Whether it is your first ride of the spring or your last ride of the fall, scenic southern Indiana provides a thrilling ride through great Indiana scenery. Check out this southern Indiana ride and make stops at the newly-restored, historic French Lick Resort Casino and West Baden Springs Hotel. On your way up or down 37, take a ride through Spring Mill State Park off State Road 60. Check out the twin caves or hike the many trails.
From Bedford, this ride takes just under three hours and if you want to extend it, continue south on 231. Stop in Jasper for dinner at the Schnitzelbank. It will add about a half hour to your ride, but it’s worth it for the authentic German dinner.
Filed under: Indiana, Motorcycle Rides | Tagged: Bedford, French Lick, French Lick Resort Casino, Jasper, Schnitzelbank, Spring Mill State Park, West Baden Springs Hotel
I’ll second that – this is a great ride. Here are a couple of other suggestions for extending the ride to areas other than Jasper (though the Schnitzelbank is a great option – try the apple streusel).
1) If you’re traveling from north of Bedford, Bloomington is less than a half hour up Highway 37 and offers an unbelievable variety of restaurants to choose from. Check out http://www.visitbloomington.com for a list of restaurants with descriptions. If you’re up for an all day trip, head out toward Lake Monroe for some beautiful scenic views.
2) There’s a very small town (and I mean tiny) south of French Lick called Birdseye that has a Dairy Barn. The food is good and the ice cream is phenomenal! Just head down Highway 145 past Patoka Lake and take a right at Eckerty to get to Birdseye. The scenery is amazing as well.
I’ve never been to the Dairy Barn in Birdseye. I’ll have to check that out. I’ve stopped at Fair Oaks Dairy in the northwest part of Indiana and loved it. Wouldn’t go to that part of the state without stopping. I’ll have to make the Dairy Barn in Birdseye a mandatory stop the next time I get to go on this ride.
Indiana 37 from Paoli to I-64 is a fun ride. If one happens to end up in Birdseye at the Dairy Barn, continue South on IN. 145 across I-64, thru Bristow to it’s end at IN. 37 about 8 miles north of Tell City. Be cautious. ESPECIALLY between Birdseye and I-64. If one makes it that far and is still looking for more fun rides, turn right on IN. 37 towards Tell City. Turn left onto IN. 237 at the flashing light and follow it to the traffic light in Cannelton. This will be IN. 66. NOT to be confused with the other hwy. 66. Turn left (East) and enjoy the ride. It follows the Ohio River a ways. Stop at the Cannelton Dam and watch the barges coming thru the locks. If the OVERLOOK is open, run up there for a great view of the area. BE ADVISED – - – there is ONE nasty corner at the turn-off for Magnet. About 110*. The road is usually covered with both sand and gravel. If one makes it to Sulphur and is STILL looking for a fun ride, turn East on IN. 62 and run down to Leavenworth and stop at the Overlook Restaurant for a bite. The food isn’t bad and the ambiance is even better. Great view of the Ohio River from a bluff overlooking a bend. Any questions – - – - bkbk@psci.net
If you go all the way to Cannelton check out the old cotton mill building. It is apartments now. Very majestic and cool. Right on the river.
Don’t forget the Southeast corner of the state as well! The ride along the Ohio River from Lawrenceburg to Madison (U.S. 50 to St. Rt. 56) is really scenic, and there are lots of opportunities for side trips, including three nearby casinos (Argosy, Grand Victoria and Belterra).
If you make it all the way down to Leavenworth
you should go down the hill to the dock. Very biker friendly has lots of room on thier patio right on the river.
The food is great and not to $$$. We have seen over a hundred bikes there.
Living in Northern Indiana. Hope to check out some of these routes and to add a few from us “Northerners”
Make sure to check out LiveIndiana.net beginning June 23 to see leisure rides from all over Indiana and vote for your favorite!
I would just like to say the roads down around the Ohio River are great. For the Leavenworth area I have videos shot from the bike on my site.
I live in Southern Indiana and work with the tourists at the Henryville Welcome Center, at the 22 mile marker on I-65 and I am a biker – Yamaha Fjr1300. Most everyone that I talk with / assist are really nice, friendly people. However, the bikers that stop here are the best ! If you are ever in this area and need assistance you can contact me at the Welcome Center.
With that said – a really great bike route in this area is highway 135. It starts at the Ohio River and goes north thru the Cave area,( Marengo, Wyandotte, Squire Boone) up thru Salem and then to Brownstown. This is where the “twisties” begin. From Brownstown, north, to Nashville is a really scenic “twistie” route. Much of this section runs thru the Hoosier National Forest. On the weekends there are hundreds of bikes on this road. The Story Inn at Story is a great place to stop to eat and spend the night. Don’t be afraid of the resident spirit ” The Blue Lady” . Many people have reported seeing her – but she has never harmed anyone ( that I know of ).
Nashville is an old time country “village” . You could picture it as a village scene under a Christmas tree.
There are over 300 arts / crafts shops and some really good places to snack or have a full course meal. There are at least 3 leather shops in town that bikers come from all around to shop at. Also at Nashville is the Brown County State Park. The scenic ride up thru the park is awesome ( watch out for the deer ). The views from the overlooks are fantastic – especially in the fall when the leaves change color. The State Park and Yellowwood State Forest also have great camping. Continue north on 135 to Beanblossom for some of the best Blue Grass entertainment in Indiana.
Meridian street going south from Indianapolis becomes highway 135.
Ride safe & enjoy Indiana !!
Mike
I used to live down there and wish I still did but the road I lived on was an excellant bike road with 133 turns in 15 miles it’s US150 from Shoals to West Baden. Your route touches part of it just not enough it. A lot of Harleys do it on weekends but it is sport bike heaven in the hills of the Hoosier National Forest