What ails Brown County?

March 25, 2008
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What Hoosier hasnâ??t been to Brown County for the fall colors, to shop in Nashville or tromp on the trails at Brown County State Park?

Yet, as IBJ correspondent Jonathan Hiskes reported in this weekendâ??s edition, prosperity is coming harder and harder for merchants. One indicator, hotel sales, has stalled at $10 million to $12 million a year.

Whatâ??s wrong? Shopkeepers, tourism officials and others disagree about how to keep the tourists coming and attract new ones. And they worry about competition from French Lick, which has a new casino and restored hotels.

How likely are you to visit Brown County? What needs to happen to make the cash registers ring with authority again?
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  • Frank M.March 25, 2008 3:15 PM
    One thought: Brown County should not consider the competition at French Lick as a threat, but rather as an opportunity. Why not develop a south central Indiana regional approach to attracting tourists? This could include such areas as Brown Co., Bloomington, French Lick attractions and the Columbus architectural attractions....plus others, I'm sure. This package of attractions might draw tourists from a bigger potential area than would be attracted to Brown Co. alone.

    Just a thought.
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  • MarkMarch 26, 2008 10:13 AM
    I think one of the problems is that the entire landscape of shops, restaraunts and other entertainment options in that town has not changed in 10 years. I used to go there with my mom all the time and then on dates when I went to IU. Never changes. I think people have grown old and tired of it. Not very many new shopping areas. They need to incorporate more festivals or attractions or liven it up there with some nightlife. It shuts down at 6 and I don't think is even open on Mondays anymore. Just my thoughts.
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  • ShaneMarch 26, 2008 1:01 PM
    I also feel the area lacks some uniqueness........they should probably focus more on the hand crafted, artistic nature of the area.......instead of selling buck loads of chinese made
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  • DanMarch 27, 2008 4:25 AM
    Some of the responders above have hit upon the solution. It's all about uniqueness. What attracted people to Brown County in its glory days was that there was no other place in Indiana quite like it. That seems to have been lost in recent years. Local leaders need to recapture the uniqueness of the place's culture, art, and entertainment and ensure that it is evident in key shops, attractions and events. Remember something else, too: almost everyone you talk to today remarks about how busy, how hectic their lives are. Align that belief with a key aspect of Brown County's uniqueness, namely, the sense that somehow life was slower and more relaxed there. Brown County can succeed again.
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  1. So the Mayor adds another non value added layer to having a vehicle towed? Whereby the City Government RECIEVES AN ILLEGAL KICKBACK FROM A LGOISTICS COMPANY THAT SUBS THE WORK TO LOCAL TOW COMPANIES? What is the service the City performs for receiving the "tribute"? This is RICO!!!!! What a corrupt and unnecessary layer. What a dirtbag Mayor and his cronies.

  2. Owner occupied housing. Clear enough?

  3. So people think I am paranoid. It's from experience in dealing with puds requested by developers who make major donations themselves to representatives, have nice fund raisers for those running for office and hide through pac's. then there are the public relation firms. You will note some pr comments below. You there Clyde Lee? My opinion. Commercial along 421, great. Multifamily housing, terrible idea that will change the town. Senior condos or zero lot line homes west, great. I suggest keeping all entries to commercial areas at 421. All entries to owner occupied on sycamore. Will keep the traffic on sycamore down some. Two other things. You can't trust what will be there in 10 years. Steve builds quality stuff, but areas change over time. Look at the changes at the wall mart center at 86th and 421 over the last 10 years. Look at the apartments and neighborhoods behind St Vincent's. Raintree properties WILL decrease in value if commercial and multifamily goes in near. It has already been happening around the bridges area. The houses that have been sold recently are way below market. Several deals not closed due to the Illinois construction and the whole unsurety of the bridges. It's pretty simple, Zionsville will approve the whole thing because the city council has been groomed over a LONG period of time for this. I might even suggest some are in their position as a result of this.

  4. Esta, do you have a dog in this fight? You seem to really want to knock anyone against this project. No, I didn't move to Indiana for the architecture. I moved here for that red barn in the field. The horses and fields of corn. A place that is NOT overdeveloped. There are plenty of nearby places in Indianapolis that could be REDEVELOPED instead.

  5. RKW - OK, we get it, you're paranoid. The question is, are you paranoid enough? Greg - Yes, Pittman(s) is (are) at it again. They are developers, they build things. It's what they do. So when you go to work tomorrow, Greg, you're at it again too. Cliff - Really? You moved to Indiana for its progressive architecture? That's like moving to England for the cuisine. Zionsvillain - The house you moved to was once a field or woods. I'm willing to bet folks were upset when that ground was plowed under and a house was built. But I guess now that you are in, everything should stop? "My house was OK, but the next one is sprawl." SE Guy - Please don't paint us with such a wide brush. Most reasonable Zionsville residents welcome planned, measured development.

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