![]() Home / U.S. State Travel Guides / U.S. Vacations / U.S. National Parks / U.S. State Highpoints / U.S. Road Trip Planning ![]() INDIANA TRAVEL GUIDE![]() ![]() ![]() Welcome to the bigroads.com travel guide to Indiana! Hopefully this page helps provide some inspiration and tips to help you plan your next trip to Indiana. Take note that I build and maintain this website as both a hobby and public service. I take joy in performing travel research and sharing my experiences and adventures. I do not make any profit from this website, and you will see no ads on it. Your constructive feedback about this site and its content is encouraged. Please email me if you have any suggestions or ideas for improvement. ![]() OVERVIEWTOP 10 ATTRACTIONS IN INDIANA✮ See the sand dunes and enjoy the beaches of Indiana Dunes National Park ✮ Peek into dozens of classic motor-homes at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart ✮ Take the kids to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, widely considered the best children's museum in the country ✮ Catch a NASCAR event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ✮ Ride the rollercoasters at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus ✮ Cycle one of Indiana's great rail trails (e.g. Monon Trail, Cardinal Greenway, etc.) ✮ Watch a college football game at Notre Dame ✮ See the beautiful waterfalls within Clifty Falls State Park ✮ Explore one of Southern Indiana's underground show caves (e.g. Marengo Cave, Indiana Caverns, etc.) ✮ Mail a letter from the Santa Claus Post Office in Santa Claus If I could select only one place to visit in Indiana, I would choose either Indianapolis for its museums and other attractions, or southern Indiana for its natural beauty. For a list of 10 great attractions in each U.S. state, click here. 5-STAR ATTRACTIONS IN INDIANANorthern Indiana (including Elkhart, Fort Wayne, Shipshewanna, and South Bend) ✮ Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, Auburn - auto museum with over 100 classic and antique vehicles ✮ Basilica of the Sacred Heart, South Bend - considered the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the U.S. ✮ Blue Gate Theatre, Shipshewanna - small but charming performance venue with musicals and concerts ✮ Casinos in northwestern Indiana - there is a cluster of casinos near Chicago (e.g. Ameristar, Caesars, Hard Rock, and Horseshoe) ✮ Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park, Shipshewanna - petting zoo and drive-thru animal park ✮ Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, Fort Wayne - one of the top 25 zoos in the U.S. ✮ Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum, Elkhart - the #1 comic book / superhero museum in the country ✮ Indiana Dunes National Park - 15-miles of beautiful beaches and sand dunes on Lake Michigan; excellent hiking trails ✮ Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton - three miles of beautiful beaches & tall sand dunes ✮ Menno-Hof Mennonite, Shipshewanna - learn about Amish and Mennonite cultures ✮ Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend - one of the premier football stadiums in the U.S. ✮ Parkview Field, Fort Wayne - one of the best minor league baseball parks in the U.S. ✮ Pokagon State Park, Angola - beautiful state park that is perhaps most famous for its winter toboggan run and CCC architecture ✮ RV/MH Hall of Fame, Elkhart - see dozens of historic and modern motor-homes (you can enter many of them) ✮ Shipshewanna Flea Market, Shipshewanna - the largest flea-market in the Midwest; open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from May through Sept ✮ Studebaker National Museum, South Bend - museum with lots of autos, wagons, carriages, & military vehicles ✮ University of Notre Dame, South Bend - one of the most attractive universities in the U.S. ✮ Washington Park, Michigan City - Lake Michigan shoreline park with 2 miles of beach, a lighthouse, zoo, and more ✮ Wellfield Botanic Gardens, Elkhart - 20 themed botanical gardens on 36 acres Central Indiana (including Bloomington and Nashville; see below for Indianapolis) ✮ Bridgeton Covered Bridge, Rockville - 267-foot long red-painted covered bridge ✮ Brown County State Park, Nashville - scenic vistas from rugged hills and ridges; great hiking, mtn biking & horseback trails; rustic lodge ✮ Cardinal Greenway - this fully paved 62-mile trail has two distinct sections; this trail is often rated one of the best rail trails in the U.S. ✮ Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, Jennings Township - two of Indiana's best waterfalls (Lower and Upper Falls) ✮ Conner Prairie, Fishers - recreates Indiana-life in the 19th century ✮ Exit 76 Antique Mall, Edinburgh - one of the largest antique malls in the Midwest ✮ eXplore Brown County at Valley Branch Retreat, Nashville - nature center with zip-lining, paint-ball, and ATV/ORV tours ✮ Grannie's Cookie Jars & Ice Cream Parlor, Metamora - famous ice cream shop surrounded by the largest collection of cookie jars in the world ✮ Indiana Zipline Tours, Crawfordsville - excellent zip-lining tours ✮ Lanier Mansion State Historic Site, Madison - the best of Madison's historic homes; Greek Revival architecture ✮ Model T Ford Museum, Richmond - roughly a dozen Ford Model T vehicles plus other historic vehicles and exhibits ✮ Monon Trail - continuous, fully paved rail that travels for 27 miles from Indianapolis to Sheridan; one of the best rail trails in the U.S. ✮ Turkey Run State Park, Marshall - widely considered one of Indiana's best state parks; interesting geology, great hiking trails, and more ✮ WonderLab Science Museum, Bloomington - two floor hands-on science center Indianapolis ✮ Central Canal - attractive urban walking trails along a water canal; swan boat rides ✮ Children's Museum of Indianapolis - arguably the #1 children's museum in the U.S. ✮ Col. E. Lilly Civil War Museum / Monument Circle - impressive 284-foot tall monument that offers good views ✮ Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art - great Native American museum full of art and other exhibits ✮ Go Ape Zipline & Adventure Park - excellent zip-lining and aerial