Trails showcase the unique in seven northern Indiana counties

Discover Northern Indiana's artisan and agriculture heritage by follow one or more of the recently created Art & Earth Trails, a self-directed drive tracing routes highlighting the best of what this part of the state has to offer.

"It's the chance to buy something and shake the hand of the artist or craftsman who made it," said Dan Bearss, executive director of the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission. "It's also the opportunity to buy a pumpkin while talking to the farmer who grew it or eat a restaurant where one of the menu items is unique to Indiana or is locally sourced."

The seven counties showcase -- Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph, Marshall, Kosciusko, Elkhart and LaGrange -- are clustered along the Indiana Toll Road and the trails are named to reflect the defining characteristic of each.

"You won't find any chains on the tours," Bearss said. "The criteria for what's featured are that they are authentic and genuine Northern Indiana and they link together so people understand how much talent there is here. We want people to say 'It's Northern Indiana.'"

Those traveling the Art & Earth Trail: Dunes Loop which meanders through Porter County can get their art fix with stops that include Valparaiso University's Brauer Museum of Art and rTrail Collective Edge, also in Valparaiso, which is a place for regional crafts and artisan to exhibit their works as well as demonstrate their craft, meet to converse and teach.

At Molly Bea's INGREDIENTS in Chesterton, visitors can check out the long list of edibles including licorice, a large selection of local honeys, coffee and teas, chocolates and peanut butter.

All the gourmet foods as well as the kitchen items at Regal Rabbit are made in America. Plus you can sign up for cooking classes at this Chesterton store.

Looking for the really unique? Stop at Broken Wagon Bison for a video about buffalo, their history and amazing comeback -- of the 70 million or so bison that galloped across the plains in North America in the 1600s, less than 1000 remained in 1900, a number now increased to over a quarter of a million -- as well as bison meats and bison leather products such as purses. There's also hand crafted items made from Lake Michigan beach glass among many other pieces at Stephanie Swanson Jewelry Design in Chesterton.

Quaff a glass or two of Devil's Drip, Belgian style triple ale with its flavors of bananas and cloves or try the single India pale ale called Where Lizards Dare at Figure Eight Brewing, a craft microbrewery in Valparaiso that also has a tasting room.

Grab a slice of pie at Duneland Pizza & Dunes Photography while admiring the photos of Lake Michigan on the walls.

Into locally sourced, cage–free as well as natural and organic when possible? Dine at Third Coast Spice Café in Chesterton.

Consider spending the night at one of several B&Bs such as the Dunes Walk Inn at the Furness Mansion, an 1881 brick home in Chesterton, or the Songbird Prairie Bed & Breakfast in Valparaiso named "One Of The Best Romantic Inns in The Midwest."

But there's no reason just to stick close to home. Six other trail loops await.

In the fall, football lovers might want to do the Notre Dame Loop with stops at the South Bend Chocolate Factory to take a tour and taste samples, see the animals at Alpacas of Alagaesia and stock up on veggies, Hungarian and Polish pastries and peruse the crafts at the venerable South Bend Farmers Market, a local treasure since 1911.

Two loops follow the tracks of Northern Indiana's large Amish population, tracing their way through the Heritage Trail Loop in Elkhart County and the Shipshewana Loop. The first encompasses the quaint towns of Middlebury and Goshen with their family style Amish restaurants, historic mill and cemetery (where one of the participants in the Boston Tea Party is buried) as well as antique and quilt stores.

For a look into the past, travel the Shipshewana Loop to Greenfield Mills, a multi–generating family-owned mill that continues to grind wheat into flour as its down for over a century. Take a guided tour to see the vintage equipment dating back to the 1832. Owned by the Rinkel family who bought it in 1904, the mill -- Indiana's oldest commercial water–powered flour mill -- continues to produce New Rinkel flour products including 11 types of pancake mix such as blueberry, pumpkin spice and chocolate chip as well as organic pastry flour and cornmeal. Uniquely the mill also continues to generate electricity for the small community surrounding it, some 20 or so homes.