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Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell

4.8
#5 of 86 in Historic Sites in Indiana
State Park · Historic Site
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Spring Mill State Park is a 1,358-acre (5 km2) state park in the state of Indiana. The park is located to the south of Bloomington, about 3 miles (5 km) east of the city of Mitchell on Indiana Highway 60. It contains a settler's village, the Gus Grissom Memorial (with the accompanying Gemini 3 space capsule), a nature's center, and campgrounds.

The park is located on the Mitchell Karst Plain, which allowed the park's caves and sinkholes to form in the limestone. The caves include Bronson Cave, Twin Caves, Shawnee Cave (Donaldson Cave), Hamer Cave, and others. A boat tour of Twin Caves is run by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which travels about 500 feet (150 m) into the cave.

A portion of the park is virgin timber, protected in the Donaldson Woods Nature Preserve. The Mitchell Karst Plain Nature Preserve is notable for its large number of sinkholes, more than 1000 per square mile. Many of the park's features were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, including the Spring Mill Inn, Spring Mill Lake, and most of the trails. The park attracts about 675,000 visitors annually.
The park is 1 of 14 Indiana State Parks that are in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, with the park experiencing 3 minutes and 21 seconds of totality.
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Spring Mill State Park reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
384 reviews
Google
4.8
TripAdvisor
  • I was always amazed at how well the grounds at the village were taken care of. Grass is always mowed properly and looks great. Probably not the way it looked in the 1800s but better. We were here... 
    I was always amazed at how well the grounds at the village were taken care of. Grass is always mowed properly and looks great. Probably not the way it looked in the 1800s but better. We were here...  more »
  • Beautiful and serene space. There is a lake, waterfall, trails, memorial/museum and living history area as well as other great things to experience in this park! Go and enjoy! 
    Beautiful and serene space. There is a lake, waterfall, trails, memorial/museum and living history area as well as other great things to experience in this park! Go and enjoy!  more »
Google
  • Absolutely stunning family fun! We always enjoy going here and we can make a whole day of it. They gave a pioneer village with live actors. Many gift shops and an absolutely stunning inn. It is only 7 dollars per car to enter. There are so many picnic areas and they are scattered about so no one bothers any other visitors. They have designated areas. It was absolutely beautiful the day we went a couple weeks ago. This is an absolute must see in the fall.
  • What an excellent park! Great hikes and fun caves. We are yet to experience the camping but we will be back. When the water is low you can venture into some different caves that are usually closed off. We actually got to see the blind fish! There is a guided tour but you need to schedule a place ahead of time. There are boat types of the caves and a guided caves hike. There is always water in caves so dress your feet appropriately. I took a change of clothes to be safe. Don’t forget a great head lamp or flashlight.

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