Sometimes known as the Hoosier state (no-one seems to know for certain where the nickname came from), Indiana is a lovely patchwork quilt of verdant fields, rivers, lakes, woodlands, energized cities, and charming towns connected not only by roads but also by water.

To the north, the state runs along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, and along its southern and western borders, fronts the mighty Ohio River, the Wabash River flows along the west before turning inland towards Fort Wayne.

It's so not true that Indiana is a fly-over state with endless fields of corn. Sure, we have corn, after all Orville Redenbacher founded his famous popcorn company in Valparaiso, Indiana where they still celebrate with their annual Popcorn Fest. And Abraham Lincoln who spent his formative years in Spencer County, Indiana, described the region as "a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods."