Charley Creek Inn Brunch Buffet

With less humidity and heat, today seemed a good time to try the Sunday buffet brunch in the courtyard of Charley Creek Inn in Wabash Indiana. The buffet is the first Sunday of the month May thru September.

In the past we have eaten at the Sunday buffet at Eugenia's Restaurant about a block west at the Honeywell Center. The prices are about the same, $12.95 for Eugenia's, $14.95 for Charley Creek, but the variety and selection at Eugenia's is greater. There is an extra charge for beverages at both places.

The food was good at Charley Creek, but few selections.

I liked the potatoes best. I am not a biscuit and gravy person, but my husband said that was pretty tasty. The cheesecake could have been a standout if there was some kind of sauce, not just the fruit to put on top. I doubt we will return. The regular restaurant is open for breakfast with ordering from the menu. 

There were some little black gnats that kept trying to land on the food. I guess there isn't much that can be done about that when dining al fresco, but it was annoying. The buffet is entered from the side street (Miami?). We used the restrooms off of the lobby before being seated for our buffet brunch.

After dining, we strolled east a few blocks on Market Street. Not much open. I noticed on the posted hours of the shops, that most of them are closed on Mondays as well. Charley Creek Inn has an ice cream and candy shop open during the week so that would be a nice outing, combining browsing shops and having a sweet. There is an antique store that was going to open at noon on Sunday. 

Other than attending performances at the Honeywell Center (nationally known but older stars, the Fort Wayne Symphony Xmas concert), stopping once at the Charley Creek Gardens several blocks north of the hotel, eating at Eugenia's, and a long time ago visiting a bookstore, we haven't done much to explore Wabash.

Heading south on highway 15 (Cass Street in Wabash), one passes the restaurants and strip malls on the edge of town, then the road starts going downhill past some houses, churches, Carnegie library, to Market Street where the Honeywell Center is and also Charley Creek Inn and small shops, mostly made of brick. The hills "lead" down to the Wabash River.

The old downtown has some interesting murals on the sides of buildings. They are well-painted looking like real shop fronts.

This mural is on the Bradley building which houses now an espresso shop but at one time was a market. The elephant is part of the town "legends". Modoc escaped from the visiting circus in 1942 and "rampaged" through downtown, chasing off the roasted peanuts vendor and scarfing down the peanuts before charging thru the store and out a back door. Maybe you can see the little painted elephants along the curb on the sidewalk. There are some on Market (this main street) and a few on Miami Street.

You can also see in the photo above the eastern façade and entrance to Charley Creek Inn across the street from Modoc's.

Who was Charley? Charley was a chief of the Eel River group of the Miami Indians. He signed various treaties. He owned a sizable tract of land in Wabash near the creek. This property eventually was purchased by the Honeywell family. They built a large house with extensive grounds. Some of the property is now Charley Creek Gardens, open to the public to use.

The Indians were not treated well throughout Indiana history, but some of the tribe names and Indian words are enmeshed in the names of roads, parks, etc. (Potawatomi, Miami for example) of modern-day Indiana towns and state parks. 

It was a pleasant drive through small towns and the countryside to Wabash today.