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 Zoos & Aquariums
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. Kathleen's Exotic Animal World
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
2. Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,169 reviews
#1 Summer "Gotta-Do" Attraction in a contest sponsored by the Indiana Office of Tourism & Development. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is operated by the non-profit Fort Wayne Zoological Society under a cooperative agreement with the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreations Department. The zoo receives no tax funding for operations and operates solely on earned revenue and donations. Our Mission: Connecting kids and animals, Strengthening families, Inspiring people to care.
Reviewed By whereverimayroamblog - Vero Beach, United States
I’m a big fan of this zoo, especially the penguins, sea lions, and otters. Appreciate the good food choices (not typical hamburger joints), the touch tank, and kid’s play areas. Definitely one of Fort Wayne’s top attractions.
3. Indianapolis Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,453 reviews
The Indianapolis Zoo is located in White River State Park, conveniently located in beautiful downtown Indianapolis with easy access to walking and biking trails into the city. The Zoo is also just minutes from multiple interstates to make travel convenient for out-of-town visitors. Triple accredited as a zoo, an aquarium and a botanic garden, visitors can experience all of these attractions for one admission price. Open year-round with 64 acres of indoor and outdoor habitats, the Indianapolis Zoo is home to nearly 1,300 animals of approximately 230 species as well as 47,000 plant specimens.
Reviewed By 932all
My husband and I and our 3 married children and their families (17 total) visited the Indy Zoo to celebrate our 40th Anniversary. We greatly enjoyed our day at the zoo....the dolphin show was a highlight as well as the Butterfly Kaleidoscope and the Dog Show. The "climbing" gorilla was fun to see. The zoo was very clean and we hope to visit it again in the next year.
4. Wolf Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 133 reviews
Reviewed By bluebirdtmg - Indianapolis, United States
The staff was very knowledgeable. All the wolves were out and active. It was amazing when they howled for us. I felt very safe with their covid precautions. We were told the best time to see them is either early in the day or late around sunset. They are most active in the fall and winter especially during overcast cooler days. We enjoyed both the follow the pack tour and howl night. It was a wonderful experience for out Girl Scout troop.
5. Columbian Park Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 230 reviews
Reviewed By gignbite - Naperville, United States
The butterfly garden was closed, so we almost didn't go, but this zoo was great. The petting zoo with the goats was fun. Seeing a live eagle close up was really cool. Didn't know they look like they're wearing fancy pants. The wallaby walk-about was super neat. I wish I'd have heard the singing dogs sing. My son did some research on them afterwards and they have an interesting story. Great visit.
6. TPA Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By pyoung1776lib - Frankfort, United States
TPA park is delightfully family friendly. We took our grandkids to see the Christmas lights. You will not be disappointed. I would suggest going on a week night to avoid the crowds. If you have time, drive downtown for their lights and visit one of the resturants.
7. Zoo'Opolis Exotic Petting World
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By travelingapes - Bloomington, United States
We live locally, but I had just heard of Zoo’Opolis a few weeks ago. To reserve your spots, you text a phone number.... which normally I prefer to text, but I was a little worried about this procedure. However, I received a text back within 24 hours with clear instructions on what to do for our reserved time slot. It’s important to note that there are inside AND outside activities, so dress for the weather. I would say wearing the correct shoes is most important. It was snowing/spitting rain when we went so the ground was quite muddy. Rain boots, snow boots, boots in general are a good choice. Also, some of the animals will jump (sheep and goats) so wear clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty. We stopped at Aldi on our way to pick up lettuce, grapes, strawberries and apples to feed the animals. You turn those in once you arrive and the staff cleans them, cuts them up, and puts them in bowls for you to take around to the animals. The inside facility is small, but has really nice open habitats for the animals. Everything is very clean and the animals are very happy and social! The lemur runs loose in the inside facility and loves to jump from person to person. Incredibly friendly and the only place I’ve been that allows this kind of interaction with animals. We didn’t feel rushed at all and Hannah was super nice and gave us a lot of information on the animals. We spent at least an hour total in that portion playing with all the animals! The barn is a sweet little spot with an inside wood stove, perfect for a cold day! And this really is the best time to go because the crowds are minimal. I think there were 10 people in our group in total! Also, highly recommend spending the $65 per person on the Ambassador experience so you have the most interaction with all of the animals! The barn houses the horses, zebra, wallabies, a bengal house cat, two skunks, raccoons, and the wolf comes inside. The skunks are the absolute best!! They love to be snuggled and you can sit forever in the rocking chair loving on those babies!! The owner gave us a lot of great information on the wolf and I went away feeling less intimidated by the incredible animal. The last thing we saw was the red fox, and it was ready to be pet!! I couldn’t believe how friendly all of these animals are! They have done a beautiful job loving on the animals and taking care of them. It’s getting harder for me to find activities that teenagers find worthy of leaving their rooms for now days, but both of my kids left saying that was one of the best things they have done and they would love to come back!
8. Dougherty Orchards
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 14 reviews
Family owned and operated since 1883. We have a variety of apples, peaches, and other produce. The orchard also has a petting zoo, fresh cider, pick your own pumpkins/apples, and a variety of family friendly adventures. The Dougherty family is also happy to announce that we are beginning the development of a new grove of apple trees.
9. Potawatomi Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 255 reviews
Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Potawatomi Zoo is home to more than 400 animals and exceeds the standards for Zoos in animal care and quality of life, conservation, and education programs. Potawatomi Zoo is the oldest zoo in Indiana and since its humble origin as a duck pond, it has become a hub of fun and educational activity in the Michiana region. The 2019 Zoo Season is March 29-December 1.
Reviewed By X2121YLrosem
What a hidden gem this place is! Wanted to take the grandkids to the zoo, but wanted to avoid large crowds. Since I have a membership to a local zoo, I looked up reciprocal zoos nearby and saw this one. Located in a neighborhood in South Bend, it features a lion, two different leopard species, a white rhino And more smaller animals. The enclosures are small, but well maintained with toys and other stimuli to keep the animals occupied. Very affordable, masks and social distancing in place. Can’t wait to take out of state grands when they come to visut!
10. Washington Park Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 258 reviews
The Washington Park Zoo was founded in 1928, encompasses 15 acres on a hilly sand dune close to the lake, and is home to more than 200 animals. It is owned and operated by the City of Michigan City, Indiana.
Reviewed By Jillyjillyjilly - Valparaiso, United States
It’s a nice inexpensive zoo to see lions, deer, wolves, monkeys, lemurs, peacocks, eagles, sea otters and more. The zoo is compact and easy to get around. Also there are some great scenic areas that you can see Lake Michigan and the beach from.
