Indiana's Top 10 Indiana Summer Gotta-Dos and Ice Cream Shops

We’ve all seen those travel lists of the best places to go in a certain state, or 10 ice creams you have to eat before you die compilations. But can you ever really trust the sources of those lists? They’re usually compiled by travel writers like me and the other writers on the Indiana Insider blog being locked in a room by our editor and not let out until we’re done.

Or they’re wish lists compiled by a single writer whose promised himself he’ll get to at least five of those places this year (the same promise he’s made for the last three years). I mean, it’s one thing if some travel schlub like me says “oh you gotta go do this,” and it’s a list of all the places I want to go.

But this time, the people of Indiana have spoken. They have decided what their favorite Summer Gotta-Dos and favorite ice cream places are.

The Indiana Office of Tourism Development (and creator/host of this blog), created a survey to answer those two questions and asked for nominations from members of Indiana’s tourism industry. From those nominations, you and your fellow Hoosiers were asked to vote on your favorites, and the results were compiled. Here are the places, with links to previous Indiana Insider blog posts, if they’re available.

Top Ten Must-See Indiana Summer Gotta-Dos

• Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Fort Wayne
• Fort Wayne TinCaps at Parkview Field, Fort Wayne
• Indiana Dunes, Chesterton
• Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus
• Clifty Falls State Park, Madison
• Quilt Garden Tour, Elkhart County
• The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis
• Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, Albion
• Shipshewana Flea Market, Shipshewana
• Turkey Run State Park, Marshall

Top Ten Indiana Ice Cream Shops

• The Chief, Goshen
• Valpo Velvet, Valparaiso
• South Side Soda Shop, Goshen
• Ivanhoe’s, Upland
• Fair Oaks Farms, Fair Oaks
• Rocket Science Ice Cream, Nappanee
• Hartzell’s Homemade Ice Cream, Bloomington
• Bonnie & Clyde’s Soda Shop, Bristol
• DeBrand Fine Chocolates, Fort Wayne
• Sycamore Drive-In, Logansport

So there you have it. Have you been to any of those places? Any plans to go this summer? Let us hear from you in the comments. What are your favorite summer Gotta-Dos and ice cream shops?

Photo credit: Erik Deckers