French Lick · $$$$$ — Mountaintop major-test views
Road trips · Indiana
Indiana road trips & hidden gems.
Indiana runs from Lake Michigan dunes to limestone country and the rolling Brown County hills that blaze in fall. The Indy 500 owns May; autumn owns the south. Crossroads of America, quietly scenic.
Happening in Indiana
Indianapolis 500
Barely two dozen marquee events hit the whole country in a year — and Indiana has one this May. Roamward builds the trip around it: the scenic route in, the detours worth a slack day, and when rooms sell out.
Prime planning windowPlan the trip around it →
Best time to visitFall (Brown County color)
Don’t missThe Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan
Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates
Hikes10 curated
Scenic drives1
Worth-the-detour corridors
Drives through Indiana
Ranked city-to-city drives that cross Indiana — each with honest +N min detours on the shelf.
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum
A mile-long forest path winds past 100-plus oversized metal sculptures across 50 acres near Solsberry in southwest Indiana, free to roam — and some summer nights you catch a molten-iron pour.
West Baden Springs HotelThis grand old resort near French Lick hides a six-story domed atrium that was the largest free-span dome on earth when built — non-guests can walk in or take a tour just to stand under it.
Marengo CaveA National Natural Landmark in the hills of southern Indiana, running guided tours past dripstone formations and crystal-lined chambers nearly every day of the year.
Wolf ParkOn 78 acres of restored prairie outside Lafayette in west-central Indiana, you can watch resident wolves, foxes, and bison up close — time it for a Saturday Howl Night and howl back at the pack.
Three Dune ChallengeAt Indiana Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan, this rugged 1.5-mile trail hauls you up the state's three tallest sand dunes for 552 feet of climbing and big-water views.
Bluespring CavernsNear Bedford, you board a small boat and glide along the underground Myst'ry River, one of the longest navigable cave streams in the U.S., past blind cavefish and salamanders in total darkness.
Worth traveling for
Events that put Indiana on the calendar.
The big ones
National parks in Indiana.
The bucket-list landscapes — when to go and what not to miss.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in Indiana.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
Showing General guide and Scenic routes highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.
Scenic drives
Scenic routes through Indiana.
More worth the detour
The general guide to Indiana.
Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.
Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum
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.
Brown County State ParkIndiana'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.
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.
Boots on
Best hikes in Indiana.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Brown County (Hesitation Point)
ridgetop views in Indiana’s "Little Smokies"
Cataract Fallsthe largest waterfall by volume in Indiana
Charles Deam (Hickory Ridge)forested ridges and a fire tower
Clifty Fallsa canyon of waterfalls above the Ohio River
Indiana Dunes (3 Dune Challenge)three steep dunes over Lake Michigan
McCormicks Creek Fallsa limestone canyon and falls in Indiana’s first state park
Raise a glass
Breweries, distilleries & wineries in Indiana.
The trip-worthy taprooms, distilleries, and wine country.
18th Street Brewery
a bold Region brewery known for big stouts and street-art branding.
Hotel Tango Distillerya veteran-owned Fountain Square craft distillery.
Oliver WineryIndiana’s largest winery, with landscaped grounds for tastings.
Sun King BrewingIndy’s flagship brewery (Sunlight Cream Ale) with a downtown taproom.
Three Floyds Brewinga cult brewpub (Zombie Dust) and the Dark Lord Day pilgrimage.
Upland Brewinga Bloomington brewpub with a celebrated sour-ale program.
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in Indiana.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
Anyetsang's Little Tibet
Fourth Street's only Tibetan restaurant, family-run by a former monk refugee who once hosted the Dalai Lama, serving momos and thukpa.
FARMbloomingtonChef-driven Midwestern restaurant celebrating Indiana ingredients with local and organic produce turned into dynamic, flavorful heartland dishes downtown.
Kimu Asian RestaurantFourth Street kitchen serving traditional Burmese specialties alongside noodle plates and rice dishes in Bloomington's famed international dining corridor.
Mother Bear's PizzaFamily-owned campus institution since 1973 famous for pan pizza with a buttery crust, drawing generations of Indiana University students and locals.
Nick's English HutIconic IU tavern since 1927 wrapped in Cream and Crimson memorabilia, home of the Sink the Biz game and hearty pub fare.
Gastro 49 Pub & EateryCraft beer, burgers, and pub plates minutes from the park entrances, giving Indiana Dunes a proper casual dinner option beyond beach snacks.
On two wheels (road)
Best cycling in Indiana.
Scenic road rides, iconic climbs, and car-free rail-trails.
Sand & surf
Best beaches in Indiana.
Family sand, surf breaks, wild shores — find your vibe.
Chasing water
Best waterfalls in Indiana.
From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.
Williamsport Falls
Indiana’s tallest, right beside a small town (seasonal flow).
Cataract Fallsthe largest fall by volume in Indiana, with a covered bridge nearby.
Clifty Fallsa tall seasonal fall in a deep canyon above the Ohio River.
Cascade Falls (McCormick’s Creek)a limestone tiered fall in Indiana’s first state park.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in Indiana.
Indianapolis · $$$$ — Four holes inside the Speedway
West Lafayette · $$$ — Pete Dye on the Purdue campus
French Lick · $$$ — 1917 Ross, restored to glory
Noblesville · $$$ — Hell's worth of bunkers
Jasper · $$$ — Waterfalls and rolling hills
Plan the Indiana trip
Get the scenic route, the stops, and the timing.
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Where to stay
Find a place to stay near Indiana.
Hotels, cabins, and rentals close to the action — compare and book for your trip.
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