Wolcottville Surrounded By Glacially Carved Lakes
Huge grouper sandwich is served at Twinsix Restaurant. The onion rings are also good.
By Loren Shaum
InkFreeNews Columnist
Wolcottville originated in 1838 when George Wolcott built a saw mill to process wood from the dense forests in the area. It’s located in the southwest corner of Lagrange County and surrounded by many glacially carved lakes in both Lagrange and Noble counties.
On the way there from Lake Country, you can take what I call the Topeka-Wolcottville corridor passing numerous Amish farms, several Amish schools and various Amish enterprises.
Just outside the town limits is George Rogers Memorial Park. George Rogers was a pioneer philanthropist, and his gravesite and memorial are part of the park’s theme. The grounds also include relocated authentic pioneer log homes.
Downtown
The fish food dispenser on the patio at Coody Browns is popular with kids.
At the stop light, one corner has an ice cream shop that is hopping in the summer. On another corner, there’s the Twinsix Restaurant. It’s a local watering hole and kind of a community center where famers often gather for a robust breakfast. The talk is always about what’s going on at various farms in the area while you build your own breakfast. The sausage gravy is especially popular, and you can order with home-made biscuits or potatoes, or both. If you want breakfast, get there by 11 a. m.
The walls are adorned with memorabilia about places along the famous Route 66 that was the primary artery to the west before the age of interstates. How all these fabulous antiquities landed in rural Indiana is unknown, but the bartender will tell you it’s been here forever!
The circa 1800s bar is also noticeably spectacular and the centerpiece of this roadside joint. It’s all intricate hand-carved hardwood.
Twinsix is also popular to passers-by for lunch and to locals for supper. The menu is unusually extensive for such a remote location. For lunch, the fish sandwiches stand out, and where in Lake Country can you get a grouper sandwich? They also offer cod and whitefish sandwiches.
Besides the fish just mentioned, the dinner menu offers scallops (yes, scallops in Wolcottville!) and blue gill. Locals tend towards the broasted chicken and the salad bar.
On weekends, they offer AYCE specials like beer-battered shrimp or whitefish.
Also downtown is the Wolcottville Organic Livestock Food, or WOLF, Cooperative. Formed in 2011 over the concern for lack of continuous supply of organic feed, more than 80 producers came together to cooperate on the supply organic feed for their farming operations — particularly organic livestock.
Interesting signs adorn the walls at Coody Browns
The cooperative’s vision is to secure availability and price stability of high-quality organic livestock feed and supplies for the community
Nearby
Close by is the Adams Lake Pub — a lake front venue known for their prime rib.
A bit further east is Cook’s Bison Ranch, which we’ve covered in the past. They have many events for families during summer months.
Another lake front joint northwest of town is Coody Brown’s. Perched on a land mass between Witmer and Westler lakes, this joint gets a lot of summer action from both lakes.
The menu is quiescent bar fare that features wings, burgers and pizzas — just what lakers want. If you like wings, you can order six or 50, then choose from any of the eight sauces including their original raspberry reaper barbeque sauce. Grim reaper comes to mind when you taste that liquid fire!
If you want burgers, the Coody burger is a monster, but take a walk on the wild side and try the over-the-top jalapeno burger. It will make you sweat!
They also offer lighter fare, and for many, the grilled salmon salad is a favorite. There is also blue gill, shrimp, pollock, chicken and their popular Bourbon barbeque ribs!
If you are so inclined, their onion rings are close to the best I’ve had.
When you go, check-out the “I got My Coody Shot” T-shirts, and in the summer, capture a patio seat and feed carp and turtles from the deck. Fish food dispensers are available.
Sadly, two other good joints in the area, Coppertop and the Beauty and The Bull, have closed. The latter burned, but was once a great stopping point on the channel between Dallas and Messick lakes.
The monster Coody burger and cold one is all I needed at Coody Browns.
Take a ride through Amish country and capture the ambience of Wolcottville and the surrounding area. It’s only a 40-minute drive.
Where?
George Rogers Park: 2355 W 550 S.
Cook’s Bison Ranch: 5655 E 700 S.
Twinsix Restaurant: 101 S. Main St.
Wolf Cooperative: 109 Union St.
Coody Brown’s 1510 W 700 S.
Antique bar counter is only one of the unique adornments at Twinsix Restaurant.
