Travel guide for planning a vacation or trip to Indiana, with tourist attractions such as museums, events and festivals for the most visited cities and towns in the state.
Just what is a Hoosier? Some residents of Indiana will tell you it is a variation of the last name of the foreman of an Indiana canal construction crew with a reputation all along the Erie Canal. The more feisty Indiana residents will tell you Hoosier comes from the wrestling reputation of the Indiana frontiersmen who asked after a rowdy Saturday night, "Whose ear?!" when they were sweeping up the next morning. The truth is probably the first story, but the second is a good tale. Hoosiers enjoy a good story!
Indiana is called the Crossroads of the United States. The Lincoln Highway stretches out east to west and there is one major transportation route from north to south. The other roads are well paved and perfect for a ramble into small towns that look like they were frozen in time from the 1940s. Don't expect coffee shops with wireless internet along the side roads, but do expect a unique rural traveling experience.
Museums
The Children's Museum in Indianapolis is one of the largest children's museum in the country. Interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, theater, multimedia and hands-on craft displays are available every day. An IMAX theater is located on the museum grounds.
The Studebaker Museum is located in South Bend, Indiana and has a huge display of autos and artifacts. Dine in the remodeled cafeteria at the factory site. Even casual car fans will enjoy the displays.
A half-hour north of Fort Wayne on Route 30 you'll find one of the country's largest auto museums and the largest museum of World War II transportation vehicles and artifacts in the United States. You can't miss the Kruse museum; it is directly across the road from one of the country's largest public auto auction arenas.
Events
The most famous Indiana event is the Indianapolis 500 auto race held since 1911 at the Speedway. The actual structure was built in 1909, but has undergone significant restoration to meet safety requirements. The Indiana State Fair is held in permanent exhibit halls on the north side of Indianapolis. The Indianapolis African Unity Festival and Cultural Celebration is held in late July. The Blues, Jazz and Fine Arts Festival in held in Munster in early July. Delphi, Indiana celebrates Canal Days at the beginning of July at the Erie and Wabash Park. Where else but in Indiana would you find the Pierogi Festival. Whiting, Indiana is the host at the end of July. The Festival's motto is "We're stuffed with Fun!"
Towns and Cities
Indianapolis is the capital of the state and has undergone major changes over the last fifteen years transforming the downtown to a walking city. At night horse drawn carriages take visitors throughout the downtown.
Brown County and Nashville is known today as the art center of the Midwest. Each summer art galleries and bed and breakfasts open in the county. Art classes and shows are offered during each month. Check online for the Hoosier Salon exhibits to see the finest in watercolor and oil paintings on display.
Peru, Indiana was the winter home to the Ben E. Wallace Circus. The circus was taken over by the American Circus Corporation and then the Ringling Brothers Circus. Each July the town turns out for the eight-day Circus City Festival that includes the second largest parade in the state, but any week visitors can see the displays at the Circus Hall of Fame Museum located on the edge of the city.
Michigan City was a bustling city in northwestern Indiana before the turn of the century. Trolley cars rushed through the main streets delivering workers to the factories that lined the streets. The remaining rail today is the Southshore Line that runs from South Bend, Indiana into Chicago. The fares are reasonable and it is easy to catch a ride on the Southshore in Michigan City. Walk or cycle along Lake Michigan in the spring through summer months. The Dunes are a must see. Leave your car in South Bend and take the Southshore, or drive directly into the Dunes State Park. The site was a popular resort until the 1920s.
Bloomington is the home to the main campus of Indiana University. The historic downtown has bookstores, antique stores and restaurants filled with college students. The local historical society offers guided walking tours of the historic town.
The town of Grabil has a wooden sidewalk in the downtown and a three story, block-wide antique market. The local hardware store features some unusual items including a wood-burning powered heater and a hand cranked generator attached to a wringer washing machine. These are products sold to the local Amish residents. The only restaurant in the tiny town is located off the main street and serves Amish cooking every day. Breakfast features freshly made biscuits and gravy and dessert is served with each meal. Homemade pies, with filling centers made from local crops. If you have not tasted rhubarb pie, this is the place for your first piece of rhubarb pie!
Fort Wayne, in northeast Indiana just 20 minutes from the Ohio state line, is the second largest city in the state. The original fort is long gone but the city is located on the strategic vantage points of the junction of the three rivers: the Maumee, the St. Mary's and the Wabash Rivers. The downtown hosts the Three Rivers Festival over one week every July. The festival has food and music and is open free to the public. Local lore claims that John Dillinger and his gang hung out at local bars in the Bloomingdale district of Fort Wayne. One of Dillinger's gang members is buried in the Lindenwood Cemetery located on Jefferson Boulevard on the southwest side of town. Civil war actors create famous battles from the Civil War in October of each year in the city parks in the Fort Wayne area. The city is the birthplace of Carole Lombard and a bridge off Washington Boulevard is named in her honor.
Huntington is the home to the Chief Richardsville museum and historic site. Summer events are held at the reconstructed home site. The Chief represented the Miami Nation in negotiating treaties. Eventually most of the Miami Nation was removed to Indian Country in Oklahoma, but many of the native French speaking Indians cut a deal to remain on their land. Huntington is also home to the only Museum of the Vice-Presidents. Indiana is the birthplace to four individuals who have held the second highest office in the United States and this museum has artifacts from each person.
Indiana was admitted into the United States in December 1816, and today over six million residents call Indiana home. The three largest city centers in Indianapolis, Gary and Fort Wayne offer year-round entertainment at museums and festivals, visitors can also enjoy themselves by taking time to explore the rural roads and towns, especially in September when the fall colors are at their fullest.
