Veal’s Ice Tree
As the days below freezing mount, so does the everchanging masterpiece (pictured) in the Veal family’s southeast-side backyard—a fairy-tale ice sculpture that reached 80 feet tall in 2014. What started as a hobby back in 1961 has become an annual tradition garnering a cultlike following, with folks flocking to the creation for photo ops every winter. Continuous sprays of water and powdered food coloring are all it takes to grow the magical ice tree you really do have to see to believe. 6445 Mimosa Ln., vealsicetree.wixsite.com/vealsicetree
Cataract Falls
Beauty and power churn through Mill Creek at Cataract Falls every season, but if you’re willing to make the trek to the Spencer attraction during a cold snap, you’ll catch a rare glimpse of the water—free flowing any other time of year—frozen in time, hanging mid-air in arctic slabs over an otherwise impetuous descent. Put on your ice cleats and hike the creekside trail through the woods to the Lower Falls, slightly smaller than the state’s largest Upper Falls, but icy eye candy nonetheless. 2605 N. Cataract Rd., Spencer, on.in.gov/liebersra
