Discover Scott: Nature and History

Scott County combines outdoor experiences at Hardy Lake with historic places and regional history. If you’re looking for a hotel in Scott, your planned excursions can help you choose a focus: trails by the lake, activities related to agriculture and nature, or a look at historic buildings and markers.

Nature around Hardy Lake

Hardy Lake is surrounded on all sides by limestone and rocky slopes, caves, and fossil-rich areas. On the grounds themselves, however, shale and clay shale are exposed. This contrast is part of the lake’s distinctive landscape. The Dwight Chamberlain Raptor Center at Hardy Lake provides a permanent home for injured birds of prey, which are used in educational programs. Nature educators offer these programs to schools, Scout groups, summer camps, churches, and private events.

The trails at Hardy Lake vary in length and difficulty. The Outward Bound Trail is 2.05 miles long and moderately difficult. It leads through Indiana hardwood forests and offers views of the lake’s backwaters. The Cemetery Trail is shorter and easy at 0.77 miles; its route through oak-hickory forest includes a family cemetery with gravestones dating to the 18th century. The shortest of the three routes described is the 0.52-mile Lakeside Trail, which is moderately difficult. It offers views of Hardy Lake; at night, you may see fireflies and foxfire and hear owls. This gives you a choice between an easy route, a longer woodland trail, and a short trail with the possibility of nighttime wildlife sightings.

Agriculture and seasonal experiences

Cornucopia Farm offers corn and soybean mazes, a petting zoo, and pumpkin patches. Families can learn about farm life, livestock, and nature there. The Cornucopia Café serves sweets and burgers. When planning your trip, it’s worth distinguishing these offerings from experiences in the area that are explicitly seasonal.

From March through October, Lightning Bug Valley offers seasonal wildflower fields, bouquets to pick yourself, and garden sculptures. In June, firefly displays take place on summer evenings. This means you can enjoy seasonal offerings that are available for a longer period as well as an experience limited to June; check the relevant dates when planning a specific trip.

Historic buildings and county history

The Scott County Home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and became the home of the Scott County Heritage Center and Museum in 2001. The museum is housed in an 1892 brick building that replaced the original timber-framed poor farm building. The former Scott County Poor Farm was a self-sufficient agricultural operation where every resident had a task. This history gives the building a significance beyond its construction.

The Scottsburg Courthouse Square Historic District includes 48 contributing buildings and 8 contributing objects. It developed roughly between 1873 and 1952 and showcases examples of Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, and Stick Style, or Eastlake, architecture. The different styles offer a tangible point of reference if you’re interested in the district’s architectural history.

The Scottsburg Depot also tells a story of change and preservation: it was moved one block north for this purpose, restored with federal transportation funds, and became the Scottsburg Heritage Station in 1996. It is considered one of the last remaining structures of its kind in Indiana. For historic markers throughout the county, Visit Scott County publishes a self-guided driving tour with detailed turn-by-turn directions.

Regional orientation for your stay

Scott County is located on Interstate 65, about 30 miles north of Louisville, 80 miles south of Indianapolis, and 90 miles southwest of Cincinnati. Another area of natural scenery, Austin Bottoms Conservation Area, stretches along the Muscatatuck River for more than 26,000 acres. These different points of reference can help you organize your interests for your stay: Hardy Lake brings together trails and nature education, while historic buildings and the driving tour focus on the county’s history.

Discover more destinations

Scottsburg, Ripley, Tippecanoe, Floyd County, Hancock County, Harrison County, Johnson, Clark

For the main travel overview: Indiana.