Vincennes, IN Outdoor Activities

At regular intervals each day, Swonder Ice Arena’s trusty Zamboni rolls out to keep the NHL-size ice rink smooth between lessons and public-skating sessions. Once the glossy surface is ready, professional instructors begin to lead students through classes in hockey fundamentals, ice skating, and figure skating. Hockey lessons are offered in four levels, beginning with the essentials of hockey skating and stick handling. Ice-skating lessons include nine separate curriculum sets, such as choreography and synchronized skating.

In addition to winter-water fun, Swonder Ice Arena is home to a fitness center with cycles, free weights, exercise machines, and personal trainers.

Hoof Beats Stable brings horses and riders together for hours of enjoyment during lessons, training sessions, and parties. At an indoor arena, riders mount powerful steeds to learn basic skills or sharpen their English- and Western-riding skills. Instructors teach students the techniques they want to learn, whether it's bareback riding or parallel parking. Parties at the stable bring party guests nose-to-muzzle with gentle horses.

Located near Santa Claus, Indiana, Santa's Stables spreads holiday cheer year-round at its Christmas-themed barn. Framed with red eaves like Saint Nick's beach house, the barn houses a fleet of gentle horses along with Peaches the pony. Under the direction of seasoned guides, one to 10 visitors climb astride the steeds and trot along dirt and gravel trails for 15 or 45 minutes. The myriad paths, upon which horses safely stroll nose-to-tail, snake through flourishing plant life and incognito Christmas trees.

Paradise Rental Boats carefully curates fleets of Yamaha, Bayliner, and Sun Tracker boats, so that sun-kissed riders can jet across the sparkling waters of Indiana’s Lake Monroe and Georgia’s Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona at their leisure. The company's vessels range from party barges and yachts—which hold groups of up to 26—to the smaller, two-person WaveRunner, whose highly responsive steering suits drivers trying to chase down and catch their fish dinner. Onboard radios and CD players let mariners groove to their favorite tunes, and the company also rents optional accessories for water sports, such as wakeboards, water skis, and artificial bait for licensed fishermen.

There are bears at Jellystone Park at Lake Monroe—two of them, to be precise. They hang around the flag pole each morning, loom during story time just before bed, pose for photos with children, and, almost always, dress in dapper neckties.

Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, Jellystone’s resident ursine population, welcome families to campgrounds that lie under a canopy of trees near the shores of Lake Monroe. Rustically inclined campers can set up tents deep in the woods, and nearly 100 pull-through campsites offer electric, water, and sewer hookups. For camping with access to modern amenities, there are spacious cabins built to withstand the mightiest huffing and puffing from the mascots' cartoon enemies.

Pools, mini golf, and hiking trails fuel hours of family fun, which includes a snowball toss during Christmas in July and a pudding wrestling match during the Death by Chocolate weekend. [Located] 15 minutes south of Bloomington, the campground can form a launch pad for excursions to golf courses, wineries, and other cultural attractions near Indiana University Bloomington.