How tight a schedule do you put yourself on when you're on a road trip? For example, do you leave yourself some room for incidental entertainment...something you didn't plan?

I always do. If there's something fascinating enough on the side of the road, I gotta check it out. I'm thinking that's a genetic trait; my dad was the exact same way. That's why he drove into Mitchell SD in 1963 and took a picture of the Corn Palace, a structure made entirely--you guessed it--out of corn. I took a picture of it, too, 48 years after he did and from the same location.

But now we have Google and we can search for any unique thing we're close to when we're traveling. That's why you might want to check out Mounds State Park in Anderson IN. No, it's not where you go to indulge in the greatest candy bar ever made. It's where you go to see and learn about some fascinating topographical features. Pay close attention to when they discuss what happens during the solstices and each equinox:

Mounds State Park was constructed around ancient Native American burial grounds. These mounds, or "earthworks", are best described by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources:

Mounds State Park, located off I-69 east of Anderson, features 10 unique earthworks built by prehistoric Indians known as the Adena-Hopewell people. The largest earthwork, the Great Mound, is believed to have been constructed around 160 B.C. Archaeological surveys indicate the mounds were used as gathering places for religious ceremonies, from where astronomical alignments could be viewed.

Watch how ancient peoples who lived on these grounds determined the time of year by standing in certain positions on the mounds:

There are also plenty of trails to walk at Mounds State Park. And, as you can see, it's not closed in the wintertime. In fact, if you can handle it, those trails make for a beautiful winter setting.

Of course, if you'd prefer to wait until the weather is warmer, there are plenty of camping accommodations at Mounds State Park. You can also fish in the White River. Or maybe you just want to go for a picnic.

The nature center is open from 9 AM to 4 PM daily and they are ALWAYS worth a look at any state park you visit.

I'm a big fan of state parks, and it's even better when they're built around something historically significant like Mounds State Park. Listen, when you get a chance, check out this documentary about the history of these burial grounds; it starts at the 10:33 mark:

We finally ditched January, which felt like it lasted way longer than 31 days. Anyway, that's one winter month in the books. It's time to start making springtime plans. It can't get here quick enough.

See 11 Unique Attractions You'll Only Find in Indiana

From the World's Largest Ball of Paint to a pink elephant drinking a martini, the Hoosier State is filled with quirky little things worth a detour on your next road trip.

KEEP READING: 40 Real Indiana Towns with Quirky, Weird, and Funny Names

Outside the major cities, the Hoosier state is full of tiny little towns you've probably passed through on your way to one of those cities. Most of them are likely 100 to 150 years old, or older, and have been around far longer than the large metropolitan areas such as Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville. Typically, they were started by early settlers who found their way to the state and decided to make it home. Eventually, others would join them, and a community was formed. Over time, as the surrounding areas grew, most of them were folded into those areas and governed by the nearest city or county's governing body officially making them "unincorporated," meaning they did not have their own formally organized municipal government.

A scroll through Wikipedia's long list of unincorporated communities in Indiana shows several of them have names that by today's standards would be considered weird, quirky, or just downright right funny. These are my 40 favorities.

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There are a total of 92 county courthouses in the state of Indiana. I have determined (it's just my opinion) that these 15 are the most beautiful. There is no way I could or would rank them, so here they are in alphabetical order.

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