adventure park ✮ Indiana Medical History Museum - one of the best psychiatric medical research museums in the country ✮ Indiana State Museum - exhibits focused on the science, art, culture, and history of Indiana ✮ Indianapolis 500 (event) - famous NASCAR event that is typically held in late May ✮ Indianapolis Motor Speedway - one of the most famous NASCAR tracks in the U.S. ✮ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum - car racing museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ✮ Indianapolis Museum of Art @ Newfields - one of the top 25 art museums in the U.S. ✮ Indianapolis Zoo - the second best zoo in Indiana ✮ Lucas Oil Stadium - home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team ✮ Tibbs Drive-in Theatre - surviving drive-in movie theater ✮ Victory Field - one of the best minor league baseball parks in the U.S. ✮ Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park @ Newfields - sculpture park and green space with hiking and biking trails ✮ White River State Park - urban green space in downtown Indianapolis with walking trails, zoo, theater, and other attractions Southern Indiana (including Evansville and Santa Claus) ✮ Bluespring Caverns, Bedford - underground boat tours through the longest known subterranean river in the U.S. ✮ Boat tours in Madison - e.g. jet boat tours and riverboat tours on the Ohio River ✮ Clifty Falls State Park, Madison - features several waterfalls, rugged canyons, and sheer cliffs ✮ Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Santa Claus - Indiana's best amusement park; many great rollercoasters and a large water park ✮ Indiana Caverns, Corydon - excellent underground cave tours, including a kayaking option; zip-lining is also offered above the cave ✮ Lark Valley Ziplines, Shoals - excellent zip-lining tours ✮ Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Lincoln City - preserved farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived for 14 years ✮ Marengo Cave, Marengo - excellent guided cave tours through a privately owned cave ✮ Santa Claus - a small Xmas-loving town that includes several Santa-themed attractions plus the Holiday World Theme Park & Splashin' Safari ✮ Santa Claus Post Office, Santa Claus - mail a letter and get it stamped with a Santa Claus postmark; a large Santa statue is out front ✮ Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell - take a guided boat tour through a cave; the state park also has a historic pioneer village and hiking trails ✮ U.S.S. LST Ship Memorial, Evansville - visit a decommissioned World War II U.S. Navy landing ship tank ✮ West Baden Springs Hotel, West Baden Springs - a massive historic hotel with a spa, championship golf course, fine dining, and more Are you aware of any other 5-star attractions in Indiana? If so, please email me at gparsons66@hotmail.com. For a list of 5-star attractions in neighboring states, click on any of these links: IL | KY | MI | OH BEST TOWNS & CITIES TO VISIT IN INDIANA✮ Angola - a small city featuring Civil War history and many historic buildings; close to Pokagon State Park ✮ French Lick/West Baden Springs - a small town famous for its mineral springs and hotels (e.g. French Lick Springs); close to Spring Mill SP ✮ Indianapolis - the largest city in Indiana is famous for its many excellent museums and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ✮ Madison - a small city with a large historic district filled with many shops and local restaurants ✮ Nashville - a small town with an attractive historic district that includes many boutique shops and art galleries; close to Brown County SP ✮ Santa Claus - a small Xmas-loving town that includes several Santa-themed attractions plus the Holiday World Theme Park & Splashin' Safari ✮ Shipshewanna - a small town with Dutch/Amish cultural attractions; includes the Midwest's Largest Flea Market and the Blue Gate Theatre My favorite city in Indiana is Indianapolis - I recommend that first-time visitors spend at least 2 nights here Click here if you'd like to see a complete list of towns and cities that I find interesting across the entire U.S. WHAT IS INDIANA FAMOUS FOR?✮ agricultural industries (e.g. corn) ✮ automotive industry ✮ covered bridges ✮ farms ✮ museums ✮ NASCAR events ✮ nature preserves (there are nearly 300 of them in the state) ✮ sand dunes ✮ show caves Click here if you'd like to explore what other U.S. states are famous for. NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIANANational Parks ✮ Indiana Dunes National Park - 15-miles of beautiful beaches and sand dunes on Lake Michigan; excellent hiking trails National Forests ✮ Hoosier National Forest National Historical Parks / Other National Parks & Properties ✮ George Rogers Clark National Historical Park ✮ Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail ✮ Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial For more information on Indiana's national parks, visit the Indiana page of the National Park Service. For an overview of all U.S. national parks, click here. STATE PARKS IN INDIANANorthern Indiana (including Elkhart, Fort Wayne, Shipshewanna, and South Bend) ✮ Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton - three miles of beautiful beaches & tall sand dunes ✮ Pokagon State Park, Angola - beautiful state park that is perhaps most famous for its winter toboggan run and CCC architecture Central Indiana (including Bloomington and Nashville; see below for Indianapolis) ✮ Brown County State Park, Nashville - scenic vistas from rugged hills and ridges; great hiking, mtn biking & horseback trails; rustic lodge ✮ Turkey Run State Park, Marshall - widely considered one of Indiana's best state parks; interesting geology, great hiking trails, and more Southern Indiana (including Evansville and Santa Claus) ✮ Clifty Falls State Park, Madison - features several waterfalls, rugged canyons, and sheer cliffs ✮ Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell - take a guided boat tour through a cave; the state park also has a historic pioneer village and hiking trails To see my list of the top 100 state parks in the country, click here. BEST WATERFALLS IN INDIANA
|
|