elias vaughn author at My Family Travels
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For Over A Century, This Cash-Only Indiana Diner Has Served Double Cheeseburgers Without Changing A Single Item On Its Menu

Two beef patties get smashed paper-thin on a flat-top grill that's been working since at least 1960. Then they land on a three-part bun with American cheese, shredded lettuce,...

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Indiana’s Best-Kept Road Trip Secret: A Free 90-Minute Tram Tour Through A Massive 4.5 Million Sq-Ft Automotive Plant

Thousands of pickup truck parts hang from a ceiling here, frozen in midair like a giant exploded diagram. A six-person team spent six months building that display.

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This Indiana Neighborhood Spot Crafts Giant Pierogi Platters That Could Rival Warsaw

The potato pancake has entered the room. Nobody is looking at the menu anymore. At this Indiana spot, the homemade Polish food...

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This Beautiful Indiana River Town is Booming With Tourism, But Locals Claim it’s Ruining Their Identity

The town looks wonderful on a travel website. It looks a little different when you are trying to get home through the weekend crowds.

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9 Insanely Haunted Indiana Historic Hotels Where You Definitely Can’t Sleep At Night

Some hotels offer room service. These Indiana hotels may offer unexplained noises. That is part of what makes them so memorable....

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The Fresh Donuts At This Tiny Indiana Bakery Are The Most Unforgettable Thing You’ll Ever Taste

The donut has a short life expectancy. Very short. It comes out warm. Someone buys it.

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This Charming Indiana Polish Hub Turns Homemade Pierogi And Year-Round Paczki Into A Fall Road Trip

The ideal Polish food haul has a little of everything. Something savory for dinner. Something hearty for tomorrow. Something...

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The Absolute Most Beautiful Sandy Beach In Indiana For Fall Foliage Isn’t Where You Expect

Who decided beaches were only for summer? Apparently, nobody told this Indiana shoreline. By fall, the sand is still there, the...

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This Phenomenal Indiana All You Can Eat Buffet Is A Total Paradise For Selective Eaters

Choosing a restaurant for picky eaters is usually a group project nobody wants. “What do you want?” “I don't know.” “What about seafood?” “No.” “Pasta?” “No.”...

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This Indiana Diner Serves A Massive 1,200-Calorie Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Worth Every Single Bite

The bun looks nervous. It has every right to. Underneath it sits a fried pork tenderloin so enormous that the bread starts looking...

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This Sprawling Indiana “Amish Carnivore Heaven” Is Hiding Hundreds of Hand-Cut Steaks and Old-School Wholesale Prices

The cooler is empty on purpose. It has to be. Because walking into this Indiana meat market with no trunk space is like showing...

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These Indiana Polish Delis Are Worth Every Mile Of The Drive

A freezer bag has never felt so important. That is because the food keeps multiplying. Kielbasa goes in. Pierogi go in.

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This Enormous Indiana Buffet Servs Dim Sum, Sushi, and Mongolian Grill Until You Burst

The first plate is a lie. It suggests you have a plan. You do not. Not in an Indiana buffet with more than 200 dishes waiting...

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This Cage-Free Indiana Sanctuary Gives Rescued Cats The Love, Comfort, And Second Chance They Deserve

The hotel guests here do not know how to check out. They also have absolutely no interest in doing so. This Indiana cat sanctuary...

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This Indiana Thrift Warehouse Is Where Resellers Go Before The Public Even Knows

The inventory has a short attention span. Bathroom vanities one day. A riding mower the next. Something completely different...

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This Hidden Indiana Seafood Buffet Serves A Mountain Of Crab And Sushi For One Flat Price

The breakfast is cancelled. Not because of some grand plan. There is simply no room for it when lunch involves snow crab, sushi,...

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10 Indiana Fall Destinations Worth Planning Around

The first red leaf causes a problem. Now every weekend looks booked. One drive for the leaves. Another for a covered bridge.

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Indiana’s Biggest All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Serves Legendary Amish Comfort Food And 30 Varieties Of Fresh Pie

The belt notch is not optional. It is part of the strategy. This Indiana restaurant has built an entire day around the dangerous...

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Owned by a Bestselling Hoosier Author, This Indiana Bookstore Is a Diverse Literary Haven

The neon sign is pink. The disco balls are real. The books are serious. That combination is exactly why this Indiana bookstore...

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One Of Indiana’s Oldest Family Farms Is Still Bringing Shoppers Back Season After Season

The farm has an answer for every month. That is the problem. Come in spring, and there are strawberries. Come back later, and...

