See the World…in Indiana?

It’s hard to imagine a more rock-solid, all-American state than Indiana, the Cob of the Corn Belt (Indianapolis, after all, is home of The Saturday Evening Post). But the Hoosier State also boasts a surprisingly global flair: In fact, you can assemble a replica ’round-the-world trek without going East of Richmond or West of Terre Haute.

Morocco

Indiana Dunes National and State Parks

Between Gary and Michigan City

At the westernmost tip of the Sahara Desert, in a remote region near the southern Morocco border, the historic city of Dakhla is home to one of the world’s most dramatic desert settings: towering sand dunes that plunge directly into the Atlantic Ocean. You could board three airliners and fly 37 hours to reach the dunes of Dakhla — or you could drive 45 minutes from downtown Chicago and ascend by foot the 125-foot-high Indiana Sand Dunes, which for 114,000 years have presided over the expanse of Lake Michigan. There are two parks along the dunes’ 15-mile length: a state park and a national park, both of which provide unbeatable views. The largest dune, called Mount Baldy, is a living dune: As prevailing winds push off the lake, the dune is “rolling” backwards, smothering trees and, in the case of Indiana Dunes National Park, overrunning a parking lot. There are 10 distinct natural habitats among the dunes, ranging from prairie to swamp to savanna, but nothing beats the view from the dunes’ summits: The cascade of white sand at your feet giving way, in the far distance, to the blue of the lake — and far beyond, looming on the horizon, the towers of Chicago, 20 miles away.

France

Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame

South Bend

This would have been an “Italy” entry if the original planners had their way — they’d wanted a Baroque replica of the Church of the Gesu in Rome. But the school’s name is, after all, French, and the designated funds in 1869 allowed only for French Gothic revival style — resulting in the soaring campus church, the tallest such house of worship in the country.

Roaming the sanctuary, you’ll spot unmistakably Italian frescoes, painted over a 17-year period by a Vatican artist. But the high altar was built in Paris and the stained-glass windows are all the work of French artisans.

Down the hill, in a shady natural alcove, is another replica of a French landmark: a candle-lit, exact copy of the Grotto of Lourdes, where the faithful believe the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette.

Africa

Wilstem Wildlife Park

Paoli

Who doesn’t dream of pitching camp on the Serengeti and listening to the sounds of wildlife floating across the savanna? You can come pretty close to that experience at the Wilstem Wildlife Park, home to a population of endangered Asian elephants along with giraffes, kangaroos, otters, sloths, and primates.

When visitors staying in the park’s 14 wilderness houses and cabins decide it’s lights-out time, that doesn’t mean the surrounding critters are ready to turn in: As you lie in your comfy bed, you’re likely to hear the trumpet of an elephant, the soft grunt of a giraffe, or the bark of a kangaroo.

Tibet

The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center

Bloomington

You push through the front door of the ornate, two-story building at one end of the campus, and the mystical drone of chanting Tibetan monks pours over you. Take your shoes off, find a pillow on the carpeted floor (or pull up a wooden chair), and let your mind wander.

Or, simply wander the tree-shaded campus, marveling at the enormous devotional structures that dot the property.

One of the most significant centers of Tibetan Buddhism in North America, the facility was founded by the eldest brother of the Dalai Lama (who’s dropped by several times since its founding in 1979).

Italy

The Kizer-Marsh House

Winchester

Built in 1870, the two-story Kizer-Marsh house can lay claim to being an authentic Italian villa because of its distinctive three-story tower, which is nestled inside the structure’s “L”-shaped footprint. It’s now a private home after a decade-long restoration, but you can still drop by to stand outside and admire the broad veranda, imagining yourself sitting here, nursing a glass of Chianti.

Russia

St. George The Great Martyr Orthodox Church

Michigan City

We tend to think of Russian Orthodox churches as enormous, onion-domed structures like St. St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square near the Kremlin. But really, the Russian countryside is dotted with modest little churches that look a lot like tiny St. George’s, a 111-year-old chapel-like house of worship in Michigan City.

What’s more, little St. George’s has a big story: Newspaper accounts tell how on December 6, 1996 — the feast of St. Nicholas — the church’s mounted icon of the saint started “weeping” myrrh oil. Since then, the miraculous icon has visited churches throughout the Americas and even Australia. But St. Nick always comes home to this tiny sanctuary and the Michigan City faithful.

The Himalaya, India

Hunting for Morel Mushrooms

Bloomington

One of the most prized gastronomical treasures in the Indian district of Jammu and Kashmir is the Himalayan wild mushroom — a close cousin of the morel, which thrives in the wooded areas in and around Bloomington. Like their fellow mycophiles half a world away, Bloomington folks can be found each spring searching at the bases of favorite trees and other secret spots looking for the distinctive sponge-like cap of the morel.

Should you go morel mushrooming near Bloomington, be sure to stick to public properties. But always keep looking down, no matter where you are: morels have been known to pop up along the city’s downtown sidewalks.