Take a Step Back in Time at Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, Indiana

Spring Mill State Park is located at 3333 Hwy. 60 East in Mitchell, Indiana. The park offers visitors several historic and natural adventures.

Pioneer Village displays a massive water-powered grist mill offering visitors a unique opportunity to step back in time. Grist mill is in full operation April through the last full weekend in October. The workings of the Grist Mill begin with the natural spring from Donaldson Cave and travels down the flume to the mill. Walk through 20 log cabins with interpreters. In the village you will find pioneer log houses, a mercantile shop, an apothecary shop, shoemakers shop, a tavern, a distillery, a weavers shop, the meeting house, and a pioneer garden, as well as a carpenter and blacksmith shop. The Blacksmith Shop was a big part of the bustling industry in this Pioneer Village. Spring Mill Pioneer Village was a complete community in the 1800's. As you walk through these buildings and around the roads of this quaint little village you can get a feel for what life was like for those who once lived at Spring Mill Village. There is a sense of great peace and serenity not felt in the surroundings areas of this little village. A visitor will also have an opportunity to see various pioneer crafts and occupations related to the 1800's in the area. The Hamer brothers owned the village and mill in 1832. Spring Mill is the new name for the village.

Activities and Facilities include:

• Bike Rental

• Boats: Privately owned boats may be launched on the lake

• Camping: Campground equipped with flush toilets, hot water and showers, electricity, and dumping station

• Camp Store

• Cave Trips: Boat rides available in Twin caves from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The ride goes approximately 500 feet into the cave and turns around

• Fishing: Bass, bluegill, trout and other small game fish

• Grissom Memorial: Virgil I. Grissom Memorial, a tribute to America's second man in space is a special feature of Spring Mill State Park. Gus Grissom was a native of nearby Mitchell, Indiana. The museum contains his space suit and Gemini III space capsule and is open daily all year long with no admission fee

• Hiking: Miles of moderate to rugged trails

• Special various activities scheduled throughout the year

Spring Mill Inn

Spring Mill State Park is snuggled nicely into a backdrop of stately oaks and rolling scenic hills. Spring Mill Inn has been one of Southern Indiana's best kept secrets for over 60 years. Hundreds of thousands of travelers pass through this area, stay and dine at the Spring Mill Inn. The original architectural design of Spring Mill Inn is a building built of log to blend in with the Pioneer Village log buildings. However, a second and more feasible design was agreed upon using native Indiana Limestone on the façade of the building. The exterior structure remains about the same today as it did when first completed in 1939. A major renovation in 1976 added a wing of 29 sleeping rooms, a large conference room overlooking Spring Mill Lake and an indoor-outdoor pool. When Spring Mill Inn officially opened in 1939, the cost of the most expensive room that also included three meals was $7.50 a day. Admission to the park was 10 cents per person. Many guest arrived by bus or train from Louisville, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio. These guests were met at the depot by the Inn's station wagon, which was also available to transport them to a nearby church on Sunday. The inn had rental cabins that were available to guests who wished to be in the great outdoors.

Today, Spring Mill Inn is one of the focal points for vacationers in Southern Indiana. While staying at the Spring Mill Inn, a visitor can eat scrumptious meals, swim in one of two pools, visit a restored Pioneer Village with working Grist Mill, take a boat ride into Twin Caves, participate in a nature program, hike on one of the numerous trails, explore Donaldson Cave, fish in Spring Mill Lake, or just sit back and read a book in front of a roaring fire while leaving the stresses of everyday life behind. Spring Mill State Park is a lovely place to spend long, dreamy days in deep meditation and union with nature. Such a glorious place to visit is Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing for a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Source: Paper newsletter, Spring Mill State Park, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, November/December/January 2009-10