Location: Valparaiso
Top Things to do in Valparaiso
What to do and see in Valparaiso, Indiana (IN): The Best Things to do Good for a Rainy Day
Valparaiso (/ˌvɑːlpəˈreɪzoʊ/ vahl-pə-RAY-zoh) is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Valparaiso
1. Chapel of the Resurrection
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 88 reviews
Reviewed By Dave_PE54 - Chicago, United States
The University Chapel is not the place to come for private, contemplative prayer (unless you visit the Gloria Christi Chapel below the main altar. It's the amazing stained glass windows of the Trinity which back the high altar which hold your attention and raise your sights upward. The Reddel organ with over 100 ranks of pipes is inspiring both to see and to hear. Worship services and music programs are the best reason to visit.
2. Espionage Escape Rooms
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 47 reviews
An interactive adventure game! Can your team complete the objective before times runs out? 60 minutes of dynamic game play and stunning set design! Perfect for all skill levels, families, friends, team buildings. At Espionage Escape Rooms, our ultimate goal is to stimulate social interaction in today’s world of technology, fostering creativity and human ingenuity in an entertaining format. Our games are fully immersive, with logical game flow and multi-layered puzzles...a true escape game experience! We are locally owned and operated, personally constructing the rooms and writing the games in-house to ensure a one of a kind game! You won't accidentally replay the same game elsewhere!
Reviewed By joannv264
We had a family birthday celebration. All six of us enjoyed the experience. We were impressed with the detail and imagination put into the theme. We will definitely be going back.
3. Memorial Opera House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 53 reviews
Reviewed By GrandTour27835196810 - Valparaiso, United States
We are season ticket holders because the plays always meet or exceed our expectations. The staff are knowledgeable and very helpful.
4. Chicago Street Theatre
5. Brauer Museum of Art Center for the Arts
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By zonar72
Smaller gallery of a variety of different artists and styles housed in the Art building on the university campus. When I visited there were several Junius Sloan pieces on display as well as a gorgeous painting; “Les Amateurs”—Alexander Harrison, also new pieces by local artists and an interesting exhibit of religious icons painted on old boards from ammunition boxes. Donations only and can be enjoyed in 1-2 hours.
6. Porter County Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17 reviews
The Porter County Museum–also known as the PoCo Muse–is a small, yet dynamic institution that aims to share the stories of Porter County and its people. The Museum features 7-8 permanent as well as temporary exhibits, from prehistoric to present and is open Wednesday- Saturday 9a-5p. Admission is free every day. See you at the PoCo Muse!
Reviewed By interceptpubs - Columbus, United States
We recently spent the weekend in the Valparaiso area and stopped by this fine little museum on a rainy Friday afternoon to take another look at its interesting collections. We had previously visited the museum several years ago when we toured all of the county museums around the state and recalled that it was one of the better examples in the state. Apparently, we were not alone in this opinion as over the past six years, it has won major awards from the Indiana Historical Society (twice!), Indiana Landmarks, and most recently, the 2019 Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History. This latter is for its exhibit, “Do Your Part! A County Responds to the First World War," which occupies a large section of the museum's first floor exhibit space. We had not seen this exhibit previously (apparently it opened around the first of this year) so were delighted to take a look, particularly as World War I is one of our interests (our grandfather having fought with the 78th Infantry Division in the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel offensives). The museum's exhibit offers a detailed look of how the "war to end all wars" affected the daily lives of the county's residents. As might be expected, the most dramatic impact was on the young men who left the farms and towns of Porter County to fight overseas. The exhibit tells the story of the local militia unit, Company L of the 3rd Infantry Division, that was called up to join the war effort. Of course, before going overseas, the men had to get additional training so many were sent to bases around the country before heading to France. Interestingly, they possibly could have gotten a lot of their training here locally - Valparaiso University, at the time second only to Harvard in size, became a major training base for the Army, particularly specializing in training recruits how to drive that newfangled invention, the truck. Some 15,000 soldiers passed through the University's gates during the war. Porter County also sent women off to France to serve their country. For example, the exhibit tells the story of Olive Whitlock, a nurse from Jackson Township, that ended up working in a field hospital during the Battle of Château-Thierry. The exhibit also delves into life on the homefront, from women knitting socks for the troops to farmers increasing food production to support the war effort. The exhibit talks about the rise in anti-German sentiment in the country and how that impacted the large German immigrant community in Porter County. For example, county schools stopped teaching German, replacing it with French. Other exhibits on the first floor include the County's contributions in the Second World War, as well as exhibits on the local economy (not just farming, but also steel mills, etc.), the environment (particularly the Lake Michigan Dunes), and transportation (interurbans and railroads). Even the competition to create the county seat and, of course, the County's namesake, Commodore David Porter, and the significance of Battle of Valparaiso in his career are discussed too. Towards the back of the museum is an exhibit on the mastadon bones found on area farms over the years, remnants of Porter County's Ice Age past, along with artifacts from the life of the Frances Howe, including the dress she purportedly wore to Lincoln's Second Inaugural Ball. The back of the museum also includes the cells from the building's past as the county jail and sheriff's residence. Interestingly, some of these cells have been converted for use as office's for museum employees, perhaps a strong motivational tool to ensure that they get their work done on time! Upstairs is the museum's cabinet of curiosities, unusual items from the museum's collection. Of course, the museum is full from top to bottom with interesting artifacts which they have displayed with photos, ephemera, and information panels to provide a really excellent description of the history of the area and its people. Best of all, admission is free! If you find yourself in the area, it is really worth taking a look.
7. Figure 8 Brewing
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 9 reviews
8. Misbeehavin' Meads
9. Anderson's Vineyard & Winery
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By BudNLily - Owensboro, United States
First off, kudos to Balarie the waitress. We sat outside and she was one of the servers. I mention her because she was the only server when we arrived. We were there several hours listening to the music, (great musician), and enjoying the wines. She hustled the entire time. She had such a sweet personality and was so efficient I just had to mention her first. The wines are very good. The outside seating is very nice. The music was great. We had such a nice time there. The only thing that needs work is the gourmet cheese tray. I was extremely disappointed in that. We go to MANY wineries in our travels and this cheese tray was sad. It needs work. That being said, we will be back. We all had a very nice time.
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