Places to go, things to see...don't forget to try the pie

Having lived here for over 30 years, it’s easy to become blinded as to things to do around West Lafayette.  Curious as to what others think are “must see” places, I was back on the internet googling for a top 10 list.  What came back were parks, museums, the University, historical sites, the Taste of Tippecanoe (an annual event), downtown Lafayette and a landmark candy story, and…the mall!!  Whaaa??  Does anyone really look forward to visiting a mall when they visit a new city?? 

I will concede, some of these places are worth a drive-by or more, but I came up with some others that didn’t make the list.  And I’ll skip corn mazes, since they are everywhere in the fall.  So, here are some things to check out if you wander off I-65. 

Although Fort Ouiatenon (pronounced Fort We Ought Not) made the top 10 list, the best time to visit would be during the annual Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, otherwise the Fort is often closed.  hmm, wonder why it made the list!  Typically in October, the Feast weekend includes re-enactments of life in the 18^th century for Native Americans, French, and English settlers.   Typical of re-enactments, this one includes people demonstrating the arts, crafts, and music of the era, all wearing traditional garb.  My favorite is the people who don loin cloths and throw caution and fashion to the wind, literally and figuratively.  One year, caution was definitely thrown as I witnessed several loincloth-clad men hoist canoes, carry them to the river and step into them, loincloths akimbo.  Oh, forgot to mention:  NO UNDERWEAR!!  

If you are driving along U.S. 52 heading towards Indiano-place, you might see an historical marker commemorating the site of the first successful caesarean section in Indiana.  The house in which this event took place has since been torn down, but apparently this occurred on the kitchen table in 1880.  That had to be a scary event for everyone involved.   From what I read, there were six attending doctors who refused responsibility for the success or failure of this procedure…but were there to watch or kibitz??  And I wonder if the doctor who performed it was the one who drew “the short straw” in a draw straws contest with the other six.    

One place that didn’t make the best place to eat or place to visit lists that I found was the Triple XXX diner.  Name is catchy, but no it’s not a porn place, but is the first diner in Indiana and it’s within walking distance of campus.  Another place worth checking out is the Oakdale Dam Inn, which boasts “best catfish by a dam site”.  I haven’t been there lately, but it used to be a “rocking” kind of place with red-checkered table cloths and cans filled with rocks.  The latter could be used to shake, rattle, and roll in time with the live music.  Oh, yes, pie is available. 



chocolate covered cricket, seriously



If in the area during the spring, check out the annual “Bug Bowl” at Purdue University.  I don’t know of other places where one can eat chocolate covered insects, participate in a cricket spitting contest, or race cockroaches??  Seriously, you gotta experience this at least once. 

Tippecanoe county courthouse is worth visiting (oddly, this wasn’t specifically on the list either).  As you read, I visited the courthouse a couple times during my stay behind the corncob curtain.  I was surprised to find that the original elevator from 1906 is still in operation!  Kinda fun to take the cage up four flights and have the ability to holler through the bars if there is any problem with the elevator or the passengers. 

So, as the countdown to escape from the corncob curtain draws to a close, I think Lafayette does have some cool stuff going on if you scratch, hunt, and search.  Writing this blog did force me to look beyond the corn for some new experiences or just a different slant on the common.