Planning a romantic getaway in the Midwest for you and your significant other? I’m sharing our 48 hour guide to New Harmony, Indiana including recommendations on where to stay, the best places to grab food, things to see, what to do and some helpful tips!
This past weekend, my boyfriend and I took a little road trip, 6 and a half hours south of Madison, WI to the quaint, picturesque town of New Harmony, IN. We were looking for a relaxing, peaceful and romantic weekend getaway where we could just spend some quality time together. We wanted something not too far from home, still in the Midwest, but a city with an entirely different feel.
That’s exactly what we got! Being in New Harmony for the weekend felt surreal, it was an entirely different change of pace. We got to slow down for a few days and just experience nature and the beautiful fall foliage, eat at a few local diners, and just enjoy each other. It was perfect!
Highly recommend visiting in the Fall, too! It’s such a pretty time of year here in New Harmony.
Keep reading for info on where to stay, what to do, where to eat and more!
Disclosure: New Harmony Inn kindly offered us a complimentary stay for the weekend, however all opinions are my own. We’re so grateful for the opportunity we had to stay and explore the beautiful town of New Harmony.
Where to Stay
There are a few local inns and bed + breakfasts to stay at in New Harmony, but the main hotel is the New Harmony Inn Resort & Conference Center.
New Harmony Inn Resort & Conference Center
Perfect place for a romantic weekend getaway with your significant other, wedding or event! The resort offers a variety of guest rooms – Fireplace Lakeview, Loft Suite, Premium Courtyard + more, a beautiful swan lake behind the resort, a waterfall + blue bridge leading to multiple walking trails, complimentary bike rentals to hotel guests, a heated garden pool, fitness center, sauna and tennis courts!
It’s a beautiful and historic hotel, conveniently located within walking distance of everything in town. A few of the amenities were closed during our stay due to Covid-19, but we didn’t plan on swimming or using the fitness center anyway so it worked out fine.
We stayed in one of the Premium Lakeview rooms in the Rosebank building. We had a spacious room and beautiful balcony that overlooked the Swan Lake. The balcony was the best part! When we arrived Saturday afternoon, there was actually a wedding going on outside in the yard so we got to watch the end of it. It was beautiful!
Our entire stay, the front desk staff was so accommodating and very friendly. If you know me, I have very high standards when it comes to customer service, and I was truly impressed by the staff.
Where to Eat in New Harmony
The city of New Harmony has a variety of local dining options, coffee shops and cafes. Most within walking distance of each other! All the restaurants we ate at we were able to walk to, which made things so easy.
Yellow Tavern – Bar and Grill
Best place to grab pizza and appetizers! Located right off Church Street, in a cool historic building, Yellow Tavern serves a variety of sandwiches, salmon, steaks and pizza!
We ate here Saturday night, it was a short walk, 5 minutes or so, from the New Harmony Inn. We ended up ordering our food and bringing it back to our hotel to eat. There was only indoor seating and with Covid, we just didn’t feel comfortable eating inside.
We shared a cheese + sausage pizza with fries and it was so good. Just remember to bring cash, because they don’t accept credit card here.
Red Geranium Restaurant
By far our favorite place to eat in New Harmony! The food was outstanding and the whole restaurant was so charming and romantic! If you’re visiting in the summer, there’s even live music some nights!
We made reservations for Sunday morning brunch. Highly recommend making a reservation if you come because the restaurant fills up fast!
We requested to eat outside, even though it was a bit chilly at 9:30am! We just felt more comfortable outside where we could be a bit more distanced from other guests. There is more seating available in their indoor dining room if you’d like to eat inside though!
I ordered the pancakes (like always LOL) and they were some of the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten. And I have eaten A LOT of pancakes in my life. My boyfriend had the Chicken Fried Steak Breakfast, which he said was amazing too.
Other restaurants to try nearby include: Main Street Cafe, Sara’s Harmony Way, Mary Scott’s Kitchen and Black Lodge Coffee Roasters.
If you’re looking to enjoy a day of relaxing and wine tasting with your significant other, we recommend heading to Sara’s Harmony Way. Sara’s has a comfortable and inviting atmosphere that will make you feel right at home!
Things to Do
Almost all the attractions are within walking distance of New Harmony Inn. That’s one the best things about visiting a small town! Although you can walk, I highly recommend renting a golf cart to explore the city! It’s fun and so much easier than hopping in your car. I’ll highlight a few of the things we got to do over our fun weekend getaway below!
Rent Golf Carts to Explore the City
Many of the locals actually drive golf carts around the town. Almost every residential home we drove by had a golf cart in their garage! This was one of our favorite things that we did, it was so fun! And I don’t think I’ve ever driven a golf cart before this lol.
We rented one 4-person golf cart from the hotel for $18 an hour. There were also 6 person carts available if you had a larger party. We rode around town and explored some of the trails for about three and a half hours on our golf cart – it was the best time!
Hiking and Biking Trails
New Harmony Inn offers complimentary bikes to all hotel guests, so you simply grab a bicycle and hit the trails! There’s a variety of riverfront and gravel trails around town to explore. We hiked for about an hour on Sunday afternoon enjoying the scenic views and perfect weather!
Cathedral Labyrinth and Sacred Garden
One of the two labyrinths in New Harmony designed for meditation. It was so relaxing and peaceful in the garden. A beautiful fountain nearby had water flowing from it, there were wood benches to sit and relax, and surrounding shrubbery that added to the calming atmosphere.
The goal of the labyrinth is for it to be a walking meditation – taking time to think and listen. It typically takes about 20-30 minutes to walk, but we probably completed it in fifteen.
Harmonie State Park
One of Indiana’s many state parks, Harmonie State Park, is located about 4 miles south of New Harmony. The park has a variety of trails for hiking or biking, tons of shady spots for picnics, a nature center and a beautiful pool! We had originally planned to go here on Sunday, but we had such a busy day that we ran out of time sadly.
Additional fun things to do and see: Local boutique shops, art galleries, historical tours, gift shops, New Harmony Theatre, Roofless Church, Working Men’s Institute Museum and Library, Harmonist Labyrinth, antique shops and more!
If you’re looking for a relaxing, romantic getaway in the Midwest with your spouse or significant other, look no further than the quaint, historic city of New Harmony. Honestly, no better place to visit, the town is like something out of a Hallmark movie with all of it’s charming and romantic spots.
During our trip, we spent most of our time in New Harmony exploring the town and admiring all the historic buildings. But if you’re looking for even more attractions, outdoor activities, restaurants and things to do you can take the short drive to Evansville, Indiana. If we had more time, we would have loved to check out everything Evansville had to offer as well!
Are you planning a romantic getaway in the Midwest soon or somewhere else in the United States!? Let me know in the comments below! Highly recommend checking out Door County, Lake Geneva, Mackinac Island, St. Louis and Wisconsin Dells if you need more Midwest getaway ideas!
Other posts you may like:
- 36 Hour Weekend Guide to the Windy City
- Fall Bucket List Ideas
- 20 Romantic Fall Dates Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank!
