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Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau |
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1. City Center L.L.C.
(574) 914-4153; CityCenterLLC.com Open year-round, Monday-Saturday 7am-10pm . Immerse yourself for the day to experience art, food and culture, all under one roof! The 100-year-old J.C. Penney building now houses shops with locally created art displayed throughout, breads at Earthworks, books at City Center News and Books, classic films shown in the Back Room Cinema, and gourmet sandwiches and salads at Opie's Deli. On Friday and Saturday nights during the summer, the Alley hosts a cookout on the patio. Once a month, indulge in dinner and a movie at the Back Room, with a local reviewer commenting. |
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2. Heartland Artists Gallery
(574) 936-9515; HeartlandArtGallery.com Wednesday-Friday noon to 5pm; Saturday 9am-2pm; daily for special exhibits What would you love to take home as a remembrance of your trip to Northern Indiana? Perhaps it's a misty photograph of the countryside in the morning. Or handcrafted earrings and a shirt or dress appliquéd by a local artist. This art gallery has it all, plus watercolors, oils and other crafts from Northern Indiana artisans. Located in an historic downtown Plymouth building, the gallery also offers a varietyof workshops. Private group viewings are available by appointment. |
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3. Hensler Nursery
(574) 867-4192; HenslerNurseryIndiana.com Open late September-October; the day after Thanksgiving-December 23, Saturday and Sunday 7am to 6pm; Monday 7am to 3:30pm. Imagine visiting the farm animals, cutting your own Christmas tree and going on a horse-drawn wagon ride (weekends) to get you in the Christmas spirit. You can do it all at this longtime nursery and sip a cup of hot chocolate while you pick out wreaths and garlands. If fall is your season, take a wagon ride then, too, and pick your own pumpkin as well as select from a host of colorful gourds and other fall decorations. It's a family experience you can't beat with the best of Northern Indiana's homegrown products. |
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4. Marshall County Barn Quilt Trail
220 N. Center St., Plymouth, IN 46563 (574) 936-1882, MarshallCountyTourism.org Open year-round, Dawn to dusk, self-guided tour. Visitors love the fine handmade quilts produced in Northern Indiana, but who would expect to find giant replicas gracing barns? You will when you pick up a brochure and follow the Marshall County Barn Quilt Trail. Vibrant quilt patterns up to eight feet tall grace area barns, public buildings and residences. The movement started a few years ago when an Ohio woman painted one of her mother's quilt patterns on a barn. It's spread and is a perfect fit for this region, where quilts are an intricate part of life. |
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5. Marshall County Blueberry Festival
(574) 936-5020; BlueberryFestival.org Labor Day weekend, Friday 5pm to 9pm; Saturday & Sunday 9am to 9pm; Monday 9am to 6pm. The blueberry is king in this fertile region where so many are raised, and Marshall County celebrates its succulent fruit in high style every Labor Day weekend with a four-day extravaganza. You'll taste blueberries in the most delicious concoctions, including pies, cheese cakes, donuts and ice cream. But there's so much more going on with a parade, musical entertainment, spectacular fireworks, a hot air balloon launch, road races, games for the kids, a carnival and even more food, including other Northern Indiana favorites such as walleye sandwiches and corn on the cob. |
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6. Painter and Poet Gallery
(574) 842-8888; PainterAndPoet.com Open year-round, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (or when the "open" sign is out. Call for an appointment at other times) When painter Esther Powers Miller and her husband, poet K. Ward Miller, put their creativity together, it turned out to be a winning combination. Their shop is a dream excursion for lovers of art and words. Esther's watercolor paintings include local scenes, such as Culver Academies, churches, and sailboats on Culver's Lake Maxinkuckee, and some popular Lake Michigan lighthouses. Rustic barns and charming florals broaden the choices in this gallery. Ward's poetry features whimsical looks on life. Often it accompanies Esther's paintings. Their work also is available on note cards you can purchase in the shop. |
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7. Plymouth Farmers Market
(574) 217 5776 ; PlymouthFarmersMarket.com Saturday, early May-mid-October, 7:30am to 11:30am. You can put a fabulous dinner together, buy cut flowers for your centerpiece, browse locally made crafts and pick out perennial and bedding plants for your garden all in one stop. The vendors here raise their own vegetables, fruits, pork, bison, beef and eggs, plus herbs to season it all. Take your time and enjoy the local entertainment and other activities that add to the homegrown festivities. |
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8. Scottish Bed and Breakfast
(574) 220-6672; ScottishBB.com Open year-round. It might be hard to leave this plush brick country B&B, where you can take a dip in the indoor pool, relax at the outside garden patio and feast on Brenda's delicious breakfasts, which she creates with eggs purchased from a local Amish farmer. There's even a kennel on the grounds, so your pets can come along on your trip. But you'll want to explore the local culture by visiting Izzy's gift shop which features the works of local artists and products such as Amish-made maple syrup, jewelry, and music. Ask Homer to brew a cup of his home-grown Amish tea for your enjoyment. |
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9. The Briar Patch
(574) 784-3533; BriarPatchPrimitivePlace.com Open May 1-September 30, Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9am to 5pm; Tuesday and Wednesday 1pm to 5pm; some Sundays call ahead. If you've ever wondered how to create a perfect perennial garden, you can find your answers here. Visit the show garden and discover the beauty of Russian sage, Bee Balm, ornamental grasses and more. You'll learn how to put them all together for a stunning landscape of your own. Roam the gardens of the Briar Patch, enjoy the feeling of country living as you visit the Resale Shop in a hand-crafted cabin with farmhouse finds from the old days, such as rocking chairs and crocks. The third weekend of June, there's a Folk Art Gathering here with arts, crafts and antiques. Free admission. |
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10. The Yellow River Festival
(574) 276-1185 First Saturday in June, 10am to 8pm. History, arts and food are an integral part of this region and you're along for the ride. Sample the bounty of Northern Indiana in homemade ice cream, rib eye sandwiches, kettle corn, mint tea or chicken and noodles while musicians serenade you. Then get up on your feet and try some old-time or Native American dancing. Interpreters tell you about wildlife and the history of the area and vendors display their crafts. Kids can make their own creations and everyone gets a chance to participate in a sack race, walk on a rope bridge or drop a fishing line (catch and release). |
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