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You’d Never Guess This Colorful Fabric Wonderland Is Hidden in Indiana

The color pink has apparently been taking its job very seriously. It is not one pink. It is dozens. Then come the greens, yellows,...

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This Indiana Craft Shop Is Packed With Everything Creative Minds Could Want

The porch lies. It looks like an ordinary old house. Then the door opens. Paper everywhere.

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This Remarkable Indiana Mexican Ice Cream Shop Boasts 32 Handcrafted Flavors Born From an American Dream

Corn ice cream sounds like a dare. Queso ice cream sounds like somebody lost a bet. Tamarindo sounds safer. Then the mango...

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This Authentic Amish Buggy Tour Might Be Indiana’s Most Unexpected Cultural Adventure

You get in a buggy expecting a ride. You get out with a completely different idea of what “slow” means. Indiana has an...

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This Indiana River Town Feels Like the Secret Star of an Autumn Weekend

The hardest part of an autumn weekend is usually leaving. Especially when the next block looks just as interesting. This Indiana...

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This Lush Indiana City Offers the Crisp Autumn Air and Cozy September Mornings You Crave

The first cool morning changes the entire wardrobe. Suddenly, the shorts seem ridiculous. A sweater makes sense again. Coffee...

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9 Secret Autumn Woodlands in Indiana Where You Can Forage for Wild Mushrooms

A mushroom hunter has a strange relationship with fallen leaves. Everybody else sees a pretty autumn carpet. They see possibilities....

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This Hyper-Clean Indiana Butcher Shop Is So Pristine Locals Completely Boycott Supermarkets

The steak at the supermarket was fine. That was the problem. Once you get used to someone talking to you about marbling, trimming...

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You Can Go on a Wild Bison Safari in Indiana for Less Than the Price of a Latte

A bison has a very different idea of personal space. Fortunately, the bus does too. That is what makes this Indiana safari...

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This Gorgeous Indiana Church Looks Straight Out Of Germany And No One Knows It Exists

You see the church. Then you see the rooflines. Then the sign. Wait. Was...

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This Family-Owned Indiana Specialty Store Is A Massive BBQ Equipment & Grilling Supply Paradise

Someone comes in for barbecue sauce. Thirty minutes later, they are comparing smokers. Then thermometers. Then grilling tools.

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This Jaw-Dropping 20-Foot Hillside Monolith Is One Of Indiana’s Most Striking Hidden Landmarks

A rock should not need an introduction. You see one. You step over it. Life continues.

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11 Breathtaking Indiana Churches That Look Like You Stepped Straight Into Medieval Europe

The first reaction is usually confusion. The second is a photo. The third is, “How is this here?” Good question. Indiana...

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This Mind-Bending Indiana Landmark Looks Exactly Like a UFO Landed in the Middle of the Landscape

The first sketch must have sounded ridiculous. “Let's make the church six-sided.” “Keep it low.” “Now put a giant gold cross nearly 200 feet in the air.”

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This Breathtaking 130-Year-Old Indiana Mansion Has a History as Wild as Its Architecture

There is a giant acorn sitting on top of the house. That is not a metaphor. It is actually up there. And somehow, that is not...

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This 101-Year-Old Small-Town Factory Is Believed To Be Indiana’s Last Independent Creamery

The churns keep turning. That is the whole story. Except it is not. Behind those ordinary sounds is a 101-year-old Indiana...

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This Remote Indiana Farmstand Bakes Scratch-Made Fried Pies That Draw Lines Down Country Roads

The pie was still warm when the pumpkin started rolling across the back seat. That pretty much summed up the afternoon. One farm...

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This Hidden Indiana Mud Pit Features Tight, Wooded Loops for Trail-Ready UTVs

First comes the splash. Then comes the mud on the windshield. Then somebody decides to go back through it faster. That is roughly...

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This Beloved Historic Indiana Bakery Has Served Legendary Scratch-Made Sweet Treats For Decades

You are not supposed to be thinking about donuts at five in the morning. Then you smell the glaze. That is usually the end...

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This Quiet Indiana Backroad Marks the Only Time the Civil War Invaded the State

The odds were terrible. Roughly 400 local volunteers had thrown together a makeshift defensive line when a Confederate force nearly six times larger came toward them.

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This Historic Small-Town Bakery Crafts Fresh $1 Glazed Doughnuts Hand-Rolled On 80-Year-Old Wooden Tables

There is a very simple way to start a morning badly. Arrive after the glazed doughnuts are gone. That possibility seems to keep...

