Boutique Hotel Restored to Original 1920s Form
In 1919, a newspaper in Wabash, Indiana, began taking names for a grand hotel about to be built. Submissions included "Hotel Victorious," "The Wabash Grand," and "The Dream Hotel." The finished product, The Hotel Indiana, lived up to those lofty titles: it had luxurious terrazzo floors, a basement ballroom, and one of only two passenger elevators in town. The hotel's glamour faded a bit near the end of the 20th century, but a three-year, $15 million restoration completed in 2010 helped return the hotel—now known as the Charley Creek Inn—to its 1920s glory. It features a dramatic, two-story lobby with chandeliers, a piano bar, antique furnishings, and the glass-enclosed rooftop Cloud Club.
The boutique hotel decorates its 30 guest rooms and suites in French, Regency, and Victorian styles. Red-print wallpaper and silk plaid pillows create an elegant country vibe in the one-bedroom suite 405, and the two-bedroom suite 411 has luxe touches such as a kitchenette, a fireplace, and a jetted tub for soaking. Rooms also feature handmade, reversible mattresses with one soft side, one firm side, and one dark, dark side.
On the ground floor, Twenty restaurant lays out a spread of build-your-own omelets and assorted pancake stacks for breakfast. Come evening, chili-rubbed lamb chops and champagne and leek sea scallops complement delicious wines. The adjacent Green Hat Lounge features live piano entertainment; there are numerous onsite specialty shops, too, including an onsite art gallery, ice-cream and candy shop, and wine shop.
Wabash, Indiana: Historical Town near Lakefront Beauty
Located about 80 miles north of Indianapolis, Wabash shares its name with the Wabash River, which runs through the town on its way east to Ohio. The town became one of the first electrically lit cities in the world in 1880, when thousands watched four Brush arc lamps light up from the county courthouse. Today, the Wabash County Historical Museum re-creates the historic event with an interactive switch. The entire town seems enamored of this time period, and turn-of-the-century buildings line the downtown area, mixed with antique shops hawking midcentury wardrobes and vintage USB drives.
Outdoor enthusiasts can find plenty of opportunities for hunting, boating, and fishing in north-central Indiana. Take a half-hour drive to Salamonie Lake or Mississinewa Lake, two elongated reservoirs lined with state parks and forests. There, hiking trails surround each waterfront area, rife with white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and fox squirrels.
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