Top 10 Historic Sites in Indiana, United States

November 30, 2021 Kaleigh Reichenbach

With beaches, boating, and salmon fishing in Michigan City and Gary bordering Lake Michigan, there is more to Indiana than might appear at first glance. The agricultural heartland even has cross country skiing and snowmobiling to go with the Cornball Express. Southwest Indiana near Evansville is renowned for the well-preserved Native American Angel Mounds State Historic Site. The largest city and state capital is famous worldwide for its Indianapolis 500 race. Even locals living in the suburbs often overlook the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Eiteljorg Museum, NCAA Hall of Champions, the old Union Station museum cluster, and downtown Canal Walk, to name but a few landmarks. South Bend is synonymous with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Forested Nashville’s art colony fame dates to the early 1900s when Impressionist Theodore Clement Steele overwintered in The House of the Singing Winds. It is now the T.C. Steele State Historic Site. View paintings and sculpture at the I.M. Pei-designed Indiana University Museum of Art. Attend an IU sports event or an opera, ballet, concert, or theater performance. Treat the family to The Little Nashville Opry or The Bill Monroe Bluegrass Park. For healing mineral springs, head south to Orange County, Indiana’s spa resort center.

Enjoy golf, fishing, boating, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and ice skating in the nation’s agricultural heartland. Monticello and Rensselaer are west of Logansport and north of Lafayette. Take the family on the Cornball Express and Hoosier Hurricane at the Indiana Beach Amusement Resort in Monticello. Play boardwalk carnival games, or let the kids loose on the go-carts. Pile the family into their vehicles for an old-fashioned movie experience at Monticello’s Lake Shore Drive-In. Indulge in a weekend dinner boat cruise to hot band sounds as the Madam Carroll plies Lake Freeman.


Restaurants in Indiana

1. Johnson County Superior Court Building

5 E Jefferson St, Franklin, IN 46131-2320 +1 317-346-4413
Excellent
83%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
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5.0 based on 6 reviews

Johnson County Superior Court Building

2. The Miller House and Garden

506 5th St, Columbus, IN 47201-6225 http://columbus.in.us/miller-house-and-garden-tour/
Excellent
87%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
2%
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5.0 based on 189 reviews

The Miller House and Garden

The Miller House and Garden is accessible by guided tour only. Tours are scheduled March - December. The property is closed January - February for conversation work. The 1957 Miller House and Garden showcases the work of leading 20th-century architects and designers Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard, and Dan Kiley. In 2000, the Miller House and Garden was awarded National Historic Landmark status. The Miller House is only accessible on guided tours because it is located in a private residential neighborhood. Tours begin and end at The Columbus Area Visitors Center, 506 Fifth Street (not at the house). The tour is oriented to adults and children over 10 – please note only children over 10 are allowed on the tour and all guests must purchase a ticket.

Reviewed By StaunchCharacter

The Miller House is a gem and must-see for anyone who appreciates mid-century modern and/or the perfect artistic expression of wholistic architectural design - where the house design, siting and interior design elements all perfectly achieve the client's personality and needs. The home is one of the best examples of this type of architecture. It had the perfect marriage of client and architects and now its stewards are doing a great job keeping it in tip-top shape and relevant. The tour operations are smooth. At check-in we were greeted with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable top-level employee and then presented with a helpful and insightful video introduction. A short and comfortable bus ride to the property was followed by a relatively leisurely and immersive house tour experience. The group size was just right and we were given ample opportunity to photograph to our heart's content in certain spaces. A very enjoyable experience that I recommend whole-heartedly.

3. Kosciusko County Courthouse

121 N Lake St, Warsaw, IN 46580-2783 +1 574-269-1078 https://kosciuskohistory.com/history_post/kosciusko-county-courthouse/
Excellent
100%
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5.0 based on 3 reviews

Kosciusko County Courthouse

Reviewed By johnjs192

Terrific looking Kosciusko county courthouse, see it lit up at night. Beautiful! Drive around and see it from all 4 sides or better yet, park and walk kt.

4. Historic District

Madison, IN +1 800-559-2956 http://visitmadison.org
Excellent
64%
Good
26%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
2%
Terrible
3%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 281 reviews

Historic District

The area along First, Second and Third Streets is home to many of the town's restored pre-Civil War houses.

Reviewed By jgbtravels - Louisville, United States

A couple of years ago there were some empty storefronts but now there seems to be some nice new places to shop. We love going to Madison and browsing the cute shops there. It’s especially nice in the fall and Christmas as the decorations are special. Shop owners/staff are very friendly and helpful and of course we came away with some purchases. I believe there area at least 3 coffee shops on Main Street. That’s unusual for a small town. Architecturally it’s a great town and very historic. Do check out the new McWhiggin’s Wonder Emporium which is quite unique for a town it’s size.

5. Indianapolis Museum of Art

4000 Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46208-4196 +1 317-923-1331 http://www.imamuseum.org
Excellent
75%
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20%
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3%
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4.5 based on 1,446 reviews

Indianapolis Museum of Art

With a collection of more than 54,000 works of art, an early-20th-century estate, 152 acres of gardens and grounds, including an outdoor art and nature park, the IMA campus offers experiences that feed both the heart and mind.

Reviewed By 732lancel - Denver, United States

IMA has an excellent and very large collection. I focused on the contemporary and modern collection and was very impressed. What is exceptional about IMA, is that in addition to the main complex, the museum is situated on 100 acres of park, including sculpture gardens, AND the Lilly country home, with extensive formal and informal gardens. What a treat!!!!!

