10-21-2026 Fall Colors and Wineries in Southern Indiana

atravelerslog

Oct 21

4 min read

A friend of ours, who is a realtor in Brown County, Indiana, puts on a fall "leaf peeping" and winery bus tour to enjoy the fall colors and a little networking. This year marked the fifth annual tour, and we have been lucky enough to go on it every single year. Mid-October can be hit or miss on the weather, but we were fortunate to have a bright, sunny day that started off chilly but warmed up to the mid-70s! We enjoyed a couple of stops at scenic and historic spots, as well as tastings at two local wineries. After the bus tour everyone went back to Allison House, our friend's vacation rental, for live music, pizza, and more networking/socializing.

Day facts

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Outing: Fifth annual fall leaf-peeping and winery bus tour in south-central Indiana.

Stops: A scenic lake, Stepp Cemetery in Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Oliver Winery, Butler Winery, and Allison House.

Weather: Sunny; a chilly start, warming into the mid-70s.

Food and drink: Lunch and a wine tasting at Oliver Winery; a tasting at Butler Winery; pizza and live music afterward at Allison House.

Stepp Cemetery and the surrounding forest

The forest around Stepp Cemetery

Stepp Cemetery, established in the early 1800s, was one of our stops in Morgan-Monroe State Forest. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources explains that early settlers tried farming the area’s ridges, but rocky soil made agriculture difficult and all farms were eventually abandoned. The state began buying eroded and abandoned land for the forest in 1929. That history helps put this wooded landscape in context.

Crabbites: keeping history separate from local lore

The Crabbites religious sect came up in our research during this visit, as described below. However, we could not independently verify the group’s connection to this cemetery or the snake-handling claims in an accessible historical source.

Baby Lester and the offerings

Baby Lester’s grave was a memorable part of our visit. Our photographs show the toys and other objects visitors have left nearby. The objects document a continuing interest in the grave, but they do not establish the child’s biography or authenticate the stories told about it. During the tour, since we could not find anything definitive about Baby Lester online, people shared their own wild theories for fun.

Photo log

We were all on a limo bus that had a nice big window at the front for viewing the fall colors. Our friend and usual host, Danny, was sick that day, so his wife, Hilary, stepped in and did a great job.

Our first stop was at a beautiful lake. This photo doesn't do the colors justice - while they were not at their peak, we find it particularly pretty when you get the nice contrast of fall colors against some greenery.

Our next stop was at the old Stepp Cemetery in Morgan-Monroe State Forest, where we visited the ever-popular grave of "Baby Lester". Eric's research said the Crabbites religious sect were popular in this area at that time, so Cara found it interesting that there was a crab on the apron hanging on the tree over the grave.

People leave all kinds of things at the grave, and after learning about the Crabbites' snake handling rituals we decided that next year we will leave a rubber snake there.

People leave all kinds of things at the grave, and after learning about the Crabbites' reported snake handling rituals we decided that next year we will leave a rubber snake there.

Our group at Baby Lester's grave.

It's a beautiful old cemetery in the woods, and it's a relatively short hike to reach it.

Eric always take a photo of this headstone. This poor woman has no identity of her own - just "Wife of Earl Adkins". She is situated between her husband, Earl, and her son. In looking at the dates of death we learned that the wife died a year after giving birth, and the baby died a year after that.

A quiet woodland path carpeted with fallen leaves.

The entrance to Stepp Cemetery with our tour group in the background - we were the only ones there.

Walking the leaf-covered trail beneath the autumn trees.

We passed by an area devasted by a recent tornado. The Tornado chewed down trees for several miles, but luckily no human beings or human property were in it's way.

Our lunch stop was at Oliver Winery, which has beautiful grounds including this nice lake.

We sat at picnic tables overlooking the lake to enjoy our lunches and wine tasting.

The winery was all decorated for fall.

Autumn trees reflected in the lake at Oliver Winery.

Our last stop was a private tasting from the owners, Jim and Susie, at Butler Winery in Bloomington.

Had to take a selfie in front of the vineyards. We love that they actually still grow a lot of their own grapes, instead of just getting juice from California.

Together in front of the grapevines at Butler Winery.

More of the grapevines and grounds at Butler Winery.

After the bus tour, at the beautiful Allison House vacation rental, Eric was challenged by the hosts' children and friends to an arcade game battle royale.