Brown County Birthday Bash - Traveling Tanya

If you are looking for a fun getaway with family or friends, then look no further than your State Parks!

We spent this weekend celebrating my daughter’s 12th birthday at Brown County State Park in Nashville, Indiana.

I took four 12-year-old girls on an overnight trip, and we all survived! And even better, we all had a great time!

Abe Martin Lodge

Many state parks have a lodge or inn on the premises that offer a great alternative to a traditional hotel. The Abe Martin Lodge stands out as one of our favorites because it includes an amazing indoor water park! With a lazy river, zero-entry pool with water dumping buckets, and a huge twisting water slide, there is plenty to keep kids of all ages entertained.

But this water park is also perfect for parents. It’s not too big, so you can easily keep an eye on little ones and aren’t constantly worrying about where your older kids have run off to.

And big bonus…there is a HUGE adults only hot tub!

Abe Martin Lodge also has a small game room with video games as well as air hockey and ping pong tables. Throughout the lodge, there are several sitting areas where guests can play a game, work on a puzzle, or read a book. Many of these sitting areas also feature wood-burning fireplaces, although it was still a bit warm for a fire during our visit. But maybe we should make a trip back to the lodge this winter!

There were even two weddings taking place at the lodge this weekend. While I resisted the urge to take a photo of the actual wedding festivities, I did snap a shot of the empty ceremony spaces. It’s the perfect setting for a woodsy, Pinterest-inspired wedding!

Abe Martin Lodge also has a nice gift shop, ensuring access to outdoor-themed souvenirs to remember your stay.

Little Gem Restaurant, inside Abe Martin Lodge, serves 3 meals a day, making it easy to stay inside the park for your entire stay. We chose to eat dinner at the lodge and on this particular night the buffet was the only option, which was perfect for us.

We got right to filling our plates. And we each filled our bellies in no time! The buffet easily met the needs of our guest with a gluten allergy as well as the picky palates of all the tween girls.

Cabin Life

Over the years, we have spent several nights at Brown County State Park, and stayed in three different types of lodging. (We haven’t been brave enough to try the rustic cabins yet!)

I’ve already painted a pretty good picture of how nice the Abe Martin Lodge is, and they have wonderful overnight rooms as well. If you are looking for the traditional hotel room with convenient access to the water park and dining hall, the lodge is the way to go.

In the past, we have stayed in the Family Cabins, which have a cozy, rustic feel and plenty of room to spread out. Each Family Cabin is equipped with a complete kitchen, two bedrooms, and a large living room with a wood-burning stove. These two-story cabins are ideal for a party of eight looking for some outdoor fun, but with many more amenities than you get with camping.

For this trip, we opted for a Cabin Suite…and it was the perfect choice! The Cabin Suites are essentially half of a duplex and they are the most modern of the cabins available at Brown County State Park. Our unit was either brand new or very recently remodeled as all the features were up to date and in excellent condition.

The bedroom was spacious and contained two double beds, a large screen TV, and a DVD player. While in the cabin, the four 12-year-olds were thrilled to just hang out in the big bedroom. The cabin also included a large living room, dining room, and kitchenette. There was another massive TV and DVD player for our use. (Too bad we forgot to bring any DVDs, but we won’t make that mistake next time!) I slept comfortably on the pullout couch. So much so that even the giggling and squealing from the bedroom didn’t wake me!

Unfortunately, I didn’t read the description of the cabin suites very closely. Remembering the full kitchen we had when staying in the Family Cabin on our last visit, I packed a carton of eggs, bacon, and sausage. I had a good chuckle when I realized there was no stove in the Cabin Suite! But then again, I was on vacation, so I didn’t mind NOT having to cook!

We especially loved the cathedral ceilings and the massive bathroom with an extra sink outside the toilet/shower room. This made the cabin seem even larger and made it easy for all of us to get ready. And the front porch was the ideal setting for me to read a good book or enjoy a glass of wine.

Wifi throughout the park is a bit spotty, but the Cabin Suites had the best service in the park. That was another reason why we selected a Cabin Suite for this trip. While we did enjoy some unplugged time, it was nice to have wifi most of the time, and the girls seemed to stay connected and happy!

The Great Outdoors

Of course one of the best parts of visiting a state park is being in nature. I enjoyed an invigorating walk on Trail 3 while the girls slept in.

Along the trail, I discovered the horse stables and made a note to try horseback riding on our next trip to Brown County State Park.

The leaves were still mostly green as it is just the end of September. But I could already envision the reds, yellows, and oranges that will soon blanket the landscape of this gorgeous park.

If you get the chance, take a hike or even a drive through a state park in the Midwest this October and marvel at Mother Nature’s colorful palette!

While fall is definitely my favorite time to explore the state parks, there is something fun to do at the parks every season.

Winter will be here before we know it, but don’t let the cold weather keep you from enjoying the outdoors or cozying up by the fire at one of the inns. While winter is considered the slow season, the state parks tend to offer amazing discounts in January and February, so it is a perfect time for budget-conscious travelers.

That wraps it up for Traveling Tanya’s latest trip. The best part of our trip…my daughter made some amazing birthday memories that she will cherish for years to come!

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

I’d like to thank Brown County State Park and the Abe Martin Lodge for partially sponsoring this trip. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.