Indiana's Cool North Indiana's Cool North
Elkhart Fall Flower Carpet
Home > Nappanee Apple Festival, Notre Dame Win Best of Indiana Fall Contests

Nappanee Apple Festival, Notre Dame Win Best of Indiana Fall Contests

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Indiana's Cool North

Indiana Nappanee Apple Pie

The voters have spoken and Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD) have announced the winners of the 2013 Best of Indiana Fall contest. The contest, a component of the popular fall travel site VisitIndianaFall.com, asked Hoosiers to select Indiana’s best signature fall food, best fall family-fun destination and best college football game day tradition in the state. Northern Indiana destinations nabbed the top spots in two of the three categories:

“Fall is a special time to travel Indiana and these winners are just three of the many reasons why,” said Mark Newman, IOTD’s executive director. “All of this year’s nominees showcase a diversity of travel opportunities that is unrivaled by any state.”

Indiana’s nationally-recognized tradition of heritage and cultural festivals includes a veritable bounty of local and seasonal delicacies. This year’s Best Signature Fall Food winner is prepared during Nappanee’s annual Apple Festival. Seven feet in diameter and weighing over 600 pounds, the Nappanee Apple Festival’s apple pie is Indiana’s largest and a must taste for the festival’s 80,000 annual visitors.

While basketball may be the sport most associated with Indiana, college football in the Hoosier State has a legacy second to none. This legacy was created in large part because of the historic success of this year’s winner for Best College Football Game Day Tradition, the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have won many games and championships on the field, and the fans have taken that winning tradition off the field to create Indiana’s best college football game day experience.

Nominees for Best Signature Fall Food were recommended by members of Indiana’s travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Each of Indiana’s 21 college football programs was eligible for voting.