Claiming the title of ‘Crossroads of America’, Indiana holds the record for having the most interstate highways in the US. Whether you’re after high speed thrills at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway or more serene walks through orchards in the Indiana Dukes region, the state has a lot to offer visitors.
Explore: Bloomingon • Fort Wayne • Gary • Indianapolis • Lafayette • South Bend • Terre Haute • Vincennes
Being crazy for sports, many of Indiana’s towns and cities are built upon their teams’ reputations, and there is always an event of some kind or another to lure the crowds.
State capital Indianapolis is probably most famous for hosting two of the largest auto races in the country. Other attractions include basketball’s NCAA Hall of Champions and the Soviet Realist style National Art Museum of Sport. For non-sporting fans, there are the Indiana State Museum and the Indiana Medical History Museum.
Fort Wayne boasts a world class philharmonic orchestra and a fascinating museum devoted to Abraham Lincoln. Other cities worth visiting include Evansville, with its excellent aviary and zoo, and Kokomo, home to a wonderful museum which houses the first ever commercially built automobile.
When you’ve had enough of the cities try exploring some of the state’s historic sites and beautiful lakeshores. In Mounds State Park you will find some strange ancient earth mounds, which will leave you scratching your head in wonder. Long stretches of sandy beaches, sand dunes and forests run along Lake Michigan. Hikers and picnickers will enjoy a lovely area named the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Ohio State Park boasts large fossil beds and wondrous waterfalls.
Visit Wolf Park to spot some wild wolves, or simply stroll through the Indiana Dunes Region and enjoy the wonderful array of wild plant life including lichen mosses, bearberry, prickly pear cacti and more than 20 species of orchids.
Indiana is a rural state, covered in huge swathes of cornfields and famous for serving up excellent pork tenderloin. Having spawned more vice presidents than any other state, Indiana citizens are proud of their heritage—in spite of Dan Quayle’s inability to spell ‘potato’.