One of the stops we made on our mini vacation down to Santa Claus, IN was at Lincoln State Park. It's just a few minutes down the road from Holiday World and Santa's Lodge where we stayed on our trip so it was super close and convenient. Lincoln State Park has 10 miles of hiking trails, two scenic lakes for boating/fishing, and a beach for swimming as well as other great activities. It offers a lakeside campground, log cabins, and group cottages if you like a little more rustic accommodations on a vacation. We only had a few hours to spend at the park before a nasty storm rolled in so we didn't get to see everything the park had to offer, but what we did get to do was fun!
My daughter didn't want to fish with the boys so we decided to start off with a short hike. On our walk we got to see lots of turtles and a few of natures other critters. One of which was a snake that brought a quick conclusion to our hike. My daughter decided that if there was one snake on the path there could be more and she wasn't having any of that. So we decided to head back to the beach area instead where she said it was "safe". The park offers paddle boats that you can rent but with the darkening skies we opted to just take off our sandals and search for shells in the shallow water instead. We didn't want to get out on the water and that storm roll in on top of us. There wasn't really a lot of people at the beach area so it was nice being able to just walk along and pick up a few shells as we found them. I was really surprised at how well you could see into the water, and in a few areas you could even find some small fish swimming around. We hung out at the beach until the skies started getting really dark and everyone started heading to their cars. Probably a good thing we left when we did because by the time we got to the park exit the rain started pouring down.
The boys on the other hand did want to fish so that's where they spent their entire time at the park. There was a neat area set up with a bench that they set up at and fished from. My husband even caught on of those pesky turtles on his hook. He was careful to reel it in and my son reached down and grabbed it as soon as he could to keep it from getting hurt. They gently removed the hook and released him back into the water. Thankfully that was the only one that got hooked while they were fishing. Definitely something to watch for with how many of them we saw just hanging out in the water. On the overall though they did catch a few fish too, but released them too back into the water since we were staying in a hotel.
If you're curious here's a little bit of history on the park:
Young Abe Lincoln spent part of his youth in what is now a 2,026-acre park. Lincoln State Park was established in 1932 as a memorial to his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. The park is home to the Lincoln Bicentennial Plaza that celebrates Lincoln’s 200th birthday and to the Nature Center, featuring interactive exhibits for the entire family. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was instrumental in establishing the recreational facilities now found in the park. The CCC was a national program designed to provide jobs for unemployed young men during the Great Depression. At Lincoln State Park, CCC crews built beautiful Lake Lincoln, lakeside shelter, the boat rental building (formerly a ranger cabin), and many trails. Sarah Lincoln’s Woods Nature Preserve is located in the southernmost portion of the park and dedicated to Lincoln’s sister. A visit to Lincoln State Park is like taking a step back into time when the land was wild and Abe Lincoln was a boy.
We enjoyed our short time at the park and decided that it was a place we would definitely consider for a future trip. They have so much to do right in the park that you wouldn't even have to leave to have a full day of fun.
Need help planning a trip to Santa Claus, IN? Visit the Spencer County Visitors Bureau website for loads of helpful tips and ideas.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of the above mentioned brand. I may have received monetary compensation and/or product in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts. However, all thoughts and opinions stated are my own and are in no way influenced by my partnership with mentioned brands.
