact, using grapes imported from New York or Missouri, the Kendalls already have earned distinction among Indiana winemakers: Their Sweet Creek Rose earned a gold medal, and Vidal Blanc and Blackberry bronzes in the 2008 Indy International Wine Competition.

And it won’t be long till the Kendalls are serving the juice of their own vines: Mark says Indian Creek’s 4½-acre vineyard to be ready for harvesting and bottling in 2010. Meanwhile, you can enjoy a prize-winning blend and nibble on cheese and crackers while taking a seat on the covered patio overlooking the vineyard. Perched on top of a hill not far from the creek for which it’s named, Indian Creek offers up a pleasant view of the Southern Indiana landscape, and a nice perspective on the unique geography that lends distinction to its wines.

Scout Mountain is proud to be the fourth winery in Harrison County. Situated on 35 acres surrounded by forestry Scount Mountain Winery opened its doors in May 2009. Owner Mike Schad has been making wine for about 20 years. The love has been there for a long time.

Along side their vineyard is about 100 apple trees ripe for picking in the fall. They also grow very flavorful and unique heirloom vegetables, herbs, and plants and sell them in the spring and summer months.

Nestled among the vineyard and gardens they offer overnight accommodations in their bed and breakfast cottage. The house was built in the 1920's and is the perfect quiet get-a-way in the middle of Indiana's fastest growing wine trail.

Story written by Jen Thomas.

The Wineries of Harrison County

Indian Creek Winery

6491 County Line Rd. NE

Georgetown

812-951-0303

www.indiancreekwinery.org

Turtle Run Winery

940 St. Peters Church Rd. NE

Corydon

812-952-2650

www.turtlerunwinery.com

Scout Mountain Winery

2145 Scout Mountain Road

Corydon

877-351-8607

www.scoutmountainwinery.com

Best Vineyards

8373 Morgans Ln. SE

Elizabeth

812-969-WINE

www.bestvineyardswinery.com