Not in the mood to sit through a late autumn baseball game?  Drop the guys off and continue west to the Missouri Botanical Garden, an oasis of beauty west of downtown St. Louis.

Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest public garden properties in the United States.  Henry Shaw was an 18-year-old boy when he arrived in St. Louis during the early 19th Century.  Legend has it that he rode west on horseback and coveted a stunning piece of property.  Forty years later, it was that rich prairie that he used to establish the Gardens.

[more on the Missouri Botanical Gardens here]

Long before Europeans came  to North America, native people with a highly advanced culture flourished in southwestern Indiana.

The Mississippians were not that different from modern Anmericans, as a large home on top of a mound was a huge status symbol for these native peoples in a 103-acre village in Western Warrick County, Ind.

Angel Mouns Satae Historic Site was home to more than a thousand Mississippians from about 1000 A.D. to 1450 A.D.  According to Site Director Mike Linderman, these Native Americans left us plenty of clues about their lives.

Visitors today enjoy walking the grounds and viewing the 11 mounds left by the Mississippians, and also a wonderful, interactive museum that showcases artifacts found on the site.

[read more on page 46 of our online issue]

Almost hidden in a wood just across the Ohio River Bridge in Henderson, Ky., is a wealth of nature and art.

Less than a two-hour drive from Vincennes, the John James Audobon State Park offers winter activities perfect for a day or a weekend.

Naturalist and artist John James Audobon, best known for his paintings of birds in habitat, live in Henderson more years than he lived anywhere else.  The park in named in his honor, and in addition to all the usual wonderful features of a state park, hosts a delightful museum that features treasures from his life and work.

[read more about Audobon State Park on page 46 of our online issue]

by Amy Abbott

The Oceans exhibit at the Indianapolis Zoo allows visitors to touch real sharks in the country’s largest shark touch pool in the Firestone Gallery.

by Sally Petty

One might not expect after driving through downtown Indianapolis to find several acres of natural habitat.  But that’s just what awaits you on a refreshing weekend trip that includes a stop at the Indianapolis Zoo, located in the White River State Park.  With just a couple hours’ drive from home, one can enjoy the fine dining and entertainment options of the big city, and also spend an entire day at the zoo “traveling” from one exotic location to another, from forests to oceans to desserts to grassy plains.

(read more on page 58 of our online issue)

If high gas prices this summer preclude you from making that annual summer trip to your favorite big league ballpark, yet you still need to scratch that baseball itch, a short trek to Louisville and a visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum might well be in order.

Located at Eighth and main Streets downtown Louisville, the Louisville Slugger Museum is the epicenter of Louisville and the Hillerich and Bradsby Company’s long association with that most iconic piece of sports equipment, the baseball hat.

[Read the rest of this story on page 28 of our onlne issue]

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