Thanks to a gift certificate from my in-laws, mr_chelledun and I spent a night this weekend at the Clifty Inn located in Clifty Falls State Park. This Madison, Indiana inn is a great place to stay while enjoying a visit to the park or the surrounding area. It is also a great place to do absolutely nothing, which we spent a decent part of our visit doing.

The hotel has only 64 rooms, so you will want to book well ahead. We had trouble picking a weekend despite trying for a room months in advance. Rates fluctuate depending on the season and the type of room. Parking is free and available at the Inn.

Our Room
We had a basic Parkview room with two queen beds, which suited us just fine. Pretty much all the rooms have two beds except for those reserved as ADA accessible and some of the suites. We paid $85 for our visit during peak time. On the whole, I was extremely impressed with our room. The decor is very “woodsy” but also modern. Tasteful accents are done in earth tones. Our bed was quite comfortable, with three light layers of bedding for an ideal temperature. The room had a chair and ottoman, a dresser, television, night stand, and many different lamps. Everything looked very new.

The bathroom was equally nice, and the rustic theme was carried on there. There were brown marble-looking counters and some “woodsy” toiletries. I liked the wrought iron towel bars in the bathroom, and the adorable leaf-shaped soap dish. The tub was larger than average with a cute shower curtain with little moose on it. Water pressure rated about average. Everything was shockingly clean and there was a lot of attention to detail. This was one of the nicest hotel rooms I have ever stayed in.

The Lobby
The woodsy theme carries over to the Clifty Inn’s public areas. There are lots of comfy lounges to sit in, and rustic woods and fabrics everywhere. My only complaint is the over-the-top use of stuffed animals. And by that, I mean dead animals. A beautiful wolf is enclosed in one coffee table, an otter in another. There were bear skin rugs hanging out of several canoes. I am not all that squeamish about hunting but in a park dedicated to the love of nature, these items seemed a little disrespectful and out of place. The weirdest thing was the two giant fake beavers made out of who-knows-what. They were as tall as me! Once I got over the dead animals, though, I really liked the public areas. Plenty of games are available for guests to enjoy. We sat and played checkers during our peaceful evening at the lodge. There is also an arcade off the lobby with a half dozen video games.

Also in the main area of the lodge are a couple of gift shops. One offers toiletries and inexpensive souvenirs. This was a good place to find some cheap aspirin, a flashlight, or some skittles. The other shop offers more expensive souvenir items. These included little wood knick knacks and clocks.

Be sure to spend some time outside the Inn if you visit. There are a variety of seating areas overlooking the river and the town of Madison. We saw dozens of folks playing cards, sitting and chatting, and enjoying the warm weather. It was highly relaxing.

The Pool
If sunbathing is your goal, Clifty Falls State Park has a public outdoor pool with a nice slide. The Clifty Inn, however, has a pretty awesome indoor pool. It is set in fake rock and has a wheelchair access ramp and basketball hoop. Only a few guests were using it during our stay. A large hot tub is also available next to the pool, and it was empty every time we walked by. The pool room is open pretty late, but unfortunately it did not open early enough for us to enjoy it in the morning before heading home. I believe the hours were 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. For those who are watching instead of swimming, plenty of seating was available alongside the pool.

The Food
Food is provided most of the day at the Clifty Falls Restaurant. We ate both a dinner and a lunch at this restaurant. While a menu is available for all meals, most folks do the buffet, us included. I don’t typically like a buffet, but this was a very good one. Dinner cost $10.00 per person and included ribs, chicken, prime rib, mashed potatoes, and more. Breakfast, at $8.00 per person, was even better. I stuffed myself on eggs, bacon, potatoes, french toast sticks, biscuits and gravy, and the like. The service is relatively slow, but the restaurant provides a relaxing atmosphere and we had a wonderful view at both meals. This is really a great value for a hungry family.

If you tire of eating in the hotel’s restaurant, nearby Madison houses a lot of quaint restaurants with affordable price. I can personally recommend the Red Pepper. This deli style restaurant was very inexpensive and the menu included many different home made salads and sandwiches. There are also a couple of not-to-be missed chocolate and popcorn shops in the downtown area if you are craving something sweet.

The Park
The major reason to stay at the Clifty Inn is to enjoy the surrounding park. This park is known for its falls, although when we visited they unfortunately did not have a lot of water coming from them. Tunnel Falls is the biggest and the best bet to see at least a trickle. The trail system here is advertised as being the most rigorous in the state, and I can certainly believe that after three hours of hiking at Clifty Park. We tried everything from a “moderate” trail to a “very rugged” trail and got quite a workout. To even attempt some of these trails, you really need to be in pretty good shape. One of the park’s highlights is an old railroad tunnel. You can sometimes see bats within, but bring a flashlight or it is too dark to even pass through.

The Staff
For reasons I do not understand, the staff at the Clifty Inn was almost uniformly grumpy, whether we encountered them at the restaurant, gift shop, or front desk. When we first mentioned early check-in, we were shooed away and told that would be absolutely impossible. The employee did not even offer to take our name. She also had no suggestion as to where to eat in the area, which I found surprising once I realized how many nice restaurants were available downtown. It actually turned out that there were rooms available at least an hour early.

The staff at the restaurant was similarly surly. We waited for a very long time behind a large party just to get a table for the buffet, despite the fact that there were many available. Our waitress gave us a “sigh” when we asked for water. After dinner, a lady in one of the gift shops scolded us for trying to check out there, because she had “already shut down the register.” Apparently after a certain time purchases need to be made at the check-in desk. None of these little incidents were particularly heinous, but added together they produced an aura of crankiness. We didn’t run into a single staff member who I would classify as friendly or chatty.

Overall…
We had a very nice, relaxing stay at the Clifty Inn in Madison. The facilities are very attractive and well maintained. This is a great place to relax and enjoy nature a little bit. I could do without some of the stuffed animals, however they were actually a bit friendlier than the employees. On the whole, though, I would return here again if I am ever in the area. Thanks for the gift certificate, mom and dad-in law!

*Heading to northern Indiana instead? Head to Potowatomi Inn in Angola, IN.

Recommended: Yes