It feels like forever since the weather has been consistently nice enough to enjoy a day outside. Sure, there's been a day or two here and there since Spring officially began a month or so back, but it feels like more times than not, on days with warm temperatures it's raining, and once the rain passes through, the temperature drops 20 degrees and it's a little too chilly to spend a prolonged amount of time outside. The good news is, those days will soon be in the rearview and we'll have consistently warm temperatures that will make us want to be outdoors enjoying the beautiful landscapes the state of Indiana has to offer. To encourage that outdoor activity the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering us the opportunity to enjoy our many state parks free of charge for one day only.

Free Admission and Fishing at Indiana State Parks on May 1st (2022)

To celebrate the start of Visit Indiana Week on Sunday, the DNR is waiving admission fees at all state parks, state recreation areas, reservoirs, and state forests for each vehicle that enters allowing you and your family the ability to take a hike, play on the playground, enjoy a nice picnic lunch, or any combination of the three absolutely free.

Fly Fishing
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Additionally, the Department is also waiving allowing anyone and everyone to fish in public bodies of water without needing a fishing license or "trout/salmon stamp." However, all size and bag limits will apply if you plan on keeping anything you catch.

You can find a complete list of public fishing locations on the DNR website.

[Source: Indiana Department of Natural Resources]

Take a Delicious Journey Along These 21 Indiana Food Trails

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Indiana Foodways Alliance has the MOST food trails in America. Taste the very best that Indiana has to offer when it comes to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Plan to visit some or all of these yummy stops all throughout the Hoosier state.

40 Real Indiana Towns with Quirky, Weird, and Funny Names

Outside the major cities, the Hoosier state is full of tiny little towns you've probably passed through on your way to one of those cities. Most of them are likely 100 to 150 years old, or older, and have been around far longer than the large metropolitan areas such as Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville. Typically, they were started by early settlers who found their way to the state and decided to make it home. Eventually, others would join them, and a community was formed. Over time, as the surrounding areas grew, most of them were folded into those areas and governed by the nearest city or county's governing body officially making them "unincorporated," meaning they did not have their own formally organized municipal government.

A scroll through Wikipedia's long list of unincorporated communities in Indiana shows several of them have names that by today's standards would be considered weird, quirky, or just downright right funny. These are my 40 favorities.

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