Krazy for Kokomo (Guest Post)

My journey into travel blogging has introduced me to some pretty awesome people, including fellow blogger Pam Howard.  Her blog can be found at BeHealthyBeHappyWellness.com.

Pam is a travel blogger for families who love to travel and create an adventurous life, but can’t find enough time. She encourages them to create memories and search out everyday adventures to fulfil that desire to experience the world.

On her blog you’ll find inspiration for places to go, things to do, methods for improving your relationships and quick, easy ways to improve your life.

Pam and I both live in the greater Indianapolis area. Since we each love to blog and travel, we are excited to be blogging buddies and encourage one another on our respective journeys.

Now, I’m excited to introduce you to Pam and share her guest post about a fun town in Indiana that you are going to want to visit!

Guest Post, by Pam Howard

Visiting a small town and checking out all the unique things it has to offer is one of our favorite pastimes. Recently we explored a charming Indiana town that’s only 30 minutes north of the Indianapolis suburbs.

Kokomo, Indiana has some wonderful adventures to offer!

Glass Factory

A tour of the Kokomo Opalescent Glass Factory should be the first stop as the tour is phenomenal. Kokomo Opalescent Glass is 1 of only 4 factories left in the US that specialize in art glass. They are the oldest having begun operation in 1888 – that makes them 130 years old!

During the tour, you’ll get to walk through the entire factory and learn the process of making art glass from start to finish. I’ve never been on a factory tour where we were able to get so close to the action.

The first stop is the ovens where the glass is melted. These ovens last about 25 years and run continuously at over 2000 degrees. Needless to say, it was HOT in this room.

We got to watch the employees running the molten glass to a machine where another employee mixed it and pushed it through to be flattened. Then it goes through a cooling process, and they end up with a beautiful sheet of glass. It was really amazing.

After watching that, the tour winds through the rest of the factory including the areas where glass is blown, art objects are made and the warehouses where finished products are stored and shipped. Super interesting!

Our tour guide even made a glass bead right in front of us.

The factory has a lovely little gift store, and they also offer classes on bead making, mosaics, glass blowing and more. Tours are offered Monday – Friday at 10:00am and cost $6 for general admission and $3 for students. You must be wearing closed-toe shoes, and it is a lot of walking.

After walking and learning for a few hours, it is time for lunch.

Martino’s Italian Villa

Martino’s Italian Villa is a Kokomo staple. They have been serving authentic Italian food and delicious pizza since 1962. They were inducted into the Pizza Hall of Fame in 2017.

A fun option is to order a few Italian dishes and a pizza to share so that you can sample as much as possible.

The red sauce is fabulous, a little spicy and very hearty. The pizza is a good one – covered with cheese and toppings and perfectly cooked – has a nice bite to the crust, but isn’t crisp.

On our visit, we left full and happy to have found a tasty new Italian restaurant.

Strolling in Downtown Kokomo

Being so stuffed, it is necessary to walk off some of the food, so head over to downtown Kokomo. Kokomo is working hard to revitalize their downtown area and it’s really starting to come together.

Several of the alleys were wonderfully spruced up and looked like terrific places to have a cup of coffee with a friend, or sit and enjoy the sunshine. There are a few really unique stores – a collectibles toy store, game shop, and comic book shop to name a few. The coffee shop also holds a pottery painting studio – a perfect combination.

Just a few blocks from the main downtown is another very interesting area that seems to be really taking off. In and nearby an old train depot are several delicious looking restaurants, a bakery, and a brewery. It was a bit early for the brewery, but this looks like a great spot for dinner.

The Refinery

After all the walking around, head to the edge of downtown to The Refinery. This place is one of the coolest concepts I’ve encountered in a long time.

The Refinery is located at the front of a dance studio and it is called a healthy drink station. They serve kombucha, smoothies, and nitro coffee.

What is really fun is that they also create mocktails using healthy ingredients. We spent a good hour chatting with the manager, Katie, and trying some of her amazing concoctions.

A few favorites included The Mermaid and the Bucha-Rita (both kombucha drinks), the key lime smoothie (matcha tea and lime – tasted just like a key lime pie), a cup of real pumpkin spice bullet coffee and the drink that’s “taking Kokomo by storm” – the lavender lemonade.

Look at how beautiful these drinks are!

The atmosphere was also fantastic. It is set up like a standard bar (but of course kids are welcome), and there are two garage doors that open for outdoor bar seating. There is also a small courtyard out front that opens out onto a lovely city park.

The Refinery has been open since June, and it is a must visit if you are in the area. I would love to see this concept expand as it’s truly wonderful.

Highland Park

Be sure to save time for a quick stop at Highland Park to check out another iconic Kokomo attraction, the World’s Largest Steer. I love these World’s Largest displays – we always stop to check them out when traveling.

This guy was quite large – he clocked in at 4000 pounds. Yikes! He’s stuffed and on display in a building at the park. The park also hosts a cute little-covered bridge perfect for a family picture!

Kokomo, you surprised me!

We had a delightful day and now that I know how much there is to do, we’ll be heading back again soon.

Kokomo Opalescent Glass Factory, 1310 S. Market St.; 765-457-1829
Martino’s Italian Villa, 1929 N. Washington St.; 765-457-9181
The Refinery, 400 W. Superior St.; 765-252-3700

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

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