Notre Dame’s 183-year legacy of academic and athletic excellence
Join correspondent, Tom Wilmer reporting from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana for a visit with Dennis Brown, Assistant Vice President for News and Media Relations.
South Bend’s Studebaker Museum—homage to American ingenuity
Maria Drevet at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana shares cool insights about the iconic American automobile's history
The Studebaker family started their trajectory as a seminal icon of American automobile manufacturers back in 1852 when the Studebaker brothers started a South Bend, Indiana blacksmith shop.
In 1902 they introduced a line of electric vehicles. Studebaker remained as an iconic and sometimes trendsetting manufacturer until the mid 1960 when their last car rolled off the Ontario, Canada production line.
Studebaker’s last hurrah was the classic Avanti, crafted by legendary industrial designer Raymond Loewy. The Avanti, unveiled in 1962, remains as a timeless, treasured Mid-Century Modern work of manufacturing art. Come along and join Maria Drevet, Program Manager at the South Bend, Indiana Studebaker National Museum.
Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park skirting along the southern shore of Lake Michigan encompasses 15,000 acres of trails, kayak marshes, wetlands and forest.
The park is ranked among the top five birding destinations in North America. Trails lead up to Mount Baldy—a 125 foot-tall living dune shaped by glacial sands.
A bonus of a visit to the Dunes are the five futuristic homes maintained by the National Park Service that were barged across Lake Michigan at the conclusion of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.
Come along and join National Park Ranger Rafi Wilkinson to discover the rest of the story about one of America’s most visited National Parks. Carl Sandburg once said, “the Dunes are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona and Yosemite is to California. They constitute a signature of time and eternity. The loss would be irrevocable.”
Steam powered Cedar Lake cruise and Cedar Lake Historical Museum
Next up we’ll meet Julie Zasada, executive director with Cedar Lake Historical Association that maintains the historic Lassen’s Resort, repurposed as a museum and special event venue. Zasada is joined by Ted Rita, general manager of the La Porte, Indiana based Hesston Steam Museum—operators of a classic, circa-1915 steam powered boat that takes visitors for time-travel cruises on Cedar Lake.
A century ago, Indiana’s Charlestown State Park was the site of legendary Rose Island resort and amusement park.
Indiana’s Charlestown State Park, is just 20 minutes from Louisville, Kentucky across the river, but it's a world away.
Today the park is super-popular with hikers, bikers, birders and campers, but a century ago it was the site of the legendary Rose Island Resort. Riverboats brought vacationers by the thousands to the multi-faceted amusement park, complete with a zoo, swimming pool, roller coaster, dance hall, mammoth dining facility, golf course and cottages.
Sadly a torrential flood in 1937 swept away empresario David Rose’s resort—never to be rebuilt.
Come along and join Indiana State Parks interpretive naturalist, Jeremy Beavin for a hiking tour of Charlestown State Park and vestiges of the legendary Rose Island Resort.
During WWII the site of Rose Island served as the Indiana Army Ammunition plant. Subsequently the land was donated to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and commenced its new life as ever-popular Charlestown State Park.
French Lick, Indiana—an under the radar world-class destination
Less than 2,000 people live in French Lick, Indiana—which makes the destination a true anomaly as it’s a truly word-class vacation destination.
There are three championship golf courses, but truly amazing is the iconic French Lick Springs Hotel established in 1845. The modern incarnation of the resort was constructed in 1902 and at the time featured the largest free-span domed atrium in the world. Adjacent is the French Lick Casino.
Come along and join French Lick historian, Jeffrey Lane.
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