Things to Do in Indiana
Ten stops running from the largest children's museum on Earth to a covered bridge county that still hosts a proper autumn festival around them.
Indiana runs on a mix most visitors don't expect, serious racing history, Amish farmland, and a stone quarry industry that ended up in the Empire State Building. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The largest sports venue in the world by seating capacity, home to the Indianapolis 500, one of the oldest and most prestigious races in motorsport. The Speedway Museum, located right on the grounds, runs year-round even outside race weekends, dozens of historic race cars on display alongside a track tour that circles the famous 2.5-mile oval.
Race day itself draws crowds well over 300,000, book accommodation months ahead if attending, though the museum and track tour work well as a considerably calmer alternative any other time of year.
Best time Late May for the Indy 500
Address 4790 W 16th St, Indianapolis, IN
Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The largest children's museum in the world, five floors of hands-on exhibits ranging from dinosaur fossils to a real 1917 carousel still in operation. Several exhibits change seasonally, check the current lineup before visiting if a specific one draws you in particularly.
This runs well for a full day rather than a quick stop, the scale alone means most families don't make it through every floor in a single visit without a proper plan.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-5pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 3000 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN
Indiana Dunes National Park
A stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline holding properly tall sand dunes, Mount Baldy among them, alongside prairie, wetland, and forest habitats all packed into a relatively compact park. The beaches here rank among the better Great Lakes swimming spots, considerably warmer by midsummer than most visitors expect from a lake this far north.
Several dune climbs run steep enough to feel like a proper workout, pace yourself, the sand shifts underfoot in a way that makes the climb harder than the distance alone suggests.
Best time June-August for swimming
Address Indiana Dunes National Park, Porter, IN
French Lick Resort
A grand early 20th-century resort built around natural mineral springs once marketed for their supposed health benefits, the springs themselves still bottled and sold as Pluto Water for decades before the practice was discontinued. The resort now runs two casinos, a historic hotel, and a scenic railway, a proper mix of old-world spa town and considerably more modern entertainment.
The West Baden Springs Hotel, part of the same wider resort, holds a domed atrium that was the largest freestanding dome in the world when built in 1902, earns a look even if you're not staying overnight.
Address 8670 W State Rd 56, French Lick, IN
Amish Country, Shipshewana
Indiana holds one of the largest Amish communities in the country, and Shipshewana sits at the centre of it, a proper flea market runs twice weekly through much of the year, alongside quilt shops and family-run restaurants serving traditional Amish cooking. Buggy tours run through the surrounding countryside, a good way to see the farmland directly rather than just the town centre.
Visit respectfully, this is a real, functioning community rather than a themed attraction, keep photography discreet around residents who generally prefer not to be photographed directly.
Best time Tuesday and Wednesday for the flea market
Address Shipshewana, IN
Conner Prairie
A living history museum recreating an 1836 Indiana village, interpreters in period dress stay fully in character throughout, running trades and daily tasks as they would have been done at the time. A hot air balloon ride, tethered rather than free-flying, adds sweeping views over the whole site for an extra fee, a properly different way to see the layout from above.
This runs particularly well for kids, hands-on activities throughout each building keep younger visitors engaged well beyond a standard museum walk-through.
Hours Seasonal, roughly April-October, check current schedule
Address 13400 Allisonville Rd, Fishers, IN
Parke County's Covered Bridges
Parke County holds more covered bridges than any other county in the country, 31 of them, most still standing from the 19th century and several still open to vehicle traffic. The Covered Bridge Festival each October draws visitors specifically for a driving tour through the countryside, autumn colour framing the bridges particularly well during this stretch.
A self-guided driving map is available year-round from the county visitor centre, pick one up even outside festival dates if the bridges themselves are the draw.
Best time Mid-October for the Covered Bridge Festival
Address Parke County, IN
Indiana State Fair
A proper agricultural fair running since the mid-19th century, livestock competitions, a full midway, and a food scene leaning heavily into deep-fried fair staples, all set in Indianapolis. The fair's butter sculpture, a life-sized dairy cow carved entirely from butter each year, remains one of the most enduring traditions on the fairgrounds.
It runs for about seventeen days each August, check current dates if a state fair is on your list, this ranks among the more historic examples still going.
Hours Early-mid August, check current dates
Address Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis, IN
Bedford's Limestone Quarries
Indiana limestone has been used in some of the country's most recognisable buildings, the Empire State Building, the Pentagon, and Washington National Cathedral all sourced their stone from quarries around Bedford. The Bedford Limestone Model, a scale replica of famous buildings constructed entirely from local limestone, sits in a small park downtown, a solid stop for the specific detail alone.
Several quarries offer tours covering the extraction and carving process, a properly interesting look at an industry that's shaped American architecture considerably more than most visitors realise.
Address Bedford, IN
Indiana's Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
A breaded, deep-fried pork tenderloin pounded thin and served on a bun considerably smaller than the meat itself, a proper Midwestern staple that Indiana takes particularly seriously among the several states that claim strong ties to the dish. Nick's Kitchen in Huntington, one of the oldest continuously operating spots serving it, claims to have invented the sandwich back in the early 1900s.
Portions run properly large, most versions hang well past the bun's edges on both sides, go in hungry rather than planning much else for the meal.
Address Nick's Kitchen, 506 N Jefferson St, Huntington, IN
Best time to visit Indiana
May through October covers the most comfortable window for the majority of this list, mild enough for the outdoor stops without winter's cold.
October specifically suits the covered bridges and the wider countryside, time a trip around the Covered Bridge Festival if autumn colour matters to you.
Getting around Indiana
A car is essential, the distances between Indianapolis, Amish country, and the southern stretch run into a couple of hours each, this is a state best covered with your own transport.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Indiana worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly for the racing history and the Amish country stretch, a state that rewards a proper look rather than a quick drive through on the way elsewhere.
- How many days do you need in Indiana?
- Five days gives a comfortable pace to cover Indianapolis, Amish country, and either French Lick or the covered bridges.
- Is Indiana expensive to visit?
- No, generally affordable, food and accommodation both run below the national average outside of Indy 500 race weekend specifically.
- What's the best Indiana trip for kids?
- The Children's Museum of Indianapolis and Conner Prairie both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state most people only associate with one race weekend a year.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
