Top Things to do in Indiana
Top Hotels in Indiana
- 1. Hampton Inn Indianapolis Downtown Across from Circle Centre
- 2. West Baden Springs Hotel
- 3. Bottleworks Hotel
- 4. Indianapolis Marriott East
- 5. The Inn at Saint Mary's
- 6. Drury Inn & Suites Terre Haute
- 7. Hyatt Place Indianapolis Downtown
- 8. Ironworks Hotel Indy
- 9. JW Marriott Indianapolis
- 10. Drury Plaza Hotel Indianapolis Carmel
What to do and see in Indiana, United States: The Best Free Things to do
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. Indiana University
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 639 reviews
Center of many activities in Bloomington - arts, music, sports and events.
Reviewed By BillWaconia
My wife and I attended IU from 79-83. Our 23 year old son graduates from IU in 5 weeks. First, it's a top notch school with nice, clean kids and a beautiful campus. We have visited our son frequently the past few years. If you want to visit IU here are some of our favorite ideas... 1 Park at the square in downtown Bloomington, walk down Kirkwood to feel the youthful energy, enter the campus, stop in the Union to check out the art and the book store, and continue along the Jordan River to the far side of campus. Take an uber back to your car. 2 Time your trip to coincide with an Opera. Best opera school anywhere and great performances of popular and not popular operas. 3 Eat breakfast at The Runcible Spoon one day even if there is a line, the next day eat breakfast at The Uptown Cafe order two cornmeal pancakes. 4 avoid he campus on busy game days.
2. University of Notre Dame
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,045 reviews
Renowned for its rich athletic tradition, the university is a beautiful place to visit, with such religious attractions as the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the park-like setting of its huge stadium and the abundant artwork.
Reviewed By 408tracyp - Charlotte, United States
What a beautiful campus to explore - all ages If in the area please go and visit , so much to see and do From basketball , ???? trophy display, court, football arena, the Golden dome ...and of Course Touch Down Jesus !
3. Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 675 reviews
Reviewed By A6261TZrobertm - Darby, United States
I have visited this Basilica many times and it is a beautiful place of worship. Always go there after a Notre Dame Home football game on an annual trip for Catholic Mass Beautiful interior and Statuary.
4. Wolf creek habitat and rescue
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 71 reviews
Reviewed By RoxieC21
If you are curious about wolves and want to see them up close and personal, this is the place to be! You can just look at the animals and/or take pictures for free, or you can go see and pet the wolves for a small fee. We didn't want to leave. These are creatures that most people will never see in their lives that are at the rescue for various reasons, and you can get closer than you've ever dreamed. The staff is very knowledgeable and it's a fun way to spend a little time in awe!
5. Bear Wallow Distillery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 110 reviews
We make handcrafted artisan spirits using 100% Indiana grains. Come take our "Farm-to-Fifth" Tour (starting at the top of each hour), sample our spirits, try a Moonshine Shake-up Cocktail and shop our Indiana Made Gift Shop for unique gift items. Open seven day a week 10 months of the year - weekends only in January and February.
Reviewed By JudyBFeher - Fort Wayne, United States
Fabulous! Great offerings in moonshine and bourbon whiskey for the experienced and not so experienced! Great tasting flavored for mixing drinks! Did the 6 flights and enjoyed talking with one of the owners giving us some interesting background on their startup. Nice atmosphere and outdoor seating area. Definitely worth a visit!
6. We Care Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 38 reviews
Reviewed By F2683EMbobm - Kokomo, United States
It was such a beautiful experience driving thru the We Care Park of lights with my family. We ended up parking off site and walking thru the many walk-ways to see the displays up close. Even though it was a very very cold evening it was still a great experience seeing the liitle kids talking to Santa, getting a cup of hot chocolate and actually bumped into family! Turned out to be a wonderful evening.
7. Historic District
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 281 reviews
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.
8. Purdue University
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 279 reviews
Reviewed By jendher - Carmel, United States
This visit to Purdue feels safe. Everyone wears masks and respects social distancing. I did not see as many students around. Judging from my daughter’s comments most classes are available virtually, so actual classes are less full and fewer students are around.
9. Oliver Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 435 reviews
During COVID-19, we are following guidelines set by state and county health officials. Please see our blog for the latest news about our current offerings. Our wine experience is one of Indiana's best. In 2017, Travel + Leisure rated Oliver Winery a top 25 winery to visit in the U.S. We are Indiana’s oldest winery and one of the largest wineries in the U.S., with an award-winning winemaking team and distribution in 27 states. You’ll find an extensive but approachable wine list at the winery’s beautiful Tasting Room on Interstate 69. Taste an estate-bottled vintage from Oliver’s 54-acre Creekbend Vineyard, sample our latest Pilot Project Experimental wine or our semi-sweet Cherry Moscato, or sip a dry Oliver Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc. Oliver Winery also offers special events spaces for personal or corporate celebrations, from rehearsal dinners to holiday parties. Check our website for the reserved experiences and details on current offerings.
Reviewed By richardf600 - Louisville, United States
We have visited a lot of wineries around the country but, this is one of the nicest we've been to. Known as the largest winery west of the Mississippi and one of the most beautiful. You walk to the entrance through some wonderful flower gardens with huge stones standing on end and a huge gorgeous waterfall. You enter into the tasting room and store. You can try several types of tastings or buy a bottle and some meats, cheeses and crackers and go outside and pick a table on a lovely covered deck or go sit out amount the trees. It is just delightful. We started with a short tour of the barrel room and then we chose the 8 variety tasting for the nominal price of $5 each. You are given a sheet of paper with all their wines available and you pick the 8 you want to try. You start with the dry varieties and work your way to the sweet ones. A very knowledgeable server pours you selections and gives you all the information about each one. You take your time and they do not rush you along. When you finish your tasting you are invited to purchase any of your favorites from their well stocked shelves at fairly reasonable prices. We chose several favorites and a few other essentials for home. Plan to spend a least two hours to really enjoy a tasting, a short tour and a stroll through the gardens. If you visit the area and you like wine make sure you add this to your schedule.
10. Whyte Horse Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
Reviewed By Vaydadog
My friends and I visited the winery on a Friday evening while we were in Monticello on vacation. We did the tasting which was very pleasant. The hostess was very nice and there were alot of options. The house is beautiful, and after the tasting we all purchased a glass of wine and sat on the porch. Outside they had tables set up, a nice band playing, and they had a special taco bar set up for that evening. After a bit we went back inside the house and sat at a table in the house. The house itself is absolutely beautiful. We had a great time and will be back!
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