BEST WEEKEND ACTIVITY • 1. Brown County

The weekend comes, bringing with it two or three days of freedom from classes. So what do you do now?\nThe answer is a trip to Brown County. Only 20 minutes away visitors can find a place to hike, picnic or shop. Just down state road 46, the small town of Nashville, Ind., offers more than 300 arts and crafts shops. During the daytime this can be an entertaining and inviting atmosphere for any casual shopper. Patrons can watch as they have a glass vase made before their eyes or a leather wallet crafted while they wait. It is rare to meet the maker of goods you use, but the shops of Brown County provide this experience.\n"If people are interested in art or handmade things this is the place to be," says Mike Kline, owner and operator of Moon Shine Leather.\nKline has owned his leather store for nine years and enjoys meeting the people he provides service for.\n"It's nice to meet the person who created what you're going to use, you can even watch as it's made. It's a different experience for the customer," Kline says.\nAlong with shopping, visiting the Brown County Playhouse can make for an entertaining getaway. The Playhouse, Indiana's largest summer stock theater, welcomes four major performances between the months of June and October, also introducing one holiday performance in December. The performances use local and student actors, which are a big draw for local and student guests.\nBrown County also offers an abundance of dining options, usually involving country-style home-cooking. \n"Quality home cooking is one of the many offers Brown County incorporates," says Teresa Anderson of the Brown County Visitors Center.\nIn addition to this low-key entertainment, Brown County also offers opportunities for skiing, horseback riding and hiking. If a bit of exercise is in your plans then take a trip to the Brown County State Park and enjoy horseback riding. Regular visitors and residents advise bringing a camera, as the largest park in Indiana offers unique and enchanting trails worthy of capturing on film.\n"The popularity of Brown County has a lot to do with the scenic beauty in the region," Anderson says.\nAfter horseback riding you can go on over to Ski World where skiing or sledding come highly recommended. Once the temperature drops below 30 degrees the Ski World staff starts producing their own snow. Along with the guarantee of snow, Ski World stays open late on weekends and has even been known to stay open 24-hours.\nWhether a romantic getaway, personal space or time with friends is needed Brown County is a realistic option for college weekend entertainment.\n"It really gets you away. It's not Indianapolis, it's just a unique homey place," sophomore Lauren Friedman says. "It really helps me get away from the hustle and bustle of college life. It's just a peaceful place"