Guide · Indiana
Indiana, worth the detour.
38 hand-picked stops that never make the highway signs — the hidden gems, offbeat landmarks, and overlooked museums locals send you to, each with the story behind it and why it’s worth leaving the interstate.
Roadside Americana
4 stops in Indiana.
Mulberry tree growing from the courthouse clock tower since the 1870s; Ripley's-famous.
Fair Oaks FarmsWorking mega-dairy agritourism stop: birthing barn, Dairy/Pig Adventures, farm restaurant — the marquee I-65 stop.
Indiana Beach1926 lakeside amusement park on Lake Shafer, celebrating its centennial in 2026; seasonal.
Shipshewana Flea MarketMidwest's largest flea market (Tue-Wed, seasonal) in Amish country.
Outdoors
10 stops in Indiana.
Indiana's largest state park - ridge-top vistas, fire tower, and fall-color hollows dubbed the Little Smokies.
Brum WoodsEighty wooded acres hold several miles of city-maintained hiking and biking loops, with individual routes short enough for a road-break walk. It is useful and route-direct near I-74, though less iconic than the corridor's major anchors.
Clark State Forest — White Oak Nature Preserve TrailThis easy 0.9-mile loop moves from dry white-oak uplands into a cooler Wolf Run drainage, with hickories, native pines, seasonal wildflowers, and traces of CCC history. Its trailhead is only minutes from I-65.
DePauw Nature ParkA reclaimed limestone quarry anchors 520 acres and 8.4 miles of trails, with quarry-floor and rim routes providing distinctive views. Greencastle is a modest intentional detour north of I-70 rather than an exit-side stop.
Dobbs Memorial Park Native American MuseumThree miles of trails cross restored wetlands, pine woods, older forest, and a state nature preserve, while the onsite museum focuses on Northeast Woodlands cultures. Indoor schedules conflict across official materials, so call ahead if the museum matters.
Falls of the Ohio State Park390-million-year-old Devonian fossil beds exposed in the riverbed below the McAlpine Dam; interpretive center.
Hayes ArboretumOld-growth woods, pollinator prairie, ponds and wetlands, a nature playscape, and a seasonal auto tour give travelers several ways to reset. The main visitor network advertises 330 acres and 16 trail miles within 466 protected acres overall.
Muscatatuck National Wildlife RefugeA four-mile wildlife auto tour passes marsh overlooks, while the adjacent quarter-mile Chestnut Ridge Interpretive Trail is paved and accessible. The visitor center adds exhibits, an orientation film, bird-viewing room, and restrooms.
Wabashiki Fish & Wildlife Area — Dewey PointDewey Point provides an observation area, kayak launch, and access to a marked seven-mile route through Wabash River wetlands and bottomland forest. Spring turkey season restricts non-hunting access before 1 p.m.
Wolf ParkWolf research/education facility since 1972; guided visits with ambassador wolves, foxes, and bison.
Culture
21 stops in Indiana.
This volunteer museum tells the former Atterbury Army Air Field and Bakalar Air Force Base story through wartime artifacts and locally rooted aviation history. A restored C-119 Flying Boxcar, F-4 display, and memorial promenade give the small museum real outdoor presence.
Boone County Courthouse1911 Classical Revival courthouse with 35-foot monolithic limestone columns.
Camp Atterbury Museum and Outdoor MuseumThe free museum traces the installation from its pre-base landscape through World War II and later deployments using uniforms, photographs, papers, and artifacts. Outside, military equipment and the Veterans Memorial complex extend the visit without entering the active base.
Charlestown State Park — Rose Island Loop TrailCross the reconstructed Portersville Bridge to the remains of a 1920s amusement park destroyed after the 1937 flood. The 0.9-mile ruins loop requires a steep, rugged 0.6-mile approach each way on Trail 3.
Columbus Area Visitors Center (architecture tours)Base camp for touring the modernist mecca - 90+ buildings by Saarinen, Pei, and Venturi in a town of 50,000.
Forks of the WabashMiami Nation treaty grounds and canal-era park at the confluence of the Wabash and Little rivers, in Huntington, IN.
Fort OuiatenonReconstructed blockhouse marking Indiana's first European settlement (1717); NHL preserve.
General Lew Wallace Study & MuseumThe domed 1895 study where Civil War general Lew Wallace wrote Ben-Hur, the best-selling American novel of the 19th century.
Grissom Air MuseumOutdoor lineup of 28 military aircraft, including a B-58, beside Grissom Air Reserve Base.
International Circus Hall of FameCircus winter-quarters National Historic Landmark buildings in Peru, IN, with original wagons and memorabilia from the American Circus Corporation era; open May-Oct, Wed-Sat.
Menno-HofAmish/Mennonite interpretive center explaining the communities you're driving through.
Milan '54 Hoosiers MuseumThe museum preserves the story and artifacts of the 161-student Milan High School team that won Indiana's 1954 state championship and inspired Hoosiers, including a major collection from the film. Milan is an intentional sports-history detour south of I-74.
Museum at Lassen's Resort + Steamer DeweyResort-era lake museum with rides on a 1915 steamboat; 2026 season runs May-Oct (steamboat Wednesdays June 10-Sept 23).
Notre Dame GrottoLourdes grotto replica and lakeside campus walk at Notre Dame.
Rotary Jail MuseumRare surviving rotary jail - a two-story, 30-ton rotating cellblock of sixteen wedge-shaped cells; the county jail from 1881 to 1973.
RV/MH Hall of FameRV industry shrine in the RV capital; vintage trailers from 1913 on.
Studebaker National MuseumStudebaker's corporate collection: wagons to Avanti, plus presidential carriages.
T.C. Steele State Historic SiteHouse of the Singing Winds - the 1907 home, studio and gardens of Hoosier impressionist T.C. Steele, in the hills that inspired his paintings.
Tippecanoe Battlefield & Museum1811 battlefield National Historic Landmark with museum and 96-acre grounds.
Whitewater Canal State Historic SiteWorking 1840s canal town: horse-drawn boat rides, grist mill, and the only surviving covered wooden aqueduct in the US.
Wilbur Wright Birthplace MuseumA re-created birthplace home is joined by a full-size 1903 Wright Flyer replica, early research wind tunnel, reproduced Kill Devil Hills shelter and bicycle shop, and an outdoor F-84. The compact campus makes the aviation story more tangible than a local-history room.
Family
1 stop in Indiana.
Food
2 stops in Indiana.
Plan the Indiana trip
Hidden gems, scenic drives, hikes — all in one Indiana guide.
See everything worth the detour in Indiana, then let Roamward build the trip around it. Know a Indiana spot we’re missing? Tell us — we’re building this with the people who actually drive it.