Brown County State Park

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Southern Indiana

Brown County (Nashville, Indiana)

Hills and forest in southern Indiana: Indiana's largest state park, a covered bridge, an artists' colony village of galleries and fudge shops, and some of the Midwest's best fall colour.

13 things to do4 free2 ready-made trips

Photo: Brown County State Park, Paul J Everett, CC BY 2.0

Brown County's steep wooded hills drew painters in the early 1900s, including T.C. Steele. The village of Nashville grew into an artists' colony of galleries and shops.

Brown County State Park, Indiana's largest, has ridge-top roads, overlooks and a covered bridge at its north entrance. Wind your way up and look out.

Show

Free No charge to enter · Cheap A small entry, permit or parking fee · Paid Tickets, tours or rentals

Outdoors and nature

Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.

Gobbler Rock, Yellowwood State Forest
Free

Yellowwood State Forest

Quiet forest, a lake and trails west of Nashville, and Gobbler Rock, a boulder lodged high in a tree.

Free

Hoosier National Forest

Forest trails and lakes south of Brown County.

Cheap

Brown County State Park

Indiana's largest state park, with ridge roads, overlooks and trails.

Cheap

Hesitation Point

An overlook over the hills in the state park.

Cheap

Ogle Lake

A small lake with a loop trail in the state park.

Sights and attractions

Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.

Ramp Creek Covered Bridge
Cheap

Ramp Creek Covered Bridge

An 1838 covered bridge at the state park's north entrance.

Markets, shops and festivals

Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.

Nashville, Indiana
Free

Nashville village

Galleries, fudge, crafts and cafés in a small village.

Book a tour or activity

Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.

Experience

State park trail rides

Guided horseback rides from the Saddle Barn in Brown County State Park. First come, first served.

Season Seasonal, check official site.

Also bookable, listed above

These are in the lists above, so we don't repeat them here.

Part of our Brown County and Bloomington guides.

Make it a weekend

Why stay the night

  • The state park drive, then an overlook at sunset.
  • Galleries and a show in Nashville in the evening.
  • Fall foliage weekends book up early.
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Nearby and worth the drive

Ready-made trips with Brown County (Nashville, Indiana)

Good to know

  • Tourism: browncounty.com.
  • We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.

Photos on this page

Photo: Brown County State Park, Paul J Everett, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Gobbler Rock, Yellowwood State Forest, Elizabeth Carey, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Ramp Creek Covered Bridge, Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: T.C. Steele's House of the Singing Winds, Nyttend, Public domain

Photo: Nashville, Indiana, Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA, CC BY 2.0

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