6. Conner Prairie

13400 Allisonville Rd, Fishers, IN 46038-4499 +1 317-776-6000 [email protected] http://www.connerprairie.org
Excellent
78%
Good
15%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
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4.5 based on 541 reviews

Conner Prairie

A Smithsonian Affiliated Museum, that uses innovative ways to present History, Nature, Art, and Science.

Reviewed By Onlythebest4usall - New York City, United States

This is a unique museum where children and adults are able to experience how life was in the 1800s. Children saw the farm animals, rode a hot air balloon to see the beautiful landscape around, ate huge candied apples, saw carpenters at work, and were surrounded by staff dressed and reenacting how American life and life of Lenape Indians were in the past. Every building was modeled under a different tradesperson such as baker carpenter metalworker farmer school teacher etc. Conner Prairie is unique in which even the employees were dressed in costumes and had numerous interactive activities for our children. Most importantly was the Apple Store where we purchased the most delicious apple products. My children loved their cider slushies and airport staff screened our giant candied apples twice. Glad they didn't try to confiscate it for their own consumption. Yes it is astonishingly huge and they looked and tasted delicious! No textbook can ever replace this experience. My children was learning about history and having a wonderful time.

7. Lanier Mansion State Historic Site

Madison, IN +1 812-265-3526 http://www.indianamuseum.org/explore/lanier-mansion
Excellent
72%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
3%
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4.5 based on 229 reviews

Lanier Mansion State Historic Site

Tour this sprawling home on the Ohio River, the site of a heroic story that's still impacting Indiana today, and one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the Midwest. This location is part of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, a statewide museum system with 12 locations.

Reviewed By MaryNell360

Even in February, it was a great tour! Very knowledgeable guide, exquisitely renovated and beautiful location facing the banks of the Ohio River. We drove around the historic district after the tour, then headed to the frozen waterfalls at very nearby Clifty Falls State Park. Great day!

8. Indiana Theatre

683 Ohio St, Terre Haute, IN 47807-3525 +1 812-232-8076 [email protected] http://www.indianatheater.com/
Excellent
71%
Good
22%
Satisfactory
4%
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4.5 based on 69 reviews

Indiana Theatre

This iconic Terre Haute landmark opened on January 28, 1922, and occupies a special place in American theatre architecture design. The Theatre was built by Terre Haute resident T.W. Barhydt to be a lasting gift to the city of Terre Haute and it was designed by America’s preeminent designer John Eberson to be his first prototype “Atmospheric Theatre” which became his signature style that is recognized to be the gold standard of American theatre design. Throughout its rich history, the Theatre has hosted a wide range of events that have included vaudeville, cinema, performing arts and community celebrations of all types. Through restoration efforts which began in May 2013, the Indiana Theatre’s heritage has been preserved and the Indiana has been reborn as a 1,600 seat full service event center which can host a wide range of community gatherings that include live entertainment, performing arts, cinema, wedding events, and fundraisers. While visiting our proud and historic city, we encourage you to visit this downtown treasure which has served as a vault for Terre Haute memories since 1922.

9. Buskirk-Chumley Theater

114 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47408-3330 +1 812-323-3020 http://www.buskirkchumley.org/
Excellent
67%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
7%
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4.5 based on 76 reviews

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

The Buskirk-Chumley Theater is owned by the City of Bloomington and operated by BCT Management, Inc., a private non-profit organization. The mission of BCT Management, Inc. is to develop the Buskirk-Chumley Theater as a high quality and widely accessible community resource and performance venue, operated in a fiscally responsible manner. Support from the City of Bloomington, Indiana University, the Indiana Arts Commission, our many corporate sponsors and community donors helps maintain this historic community resource and bring a wide diversity of programming to the stage each year. Sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date on all BCT events: https://bctboxoffice.org/newsletter/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! @buskirkchumley

Reviewed By bornthatway_traveler - Bloomington, United States

I’ve been to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater hundreds of times in my life in Bloomington, so nothing new has compelled me to write a review, other than my wish to show readers my praise! Thanks to Cardinal Stage, Btown’s renowned professional theater group, performances of first-rate quality can be seen here. Southern Indiana can truly be represented on the map for all the shows here. Specifically last afternoon, my family and I went to the matinée for Cardinal’s holiday show, Newsies. Just like every time, the musical was incredible. The Buskirk-Chumley’s historic ambiance, excellent sound quality, and amenities add a lot to even the most standard performance. Of course, no show is ever “standard”—I just had to demonstrate the remarkable splendor of the theater! As a longtime resident, I am continually grateful for the Buskirk-Chumley Theater as an amazing resource for performing arts (*of all kinds*) in Bloomington. Be it a musical or a symphony or a comedy, checking it out is always worthwhile. So highly recommended to see a Cardinal Stage production or any event you can when you’re in town!

10. T.C. Steele State Historic Site

4220 T C Steele Rd, Nashville, IN 47448-9586 +1 812-988-2785 [email protected] http://www.indianamuseum.org/t-c-steele-state-historic-site
Excellent
61%
Good
30%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
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4.5 based on 103 reviews

T.C. Steele State Historic Site

Discover the Brown County home and studio of Indiana artist T.C. Steele - still filled with original artwork and furnishing - and experience the gardens and landscape that influenced so much of his work. This location is part of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, a statewide museum system with 12 locations.

Reviewed By design007 - Granger, United States

Beautiful grounds and wonderful tour. Learned much about the Brown County area and the artist. Make sure to walk to the bottom of the koi pond to see the log cabin of the 1800's.

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