Winona Lake
Historic lakeside village
There was a time at the beginning of the last century when 250,000 people would crowd the shores of Winona Lake, enjoying the health benefits of the cool waters that flowed from springs that coursed underground, taking a stroll along the shoreline of this 600-acre scenic lake and listening to the fiery speeches of evangelists like Billy Sunday, who lived and raised his family here, thundering inside the large tabernacle that once stood in the field at the foot of a terraced hill.
Much of that has disappeared or changed with time – Sunday's home is a museum and the tabernacle gone from what is now a grassy knoll with a large fountain and masses of plantings of flowers and ornamental grasses.
But people still come to Winona Lake, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with its charming shops, restaurants and art galleries clustered along the main street and the canal that separates the city of Warsaw on the mainland from an island where historic homes are being restored to their former glory.
Enjoy the ten miles of bike trails. Dine at either of the village's two great restaurants – Cerulean or the BoatHouse. Attend a Blue Laws Vintage Baseball game. Enjoy a cookie (or two) at Hoosier Mama Cookies. Grab a latte and a pastry at 1000 Park. Visit the art galleries and artisan shops. Stroll along the water's edge.