Story, Indiana

Step back in time while visiting this 163-year-old village by settling into Indiana's oldest inn, Story Inn. While sitting on bar stools fashioned from former tractor seats, whet your palate with artisanal microbrews such as Robert the Bruce by Three Floyds, nominated this year for a James Beard Award, or sample Vera's Garden, a martini with mint and herbs named after the woman who planted the town's gardens. Take the transportation of yesteryear — horses — at Rawhide Ranch, where you can ride through wooded trails dense with oaks, poplars and pines. Snap a few photos beside the 19th-century covered bridge that crosses Bean Blossom Creek. Built in 1880, the red painted wooden bridge is the best place to enjoy a picnic lunch. Another bridge, this one built in 1838, marks the north entrance of Brown County State Park, where you can hike forested ridges with views of multiple lakes.