Cabins, Water Slides, Trails and More! Things to Do in Brown County State Park
As I’m writing this post, the Terre Haute sky is clear, the sun is shining, and the temperature is a lovely 72 degrees. As long as you choose to ignore rainy days that dip down to a chilly 40, it’s impossible not to love fall in Indiana! I think the full glory of autumn can be found here in the Wabash Valley (orchards, pumpkin patches, and hayrides), but I also thought it might be nice to highlight our neighbor to the south-east: Brown County, Indiana.
Brown County is about 1 hour and 45 minutes from Terre Haute. For reference, it’s 24 miles past Bloomington.
I visited with my girls (ages one and three, at the time), husband, and parents in April.
We’re not really into camping, so we opted for the rustic sleeping cabins at the state park. Our room had a mini fridge, a double bed, a twin bed, a bathroom, air conditioning, heat, a microwave, and a door that connected us to my parent’s identical cabin/room. We brought our own pack ‘n play for our toddler.
Another option for large families could be the Family Housekeeping Cabins, which sleep eight and have bedrooms, living area, kitchen, and modern bathroom facilities.
You could also rent a room (or two) at the Abe Martin Lodge, or stay at one of the campsites.
One of the main reasons why we chose to stay in the park was that admission to indoor water park and aquatic center was included with our stay.
The water park at Abe Martin Lodge has:
- One slide (which unfortunately was too big for our young girls)
- A lazy river
- A shallow splash pad
- A whirlpool that can hold 16 adults
Life jackets were provided (two sizes: under 30 pounds and 30-50 pounds); however we prefer to bring our own puddle jumpers (that’s my affiliate link to puddle jumpers on amazon. We seriously love those life jackets, so I don’t hesitate to recommend them!)
One of the little boys swimming near us told us to hunt for the rubber duckies hidden around the pool area. How weird is it that I’m STILL bummed that we couldn’t find them all?
Unfortunately for us, the aquatic center was closed due to lightning our first day. Along with an apology, we were given free passes to use for a future trip.
The Brown County State Park has beautiful trails and woods to explore. I’m sure they’re lovely in the fall!
Even though it was a soggy weekend, my tots loved the playground.
One perk of Brown County State Park is its close proximity (5 miles) to Nashville, IN. Nashville is known for its quaint shops and selection of restaurants.
Have you been to Brown County State Park with your family? I think it makes a nice weekend road trip from the Terre Haute area!
Want more water park fun? Check out our review of Splash Island Water Park in Plainfield, Indiana!
