Our Impressions of Terre Haute

One of the most wonderful things about traveling is being able to see things and learn things that you have no idea about. We had never heard of the Covered Bridge Festival and were very pleasantly surprised by the pride Parke County takes in its many covered bridges.

We were amazed at all the information we learned about Eugene Debs. He had such an impact on many facets of the labor movement in this country, yet his name and life seem to be not very well known! I admit to my own lack of knowledge. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about his life and passions.

This was a nice place to spend time.

Attractions

The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is Indiana’s largest festival and spans 10 days, 9 festival communities and 31 covered bridges. If you are anywhere near Indiana in October, this is a must-do activity. Others in the campground said this was the exclusive reason they were camping at that particular time of year! Tour the covered bridges and visit the 9 festival communities scattered throughout Parke County. Each community has a specialty they are known for; make sure to visit them all! We were exhausted after the second community!

The Larry Bird Museum was fantastic! Amazing! Something to go out of your way to visit. Of course, I have been a Larry Bird fan from the beginning of his career, so I may be biased! There were lots of artifacts about his high school, college and professional careers. There is a 1,900-pound sculpture of Bird right around the corner from the museum, in front of Hulman Center.

Eugene V. Debs Museum We really didn’t know much about Eugene Debs (1855-1926). He was a trade unionist and five-time Socialist Party of America candidate for President of the United States. He was born in Terre Haute and lived there for much of his life. Our tour guide was fabulous. I can’t imagine there is much more about his life that she didn’t know!

Birthplace of the Coca Cola Bottle: This may be a strange claim to fame, but in 1915, the Coca-Cola Company sent out a challenge to glass companies across the U.S. to design a “bottle so distinct that you would recognize it by feeling in the dark or by lying broken on the ground.” The Root Glass Company in Terre Haute, Indiana created the winning design, making the city the birthplace of the iconic bottle that is recognized world-wide. All around the city you will find unique, hand painted 6’ tall Coke bottle sculptures celebrating Terre Haute’s pride in its role in the development of this packaging design.

Food and Drink

The M. Mogger’s Restaurant & Pub is located in a rustic, casual old-time saloon. There is both inside and outside seating. The food was good, the portions ample and the waitstaff was attentive. If you eat here, be sure to ask if you can go downstairs to see part of the Underground Railroad. Or perhaps it was just a tunnel that led from the brewpub to the river during prohibition days. Or maybe it was the “secret” speakeasy location. Stories abound.

The Thirty-Six Saloon in Rockville was a busy saloon in the downtown area with inside and outside seating and a live band. We went during the Covered Bridge Festival and to their credit and smart business sense, they offered a limited Covered Bridge Festival menu. Even though every table was full, food was served quickly. The food was really good, too!

Terre Haute Brewing Company, established in 1837, holds the distinction of being Indiana’s oldest brewery and the second oldest in the United States. We tried many varieties and of course found many that were quite tasty! My favorite was the sour mash!

Home Base: The Campground

For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!

We stayed on site 22 at the Terre Haute Campground. The park is clean and well-maintained. The staff was very accommodating. Simple check in. Our pull through site was a FHU (water-electric-sewer) on level gravel. Most sites have grass between them. 30 and 50 amp service was available. There was good Verizon cellphone coverage and an open sky for our satellite dish.

It was a good location and overall a good experience.

Fun Facts

• In 1955 Terre Haute was labeled Sin City by Stag Magazine. It received this reputation for being “wide open”, with gambling and a well-developed “red-light district”.
• Scatman Crothers, originally Benjamin Sherman Crothers, was born in Terre Haute and started his career as a jazz artist being featured in local clubs.
• During the late 19th century, Terre Haute’s economy was based on iron and steel mills, hominy plants, and late in the 19th century, distilleries, breweries, and bottle makers. The Wabash River, the National Road (now US 40), and the Wabash and Erie Canal linked Terre Haute to the world.

	Terre Haute
Population:	58,502
Founded:	1811
Elevation:	499 ft.
Average Income:	$21,615
Average Housing:	$152,615
Average Age:	32
Crime Score:	C

Websites:
Terre Haute: https://www.terrehaute.com/

Summary

Terre Haute surprised us. It was a very pleasant place to spend some time. The locals were friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed and inviting. This is a place we would like to return to so we could do some more exploring.

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn and Dave
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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• We have visited each town, attraction and restaurant we are writing about. • No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement. • AI has not been used to write any of the content of this blog. • All the photos in this blog were taken by Dave or Kathryn Harrington.