Best Family Reunion Locations in the Midwest
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of group and family reunion trips and I think the lodging and location choice plays a big role in making those a success. In my experience, the ideal group or family reunion trip location needs to check a few boxes:
Be within a relatively easy driving distance for everyone (preferably within 3-4 hours, but definitely less than 6 hours away). Depending on where everyone lives, this isn’t always possible, but if someone has to fly, still try and stick to a total travel time (including getting to the airport, check-in, time in the air, and arrival to your final destination) of less than 6 hours in one day.
Choose a lodging option that will house your whole group - not a hotel with individual rooms, not a town with multiple houses in the same vicinity, but in the actual SAME PLACE - so that everyone gets more opportunities to easily and informally spend time together. Short term rental (aka Airbnb) regulations, restrictions, and occupancy limits can vary widely from location to location, so keep that in mind when searching.
Have a few widely appealing activity and restaurant options available. But remember that you don’t really need that much to do when the main focus will be time spent together, not checking off every ‘must do’ attraction in a major city.
Make sure there’s easy access to nature and the outdoors. Not only is this usually an inexpensive way to spend time together as a large group, but everyone (and especially kids) feels better after time spent outside.
Before we moved to Brown County in 2016, we often visited here with our families and on vacation. And even though I’m a bit biased, I can still honestly say that I think the Nashville, Indiana/Brown County area is one of the best family reunion locations in the Midwest. But you don’t have to just take my word for it - let’s go through each of these bullet points and see how Brown County measures up:
what locations are within driving distance of the brown county barn burner?
As you’re planning your trip, start by looking on a map at where everyone is located. What areas are somewhat centrally located for the group? Do any town names jump out that you’ve heard of before, or always wanted to visit? If anyone in your group will have to fly, what airports give them the best flight options? You can also Google “driving distance radius” and there are several websites that will help you map this out pretty effectively.
If we look at the location of the Brown County Barn Burner in particular, it is located within driving distance of:
driving destinations within 30 minutes of nashville, indiana
Bloomington, IN
Columbus, IN
driving destinations within 1-1.5 hours of nashville, indiana
Indianapolis, IN (1 hr)
Louisville, KY (1.5 hr)
Terre Haute, IN (1.75 hr)
driving destinations within 2-3 hours of nashville, indiana
Cincinnati, OH (2 hr)
Lafayette, IN (2 hr)
Muncie, IN (2 hr)
Evansville, IN (2.25 hr)
Lexington, KY (2.75 hr)
Fort Wayne, IN (3 hr)
driving destinations within 4 hours of nashville, indiana
Columbus, OH (3.5 hr)
Chicago, IL (4 hr)
Nashville, TN (4 hr)
Peoria, IL (4 hr)
St. Louis, MO (4 hr)
Toledo, OH (4.25 hr)
Lansing, MI (4.75 hr)
driving destinations within 5 hours of nashville, indiana
Charleston, WV (5 hr)
Grand Rapids, MI (5 hr)
Knoxville, TN (5 hr)
Detroit, MI (5.25 hr)
Milwaukee, WI (5.25 hr)
Cleveland, OH (5.5 hr)
Huntsville, AL (5.75 hr)
driving destinations within 6 hours of nashville, indiana
Chattanooga, TN (6 hr)
Jefferson City, MO (6 hr)
Madison, WI (6 hr)
Pittsburgh, PA (6.25 hours)
Cedar Rapids, IA (6.75 hr)
Here’s an example of a driving distance radius map that shows the locations within 6.5 hours of the Brown County Barn Burner:
choosing lodging for a large group or family reunion trip
I really like short term rentals (STRs, aka Airbnbs) for group trips because they typically give you more privacy and amenities than a hotel. However, STR regulations, restrictions, and occupancy limits can vary widely from location to location, so that’s something to keep in mind while you’re searching. In certain cities, like New York and San Francisco, STRs are effectively banned, while other locations may just limit the location and maximum occupancy of residential STRs.
While there are LOTS of cabin and vacation rental STR options available in Brown County, there are very few that are permitted to host groups larger than 10 people at one time. Brown County also limits how close together approved STRs can be. That means there are very few options that allow larger groups to stay in one location together, unless you’re willing to stay at a hotel. But if you’d prefer a private space for a larger group, with all the comforts of home, the Brown County Barn Burner can be a great option! We actually designed and built the Barn Burner specifically with large groups in mind and we prioritize renting the entire space together.
Our four lodging units are all in the same building and have a total of 9 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. Each unit has its own kitchen, dining and living areas, laundry, on-site parking space, and access to the shared rooftop patio. There’s also an Event Space in the same building that you can add on to your reservation for additional indoor space for meetings or meals, or just as an added insurance policy against the weather. That means there’s plenty of space to spread out or come together - whatever you’re in the mood for - along with enough nearby activity options for everyone.
planning the ideal itinerary and finding activities for a large group or family reunion trip
For any trip, but especially with a large group, you want to strike a balance between providing enough pre-planning and structure that the group isn’t indecisive and floundering around, without cramming so much in that there isn’t any time to relax. And again, for a family reunion or large group trip, spending time together is the main focus, not a bunch of crazy activities.
You still want some things to do, but at an overall slower pace, which is why Nashville and Brown County, Indiana are such great options. Obviously the specific activites you’ll be interested in will vary based on your destination, the size and ages of your group, the time of year you’re visiting, etc. But regardless of where you end up traveling to, the same planning principles will apply:
keep the itinerary loose and the activities flexible
Trying to cram too much to do, into too little time, is a sure-fire way to get grumpy. Also, this will allow you to adjust your plans day-to-day depending on the weather and the group’s overall mood. My general rule of thumb is to pick 2-4 things MAXIMUM (depending on the length of your trip) that you consider “Must Do,” so that you can prioritize those. Anything else you’re able to fit in should be considered a bonus.
do most of your food planning in advance and limit going out to eat
This piece of advice is especially important for any trip with a larger group of friends or family. Trying to pick restaurants or plan what to do for food on the fly with a large group is a headache you don’t want or need. Dealing with food and meals for a large group can feel overwhelming, so I talk a lot more about how to approach this here (LINK)
agree in advance that not every activity needs to be done with the entire group
There are certain activities that are best done with a smaller group, or that some people won’t have any interest in at all and that’s OK! If you can find a way to balance time together with more individualized activities, I promise everyone will have more fun.
being able to walk to some activities is a major bonus
This doesn’t have to be extensive, although the more walkable options the better, in my opinion. Any amount of walkability will give your group a lot more flexibility, even if it’s only to a nearby hiking or multi-use trail, playground, or a neighborhood coffee ice cream shop.
choosing the brown county barn burner as the destination for your next family reunion trip
There are so many great places to visit in the Midwest for a family reunion trip but, if you’re thinking about planning your own, be sure to consider the Brown County Barn Burner! The Barn Burner specializes in hosting large groups and families and it’s located near downtown Nashville, Indiana (at the corner of Jefferson and Washington Streets). It’s a quiet corner of town, but still just a few easily walkable blocks from the heart of Nashville, Indiana and all it has to offer – including shopping, restaurants, art galleries and studios, coffee shops, and much more. This makes it easy to have a flexible itinerary, while still keeping everyone entertained and meeting the overall needs of the entire group.
Visiting Nashville, Indiana will feel like you’re taking a step back into a simpler time and you’ll be happy to take a deep breath and slow down to the speed of “Brown County time,” while you reconnect and relax during your time away. But despite being a small town, there’s still a lot to do here and we’d love the chance to host you and your group!
So check out all we’ve got to offer and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about planning your next group or family reunion trip to Brown County.
