Read day 1-Anniversary Anecdotes and day-2 Forward Together before checking out this post.

After two nights of camping and time away from our pups, we were ready to head back home. But not too fast. We kept our Google Maps on “Avoid Highways” and found a few cool stops to check out along the way.

Before leaving the area, we checked out Prophet’s Rock, a large rock formation where the Shawnee prophet Tenskwatawa stood and encouraged his warriors during the Battle of Tippecanoe. We also stopped by the Tippecanoe battlefield.

Further south in Bedford, Indiana, we toured the Bluesprings Caverns. We enjoyed this 1-hour boat tour of America’s longest navigable underground river. Tours leave every hour, from 9 AM to 5 PM EDT. Chris has a love for caves, so this was a treat. We were able to enjoy a leisurely boat ride, the sounds of silence, and experience total darkness.

After a quick Chinese lunch break, we headed to a stop not far from Bluesprings Caverns, Spring Mill State Park. The state park entry fee was $9 per car and included visitation to the Pioneer Village. Our main visit in this park was to the Pioneer Village, although this park could be explored to find trails, other caves, boat rentals, camping, and much more. Pioneer Village is open daily from May through mid-October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This restored Pioneer Village was founded in 1814 and contains 20 historic buildings. The centerpiece is a 3-story limestone gristmill, built in 1817. The mill was under repair, but we were still able to explore the extravagant construction from inside. Heritage interpreters portray the year 1863 and demonstrate various crafts from that time period.

Along the route, we took note of Madison, Indiana and hope to make that a trip someday soon. We didn’t stop to explore but this quant town only a 2.5 hour drive away from our home seems like the perfect weekend road trip destination soon.