I would suggest Shenandoah National Park. Partly for the beauty of the park itself, and partly because the drive from Indiana will go through some gorgeous terrain. I would suggest taking route 33 through Wayne National forest in Ohio. You can stop in Athens as a halfway point, it’s a picturesque little college town nestled in the hills.https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/eca18718-ceab-4a32-a505-877aac0bb4ed.jpeg
As a Michigander Hocking Hills literally changed my view on Ohio. Incredible place. We did an early spring trip with a cabin and hot tub. We want to go back in the summer during better hiking conditions.
My wife and I have been to Athens because my brother went to school at OU and I also know southern Ohio because I went to a training school in Chillicothe. We also just drove through northern Ohio to take a trip to Niagara Falls. I don’t know if we’ve had enough Ohio yet or not.
I grew up going to the Great Smoky Mountains fairly regularly as a kid, my favorite was always to go to Chattanooga. It’s like a mid sized town in the middle of the Smokies, so it’s super easy to drive out into very rural natural areas during the day and drive back to the amenities of town at night. There’s also a lot of fascinating Civil War history in the area if anyone is a history buff.
The aquarium is great, and I’m a sucker for the incline railway and Rock City (featured prominently in American Gods). Rock City is technically in Georgia, but it’s a 15 minute drive away from Chattanooga so it might as well be right there.
If any of the kids are 8 or under they’d probably enjoy the Creative Discovery Museum. It’s a pity caves aren’t an option, because Ruby Falls is an underground waterfall in the area and very beautiful. The other thing we always did was either go horse riding or zip lining.
Oh, and if you see people selling fruit or veg on the side of the road with hand written signs, stop and buy it. It will be some of the best you’ve had. Same rule for boiled peanuts and apple butter.
And it’s also not far from Pigeon Forge which is an absolute wild place that also has Dollywood in it (one of the most beautiful theme parks with tons of rides for kids)
I don’t know of one, but the Internet is toxic. I’ve had more luck meeting strangers into the same hobbies. Went to an open source conference. A business meetup. Professional settings are lower pressure because there’s no expectation of making actual friends.
Not sure if it’s specifically what you’re looking for, but I’d recommend going on disboard and looking up local discord servers. I’ve joined a couple and met some people I like hanging out with through one. I’ve found that people on local servers tend to be a mix, including other lonely or socially awkward people. One of the servers I’m in literally has a How to Make Friends pinned post for people who might need it. It’s also got an all purpose support thread going that tends to be very positive.
Find a few near you that do meet ups or events, feel the groups out for a bit even just lurking and see if it feels right for you. Maybe go to an event, even if you also feel anxious, and try to meet some of the people you talk to online. Just remember that they might also be lonely people trying to make a connection too.
It wasn’t through Disboard, but this is basically what I did. Moved to a new city, found a community Discord that was mentioned on Reddit, and asked around for interest in a D&D campaign. Now I’ve got two games going, and am great friends with everyone I play with. TTRPGs are a social skill, but most people are very welcoming of those new to the hobby
One of the servers I’m in literally has a How to Make Friends pinned post for people who might need it.
Out of morbid curiosity, could we see it?
We’ve got basic conflict resolution tactics written into our rules… not that anyone reads them.
I’ve found that people on local servers tend to be a mix, including other lonely or socially awkward people.
Give it a few more years and you’ll realise how much deeper that rabbit hole goes. I’m resigned to the fact that discord isn’t even really a gaming platform any more, let alone a social one; most people seem to be trying to use it for scoring drugs or hookups/affairs. Lots of kink stuff, too - it is following the same path as Second Life did. Also goes well beyond lonely and socially awkward; antisocial nutjobs abound.
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