The Visit Indiana Blog has now moved. Don’t worry, we’re still going to bring you the best insider tips on what to do in Indiana, we’ll just be doing it at a new location (http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/blog/).

Be sure to Bookmark the new Visit Indiana Blog. If you’ve already subscribed to the blog through our RSS feed or via Email, you don’t need to worry, you’ll keep receiving updates like you always have. If you’re not yet a subscriber, you can get updates sent to you via RSS or Email.

With 152 nominations and a few additions by Budget Travel Magazine, Vevay, Ind. was selected as one of 22 American small towns that stand out from the crowd. Along with the nomination, Vevay is in the running for the publications list of Top 10 “America’s Coolest Small Towns”.

The town of Vevay would love to take top honors and would appreciate residents and visitors votes and a brief comment sharing their fond experiences and “local favorites” of the town.

According to the magazine, the contest will select towns according to “quality of life, arts and restaurant scenes and proximity to nature.” It specifies that “cool” doesn’t me quaint so voters should think “edgy” and “avant-garde galleries” not country stores. It is also looking for towns on an upswing that are drawing attention and attracting new residents.

Voting Ends April 3rd, so be sure to vote today!  Please cast your vote and comments from 10am-8pm EST at:

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/coolestsmalltowns/index.html?referrer=emaillink

 According to the Budget Travel article, visitors’ comments, photos and videos submitted on Vevay’s behalf will also be part of the judging process.

You can also learn more about Switzerland County/Vevay, Indiana by logging on to their newly updated website at www.vevayin.com.

With 14 local restaurants, cocktail, beer and wine vendors and live music; this is a great way to spend a Sunday evening.   There will be a large variety of food to sample with something for every taste.  If you’ve never been to ‘A Taste’, here’s how it works.  Each restaurant will have samples of their favorite or signature dishes and each portion will have a coupon (valued at $1.00) price.  Try whatever you like or sample it all.

All the local favorites will be in one spot for that one afternoon.  You’ll get to try specialties from Madison Mercantile, Mavericks, Bistro One, Electric Lady, Red Pepper, The Falls at Clifty Inn, Key West Shrimp House, The Attic/Coffee Mill, Downtowner, 605, Our Place in Thyme and Café Dofi.  Cocoa Safari and Madison Fudge Factory are bringing chocolate and Madison Vineyards and Thomas Family Winery are bringing wine.  It’s a great opportunity to try something new or reacquaint with old favorites.

Tickets are $20 through March 21, 2009 and $25 at the door.  Your ticket includes admission plus $10 in food coupons.  Tickets are available at the Madison Visitors Center (800-559-2956) or online at www.visitmadison.org

Beacon of Light by Cygnus~X1

Our photo of the week was submitted by Cygnus~X1 and features a beautiful black & white look at the Michigan City, Indiana’s Lighthouse on the south shore of Lake Michigan. You can see more great photos of Indiana on the Visit Indiana Flickr Group. If you’d like to join the group and submit your own photos, just sign up for an account on Flickr and request to join the group. We’re always looking for more members and more great photos of Indiana.

Switzerland County Tourism located in Vevay, Indiana announces that their newly updated website is now live.  The site is located at www.vevayin.com.

“The design has been totally redone and features many more tourist businesses throughout the county,” said David Attaway, Switzerland County Tourism Executive Director.

Included within the site are more photographs, county business listings and attractions and video clips that were used in an in-room video production utilized by the organization.

Attaway notes that visitors to their old website have almost doubled, but the previous design didn’t keep them on the site long or get them past one or two pages.

“We have strong goals to improve both visitations as well as page usage,” said Attaway.

A listing for events, group tours and information on activities like the 2009 Quarterly Picture Switzerland County Photography Contest can also be found on the site.  New categories have also been included such as local artisans, genealogy and hunting and fishing.

As with any new project, the Switzerland County Tourism outfit is still workingthrough some updates and information issues and would welcome any feedback either directly or from a feedback form listed under the “News” column within the site.

For more information, telephone Switzerland County Tourism at 812-427-3237 or visit www.vevayin.com.

Michigan Avenue by tmplnewz

Here is a shot taken in the fall of 2007. It shows a beautifule house on Michigan Avenue in LaPorte, Indiana. LaPorte County is home to about 8 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and Michigan City’s great Lighthouse Premuim Outlets.

Chateau Thomas Winery by lmwarner517

Associated Content reports that Indianapolis’ Chateau Thomas wine, Slender, will be part of Sunday’s Oscar ‘swag bag’ (full article here).

Slender is the world’s only naturally sweetented, sugar-free wine that contains no sugar, no carbs, no fats and no aftertaste. This marks the fist time that Chateau Thomas Winery’s wine will be featured in the Ocscars and is a great opportunity to promote Indiana Wine.

If you’re headed to Indianapolis or Brown County you can drop by one of Chateau Thomas’ tasting rooms.

Indianapolis (Plainfield):
6291 Cambridge Way
Plainfield, IN 46168
317.837.WINE (9463)
800.761.WINE (9463)

Mon-Thu: 10am – 9pm
Fri-Sat: 10am – 10pm
Sun: Noon – 7pm

Brown County (Nashville):
Coachlight Square
225 S. Van Buren Street
Nashville, IN 47448
812.988.8500
888.761.WINE (9463)

Mon-Thu: 11am – 6:30pm
Fri: 11am – 9pm
Sat: 11am – 9pm
Sun: Noon – 5pm

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Hostetler’s Hudsons is the newest car museum in Indiana.  It houses the largest collection Hudsons and other models: Essex, Terraplane, Railton and Dover.

Check out the history of the Hudson.

Shrine of Christ's Passion - St. John, Indiana

Journey through the Passion of Christ in St. John. The half-mile prayer trail and visitor center are now open.

The trail brings people of all faiths from around the country to view the 40 life-size bronze statues depicting the Stations of the Cross. The trail is set on 15 acres and begins with the Last Supper scene and on to the Garden of Gethsemane. Each setting has a listening station that gives a description of the scene.

Take the spiritual journey. Visit www.shrineofchristspassion.org. The Shrine is located in St. John at 10630 Wicker Avenue (just north of 231 on U.S. 41).