Photo Courtesy of Allen County War Memorial Stadium
Fort Wayne’s stadium.
Photo Courtesy of Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
The Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St.
It's called Fort Fun for a reason - just an hour and a half south of Hillsdale, Fort Wayne is the second largest city in Indiana and can offer an afternoon or weekend of shopping, restaurants and entertainment for students who need a break from small town living.
Shopping, etc.
Fort Wayne is home to the largest indoor mall in Indiana. Glenbrook Square Commons is located in the heart of the city at 4201 Coldwater Road. The reason why the mall is so big is due to the numerous amount of large department stores it offers: L.S. Ayres, J.C. Penney, Sears and Marshall Fields make up the four points of the mall, with everything else in between: Banana Republic, GAP, Hollister, American Eagle, Delias and Abercrombie and Fitch are just a few of the big name retail stores that the space includes. A food court with everything from Cinnamonster to the Red Robin diner is also available for hungry mall shoppers.
Who really wants to spend a weekend shopping indoors with the great spring weather outside? The newest shopping area in Fort Wayne is the outdoor mall located on the southwest side of town. Jefferson Pointe, located at 4140 W. Jefferson Blvd. It is the home to stores such as Old Navy, Von Maur, Aeropostale, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Ann Taylor Loft. There are also a wide variety of restaurants in the Jefferson Pointe area such as Cold Stone Creamery, which is a must stop for any first-time Fort Wayne traveler, Pancheros, Quiznos and Auntie Ann's Pretzels.
One aspect of Fort Wayne shopping that may inspire the ladies of Hillsdale to pursue a quick a road trip is that it is the birthplace of Vera Bradley handbags and luggage. Barbra Baekgaard and Pat Miller began making handbags out of their homes over a decade ago. The company has grown into a business that is successful and known throughout the United States and the world. Vera Bradley can now be bought all over the country; but the heart of the Vera Bradley retailers as well as their headquarters remains based out of Fort Wayne. The popular annual Vera Bradley Outlet Sale is a three-day event at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, where bags and purses are discounted 20 to 50 percent. The next Vera Bradley Outlet sale is April 21-23. The doors open for the event at 8 a.m.
Fine and cheap dining
One of the aspects of dining in Fort Wayne, that makes it so unique, is that if you are looking for an old favorite chain from your hometown, most likely you'll be able to find that chain restaurant in the Fort Wayne area. And if you're looking for something new, try one of the many local restaurants that have become trademarks.
The D'Angelo family began opening Italian restaurants in Fort Wayne over thirty years ago. The Casa D'Angelo restaurants are now treasured all over the city. With five different locations, they are a trademark for their family service and their unique menu, which features family recipes.
Fort Wayne's famous downtown restaurant trademark is Coney Island. The small restaurant wedged into the middle of Main Street in the center of downtown has mastered the art of the coney dog. Fort Wayne's Coney Island is also well known for their wide selection of pies of and cakes.
Another Fort Wayne original is DeBrands Fine Chocolate. There are two stores in Fort Wayne that offer a wide variety of any homemade chocolate concoction you can imagine. The newest DeBrands store at the Jefferson Pointe mall also offers a dessert menu of a variety of chocolate desserts and drinks.
The exciting part
So, after you've spent the afternoon shopping and then had a nice dinner, it's time to experience the night life that Fort Wayne has to offer.
Fort Wayne is home to many local musicians that can be found playing at a variety of bars as well as coffee houses on any given weekend. The Firefly coffee house on 3523 N. Anthony Blvd., is well known for having local artists such as acoustic guitar players Matthew Sturm and Sunny Taylor performing on a Friday or Saturday evening. Espresso Gallery, a coffee house on 10357 Illinois Road, is another spot where local artists gather to perform. Both these locations are available for those under the 21-year mark.
Columbia Street West, located at 135 West Columbia Street in downtown Fort Wayne is a restaurant and bar that also draws in local musicians and is a popular spot for the young, single working class of Fort Wayne to gather after work and on weekends.
Sports to watch
For the sports fan, depending on the season, there are several different options of where to go in the city to catch a good game. If you are a hockey fan, Fort Wayne has the team for you. The Fort Wayne Komets are part of the UHL hockey league and have been part of the city for over 50 years. The team plays its home games in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. For more information about the Fort Wayne Komets and when their home matches are visit www.komets.com.
If you enjoy watching sports in the great outdoors, just behind the War Memorial Coliseum is the Memorial Stadium which is home to the Fort Wayne Wizard baseball team. The Wizards are a minor league baseball team affiliated with the San Diego Padres.
If you are interested in getting tickets for a Wizards baseball game this spring, go to: www.wizardsbaseball.com.
If you need a break from the Michigan atmosphere, make the drive south to Indiana. Fort Wayne will prove to live up to its name for a fun time.