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10 Stunning Indiana Churches Which Feature Architecture That Feels Straight Out Of Europe

The outside says “small-town Indiana.” The inside says something entirely different. There are stained-glass windows that look imported from Bavaria, altars covered in intricate...

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This Sprawling Indiana Asian Market Packs A Kitchen And A Huge Grocery Under One Roof

The plan was to be in and out. Forty minutes later, the cart was still moving. Somewhere between the ramen shelves and the...

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This Indiana Town Gets So Swamped With Fall Visitors That Locals Avoid Downtown on Weekends

My first mistake was thinking Saturday morning would be quiet. My second was thinking there would still be a parking spot. By...

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11 Hidden Indiana Hiking Trails Leading Directly To A Spectacular Wilderness View

You reach the top expecting to see a few trees and maybe another cornfield. Instead, the forest suddenly drops away, and there is a whole valley stretched out below you.

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This Historic Indiana Diner Still Crafts The Juiciest Old-School Smash Burgers In The County

Miss the light. It might improve your lunch. At the corner of U.S. 50 and Chestnut Street, the smell coming off the griddle...

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You Could Get Lost For Hours Digging Through This Massive Hidden Indoor Marketplace In Indiana

My friend found a lamp. I found a box of baseball cards. Neither of us came looking for either one. That is the problem with...

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This Indiana Museum Has a Free Sculpture Garden Hiding Behind a Historic Mansion

My first thought was that the mansion looked like the interesting part. Then I went around back. Three acres of trees opened...

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This Indiana Small Town Hides A Historic Round Barn Still Standing After 100 Years

Why did farmers build a barn without corners? That is probably the first question that pops into your head when you see this enormous white building sitting beside the countryside.

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You Can Actually Drive Exotic Supercars With Zero Speed Limits On This Massive Indiana Racetrack

Your brain says, “This is probably where someone tells you to slow down.” Then you look around and realize nobody is saying it. Instead, you are sitting behind the wheel of...

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9 Indiana General Stores That Have Survived Since The 1800s

Wooden floors that creak, candy jars lined up like soldiers, and screen doors that slap shut behind every visitor: Indiana still keeps places like this alive.

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This Scenic Indiana Farm Serves Rich Artisan Hot Chocolate in a Historic 19th-Century Barn

I almost drove past the turnoff twice. There was no big sign, no crowd, just a gravel road cutting through Indiana farmland that felt forgotten by time.

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This Metal-Building Indiana BBQ Spot Is Keeping A Delicious Secret From Most Of The State

Hickory smoke drifts across a quiet neighborhood, giving away exactly what's happening inside a plain metal building somewhere in Indiana. No flashy sign.

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This Indiana Diner’s Breakfast Draws Crowds, But Locals Insist Its Mexican Food Is The Real Reason To Go

You walk in thinking pancakes. Then you spot tamales. That is the funny thing about this little Indiana diner. Breakfast starts...

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This Indiana Lake Feels Like A Private Escape Locals Want To Keep Secret

A 66-acre lake stays off most travel radars, hidden somewhere in the farmland of Indiana. Goats and a donkey wander the campground roads most mornings, which explains why the posted...

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This Overlooked Indiana State Forest’s Fire Tower Climb Rewards Hikers With A Panoramic View

You pull off a narrow country road in southern Indiana expecting a quick stretch of the legs, and end up staying most of the day. This state forest sits in the rolling hills near...

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This Massive Indiana Bin Warehouse Marks Down Everything To Exactly $1 For A Wild Clearance Event

I had no plan, and ten minutes later I was holding storage bins, puck lights, and a pair of scrubs I definitely did not need. That is the strange magic of a discount warehouse...

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This Historic Indiana City Park Features an Easy Boardwalk Trail to a Hidden Waterfall

What if you could reach a hidden waterfall without having to tackle a difficult hike? One historic Indiana city park makes the journey surprisingly easy with a boardwalk trail...

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8 Giant Indiana Liquidation Stores Featuring Crazy Closeout Deals

What if your next shopping trip felt more like a treasure hunt than a trip to the store? Liquidation shopping has a special kind of excitement because you never quite know what...

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9 Under-the-Radar Indiana Nature Parks That Feel Like You’ve Left the Midwest Entirely

Who decided the Midwest had to look like endless fields and flat roads? Indiana has a few natural surprises that can make you question where you actually are, from towering dunes...

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