Get away for the weekend

Looking for a little winter vacation during a weekend next year? The Indiana Department of Natural Resources offers the following escapes for the new year.

• Join McCormick’s Creek staff and people all across the country for a First Day Hike on New Year’s Day in a state park.
• Take Brown County’s Annual Winter Hike on Jan. 14. Go sledding at Fort Harrison’s sledding hill, which is open during park hours when snow cover and weather permit. Call (317) 591-0904 to check on the status.
• Experience the Battle of the Bulge re-enactment on Jan. 7 at Fort Harrison. A Battle of the Bulge exhibit is available on weekends through January.
• Register in advance by Jan. 10 to build an Eastern screech owl nest box on Jan. 15 at Monroe Lake.
• Check out the Indiana Dunes Geocache Adventure on Jan. 2. Get site-specific geocaching information here.
• Cross-country ski at Pokagon. The ski rental is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends. When there’s a base of five to six inches of snow, a variety of trails for varying levels of expertise are available.
• Become a “Road Scholar” (formerly Elderhostel) at Pokagon’s Potawatomi Inn, Jan. 29-Feb. 3. Road Scholar is a non-profit, educational organization that provides short-term, non-credit, residential learning opportunities for people 55 years of age and older.
• Go tobogganing at Pokagon. Gift certificates are available for friends and family.
• Cure the cabin fever blues with “Old-time Winter on the Farm” at the O'Bannon Woods nature center on Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Experience life on the farm, from the cross-cut saw to the open fire of the summer kitchen. Call ahead in case of inclement weather, (812) 738-8234.