Road tripping right here

Grab your pals and some snacks, split the gas and get out of Bloomington.

See a photo slideshow of a creepy local joint

Nashville, Ind.
19 miles

This quaint town would be your mother’s favorite. It’s a sweet place for old-fashioned holiday presents like popcorn and crafts. Nashville is worth a visit just for the antiques stores and the stories behind each busted up piece of furniture.

Popcorn, Ind.
22 miles

Our art director was excited to drive here. It was a letdown. Popcorn is not full of popcorn. In fact, it was just a small town with a cool name and an even cooler set of road names: Popcorn Church and Popcorn River roads.

Story, Ind.
26 miles

Blink and you’ll miss this adorable Southern-Indiana town. Stay at Story Inn, which smirks with the slogan, “One inconvenient location since 1851.” Check in with your sweetheart to the Blue Lady room for $129 and turn on the blue light next to the bed. You may be visited by the inn’s friendly ghost. A cozy front porch features a checkerboard with beer cap pieces and the door to one of Indiana’s most delicious down-home restaurants. No more Cracker Barrel, this is true country comfort.

Bakers Junction
Bloomington
3.8 miles

Johnny Baker owns Bakers Junction, a railroad museum, haunted house, and his home. The horseshoe-shaped enclosure is formed by 40-ton cabooses. Old rusting farming equipment and railroad antiques bought at auctions are tacked to the sides of sheds Baker made himself, or sit on shelves and in cases inside his haunted house. There’s a greenhouse with multiple broken windows and stray gourds and melons.
The place feels a bit like a historian’s utopia, a horror movie director’s dream, and a child’s ideal playground. If you’re looking for a short trip to one of Southern Indiana’s most surreal and unpolished jewels, don’t skip this one.