Lawrence County, Indiana is a true sportsman's paradise. With all the outdoor opportunity around, it's no wonder that Bedford, the county seat, was recently ranked by Outdoor Life Magazine as one of the top 200 outdoor towns in America. And with events, like the first leg of this International Bowhunting Organization's Triple Crown archery competition coming to town, sportsmen from across the country have the opportunity to experience many of the county's natural attractions.

My family and I made our way down the IBO shoot on Saturday. Located at the 4-H fairgrounds, and hosted by the White River Bowhunters, the turnout was impressive. Shooters of all skill levels from states all over the country were on hand to try to capture the first jewel of the Triple Crown event. Vendors filled the largest expo building an lined the walk ways. My 7 year old nephew got a kick out of meeting many of the professional shooters and vowed to someday be shooting the event himself. The benefits of bringing an event as prestigious as the IBO Triple Crown to a community such as Bedford go far beyond the excitement generated amongst the attendees. Restaurants, hotels, retail stores and many destinations reaped the rewards of the influx of archers.

While I was enjoying the archery event, my crew of 3 children and my wife were ready to hit the road. They had their hearts set on visiting Blue Springs Cavern. I've wanted to visit the cave for quite some time as well, so we decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the river was too high to take an underground boat tour, but we did get to go down in the cave. It was the first time any of the children had been in a cave, so it was neat to watch their expressions. We of course spent sometime in the gift shop, and I sprung for some bags of dirt so the kids could pan for jewels. Melissa and I really enjoyed watching them discover their treasure. We're looking forward to going back to experience the boat ride into the cave as soon as the water recedes.

Spring Mill State Park was definitely the highlight of our day. I have been fortunate to visit many of Indiana's Parks over the years, and I can say with complete honesty that Spring Mill is one of, if not the greatest of them all. I love history. Especially Indiana history and the park's Pioneer Village is history lovers dream. The grist mill is incredible and the people working the buildings really know their stuff. I bought a bag of freshly ground cornmeal, actually ground in the same fashion as the pioneers did a hundreds years ago. There's a bunch of Lake Monroe crappie filets in my freezer that are going to taste great breaded in the old fashion ground corn.

There is a lake available for fishing and cave tours within the park as well. I know we will be down there camping real soon. You can look for me with my fly rod in the creek where it dumps into the lake.

All in all, my family and I had a great day experiencing many of the highlights of Lawrence County. Everywhere we went we saw archers decked out in their logo shirts. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly. If you're looking for a great area to visit this summer close to home, give Spring Mill State Park and the numerous attractions of Lawrence County a try. I think you'll be pleased.

See you down the trail…