Underrated Camping Destinations: Southern Indiana

Is Southern Indiana on your RV Bucket List?

RVing and enjoying the great outdoors has never been more popular than it is right now–and many of the country’s most popular campgrounds and state and national parks have been crowded throughout the summer and fall. This has left many campers frustrated. Particularly those who want to find some elbow room for social distancing. We wish that this pandemic would hurry up and end, but since that is not the case, we think its a great time to explore some of the best off-the-beaten path RV destinations. Yellowstone and Yosemite may be on your bucket list, but maybe its time to plan an RV trip to southern Indiana, or a number of other great underrated locations that might be less crowded, and just as fun to explore.

Huge thanks to Casita Dean May for providing supporting text and photos for this post–and for another great appearance on The RV Atlas podcast!

Exploring Underrated Camping Destinations with the RV Atlas

The RV Atlas podcast and blog has put together a series about underrated states for RV travel. States that have tons of natural beauty, and plenty of great campgrounds to choose from. On previous shows in this series we have explored New York State, Virginia, Arkansas, and Michigan. On today’s episode of The RV Atlas we are talking about RVing in Southern Indiana with one of our favorite correspondents, the legendary Casita Dean May. Click on the media player above to listen, or subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcasting app.

Dean has a deep love for all things southern Indiana and he knows the landscape well. On the show he dispels the common misconception that all of Indiana is flat. In fact, the region is filled with steep hills known as “knobs.” The Ohio River and the hills of southern Indiana were created by glacial period that left northern Indiana flat. Major American cities formed along the Ohio River, and Dean reminded us that a day trip into Louisville, Kentucky is easy make while you are exploring southern Indiana in your RV.

Here are lists and links for Dean’s favorite things to do and see in southern Indiana, all of which he talks about on today’s podcast!

Casita Dean May’s Favorite Small Towns

Schnitz Brewery & Pub in Jasper, INDean also loves many of the “cool little towns” in southern Indiana for their food and culture. His favorites that he mentions in the show are:

1. French Lick
2. Nashville
3. Paoli
4. Corydon
5. Jasper

State Parks in Southern Indiana

Brown County State Park

This region is also packed with great state parks and all of the ones mentioned below (that Dean discusses on the show) also have great campgrounds!

1. Brown County State Park 
2. Charlestown State Park
3. Clifty Falls State Park 
4. Lincoln State Park
5. Spring Mill State Park

National and State Forests, and Large Lakes in Southern Indiana

Southern Indiana also boasts numerous national and state forests and large lakes galore, making it an amazing region for fishing, hiking, camping, and all things great outdoors. Here are some of Dean’s favorite places to explore in southern Indiana.

1. Hoosier National Forest
2. Clark State Forest
3. Yellowwood State Forest
4. Monroe Lake
5. Patoka Lake

Caves and Caverns in Southern Indiana

Southern Indiana also has plenty of options for exploring UNDERGROUND. Here are several options for great cave tours for those with adventurous spirits.

1. Blue Spring Caverns
2. Indiana Caverns
3. Margeno Cave U.S. National Landmark
4. Squire Boone Caverns
5. Wyandotte Caves (temporarily closed due to COVID-19)

Dean’s Favorite Campgrounds 

Sycamore Springs Campground

1. Brown County State Park (Nashville, IN)
2. Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort (Santa Claus, IN)
3. Lincoln State Park (Lincoln City, IN)
4. Sycamore Springs Campground (English, IN)

Restaurants, Breweries, and Things To Do 

Patoka Lake Winery in Birdseye, IN

1. Hemlock Cliffs Hiking Trail (Hoosier National Forest, English, IN)
2. Monastery of the Immaculate Conception (Ferdinand, IN)
3. St. Meinrad Archabbey (St. Meinrad, IN)
4. The Pub and Grub [featuring Bone’s BBQ] (Birdseye, IN close to Patoka Lake)
5. Schnitzelbank Restaurant (Jasper, IN)
6. Schnitz Brewery & Pub (Jasper, IN)
7. Patoka Lake Winery (Birdseye, IN close to Patoka Lake)
8. Hoosier Wine Trail
9. St. Benedict’s Brew Works (Ferdinand, IN)
10. Basket Case Brewing Company

As you can see, this region of Indiana is packed with things to do and places to camp. Dean thinks it is one of the most underrated regions in southern Indiana–and we couldn’t agree more!