Discover Hobart: History, Nature, and Trails

Hobart brings together several themes that you can prioritize differently when planning a stay: the historic downtown, cycling and hiking trails, and nature by the water. The Lake George Commercial Historic District stretches along three streets in the center; trails also pass through savanna and lead to Lake George. If you’re looking for a hotel, start by asking what interests you most: Would you like to focus on Hobart’s local history, include a cycling connection, or plan a specific hike? The places offer clearly distinct points of reference for each option.

Historic Streets and Local History

The Lake George Commercial Historic District runs along Main, Center, and Third Streets in downtown Hobart. Its location along these streets places the historic area in the center, rather than limiting it to a single building. One specific example is the Victorian house at 54 Main Street: It dates to 1895 and overlooks Lake George and the Hobart Dam. Its construction date, architecture, and outlook offer different ways to explore the area’s history. The Hobart Historical Society Museum is a local history museum and research library. Along with the downtown district, this puts a precisely dated house and an institution devoted to local history and research in focus. If Hobart’s history is a priority for your stay, you’ll find several different historic points of interest here.

Distinguishing Cycling Connections from Hiking Trails

For cycling, the Oak Savannah Trail is a distinct point of reference. It runs from Hobart in the east to Griffith in the west and connects with the Prairie Duneland Rail Trail in Hobart. The Oak Savannah Bike Trail is paved and well marked. Its east-west route and connection in Hobart help you get your bearings, while the surface and signage are additional features of the bike trail. This makes it easier to distinguish a focus on cycling from planning a single hike, rather than treating all the trails as similar options.

The Hobart Woodland Trail has specific details on its route and duration: The out-and-back trail is 2.2 miles long, has 40 feet of elevation gain, and takes 1 hour to hike. It passes through a rare bur oak savanna and leads to Lake George. You can consider the route, duration, and landscape together: the route helps you gauge the distance, while the savanna and Lake George characterize the trail. This makes it a clearly defined part of a Hobart trip plan.

Landscapes and Connections to the Water

Hobart Prairie Grove features several habitats: The area preserves wetlands, prairie remnants, flat white oak forests, and a rare bur oak savanna. While the Woodland Trail follows a specific route to Lake George, Prairie Grove features several different landscape elements. This lets you compare a hike with a described route and duration against a natural setting with diverse habitats.

The connections to the water also differ. Downtown Hobart has a lakeside boardwalk. Big Maple Lake in Deep River County Park offers fishing and a trail around the lake; the park is located in Hobart. The boardwalk connects to downtown, while fishing and the loop trail describe activities around Big Maple Lake. Lake George, in turn, is the destination of the Woodland Trail. These places offer different ways to include water and trails in your plans.

First decide which of these sides of Hobart you’d like to shape your stay; then compare hotel options according to your personal criteria.

Discover more destinations: Cedar Lake, Gary, Merrillville, Munster, Saint John, Schererville, Hammond, Crown Point.

See the broader travel guide: Lake.