Every time I think of the city of Kokomo, I get this surge of Beach Boys running through me and I can’t help but sing ‘way down in Kokomo’. Now I realize that the Beach Boys were not singing about Kokomo, Indiana but maybe they should. Kokomo is a wonderful rural city north of Indianapolis. Corn fields greet you wherever you go and the simplest joys are the best.
This weekend was a super quick trip for us up to Kokomo to visit some family. We left after work on Friday and made the 5-6 hour drive north getting in late that night. We promptly face planted into bed so we could adventure out the next day. Saturday morning we got up for breakfast then drove around the city a little bit. We drove through their downtown area and drove past the Chrysler plant.
Our next stop was what I would think is the most popular place in the city….The Cone Palace. Don’t laugh, I’m being serious about its popularity. We drove up only to find the drive thru line to wrap around the building, through the parking lot, and into the street- people waiting patiently for their soft serve flavor of the week. This seemingly unassuming building is home to the best ice cream in town and we were not about to pass that up.
After that we made our way to the park for some fun on the playground and to get to see some of the local points of interest. The park is home to 3 such points of interest. The first is the ‘Sycamore Stump’. This stump is the largest sycamore stump in the world. The tree stood here for centuries before falling, leaving behind a stump that was 57 feet around, 18 feet wide, and 12 feet high. It is now housed in the building in the park. Next to the stump is another case with ‘Old Ben’, who was the largest steer in the world. This steer was born in 1902 and grew to a whopping 16 feet long and 5,000 pound steer. Old Ben still holds the record for the largest steer to grace the world. These are two of Indiana’s finest roadside attractions and can’t be missed if in Kokomo. Then we made our way to the covered bridge of the park. Brought from Vermont in the 1800’s, this bridge is a lovely place to be with all the old charm of a different time.
We ended the day with dinner at The Windmill Grill which was amazing! I could probably eat every meal here every day and be perfectly satisfied. Home style food at its finest! I can’t recommend this place enough.
We said goodbye to Indiana the next day and headed back for Tennessee. Even though we were there for a such a short amount of time, I loved being there and getting to see some of the local favorites.