Spring Mill State Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spring Mill State Park
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
The watermill in the pioneer village
Spring Mill State Park Location in Indiana
Location	Lawrence County, Indiana, U.S.
Nearest city	Mitchell, Indiana
Area	1,358 acres (5.50 km2)
Visitors	675,880 (in 2018–19)
Governing body	Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Spring Mill State Park is a fun place to visit in Indiana. It covers about 1,358 acres (5.5 km2) of land. You can find it south of Bloomington, near the city of Mitchell. The park opened in 1927.

This park has many cool things to see and do. There's an old-fashioned pioneer village, a memorial to astronaut Gus Grissom, a nature center, and places to camp. The park sits on a special type of land called the Mitchell Karst Plain. This means it has many caves and sinkholes formed in the limestone rock. Some of the caves include Bronson Cave, Twin Caves, and Shawnee Cave. You can even take a boat tour into Twin Caves for about 500 feet (152 m)!

Part of the park is a protected forest called Donaldson Woods Nature Preserve. It has very old trees. The Mitchell Karst Plain Nature Preserve is amazing because it has over 1,000 sinkholes per square mile! Many parts of the park, like the Spring Mill Inn and Spring Mill Lake, were built in the 1930s. About 675,000 people visit the park each year.

In 2024, Spring Mill State Park was in the path of a total 2024 solar eclipse. Visitors got to see the sun completely covered for over three minutes!

Step Back in Time: Pioneer Village

Imagine what life was like long ago! Spring Mill State Park has a rebuilt pioneer village. It shows how people lived in the 1860s. The village has a historic watermill and 19 other buildings. This village grew up around the mill, which got its power from a spring in Hamer Cave.

People called heritage interpreters work in the village. They show visitors old crafts and skills from the past. You can see how things were made and done a long time ago. South of the village, there is a place called Hamer Cemetery. This area, about 295 acres (1.2 km2), was bought for just one dollar in 1923. Experts worked to restore the village in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They used some original buildings and moved others from different parts of Indiana.

Space Hero: Gus Grissom Memorial

The park also has a special memorial for Gus Grissom. He was a famous astronaut from Mitchell, Indiana. Gus Grissom was one of the first seven American astronauts, known as the Mercury Seven. Sadly, he passed away in an accident during the Apollo 1 mission.

The memorial features the actual spacecraft from Grissom's Gemini 3 space flight. He nicknamed this capsule the Molly Brown. You can also watch a short video about Gus Grissom's life. There are cool items on display too, like a spacesuit, helmet, and many of his personal belongings.

Nature Fun: The Nature Center

If you love animals and nature, you'll enjoy the nature center! It is open from spring through fall. Inside, you can see live snakes and watch birds through a special window. There are also displays about the park's natural history. A special area just for kids makes learning even more fun! In the winter, a smaller "nature nook" is available inside the Spring Mill Inn.

Camping Adventures

Want to stay overnight? The park has a great campground. There are 188 Class A campsites. Each site has 30-amp electric service, a fire ring for campfires, and a picnic table. If you prefer a more rustic experience, there are 35 primitive campsites and youth camping areas.

The campground has four "comfort stations." These buildings have modern plumbing, restrooms, and showers. There's also a camp store where you can buy supplies.

Gallery

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  Spring Mill Inn

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  Water Mill at Spring Mill State Park

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  Small village house overlooking north village garden in summer 2004

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  Twin Caves boat tour

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  Amish family members walking through Spring Mill village

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  Village leather shop

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  Gus Grissom and John Young's Gemini 3 capsule, nicknamed Molly Brown