Driving I-65 north of Indianapolis? During your pass through Boone County, stop in the boomtown of Whitestown for a drink at Moontown Brewing or Paws on Tap, bite at LA Cafe, exploration on the Big-4 Trail, or the Whitestown Viking Fest in April.
Small Town Breakdown No. 78: Whitestown, Indiana
For this week's small town breakdown we're going from the county seat of Kentland in Newton County to the booming town of Whitestown in Boone County. Whitestown is 25 minutes northwest of Indianapolis and 50 minutes south of Lafayette.
The History of Boone County and Whitestown, Indiana
Boone County was founded on April 1, 1830. It was named in honor of frontiersman Daniel Boone. Jamestown served as the first temporary county seat, but in 1832, the seat moved to Lebanon.
Whitestown was founded in 1851 when the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad came through the area. The town was originally called New Germantown in honor of its early settlers, but the name was officially changed to Whitestown in 1852 to honor Albert S. White, an Indiana state representative, a U.S. Senator from 1839–45, president of the railroads built in the area, a federal judge, and a leading voice to abolish slavery. Interesting fact: the Lincoln Inaugural Train (1861) and the Lincoln Funeral Train (1865) traveled the railroads in the area. Whitestown became incorporated in 1947.
Whitestown lost population after the railroad shut down in 1976, but in the early 2000s, the town annexed almost 6,500 acres to kick off new development. Its 2010 Census population was 2,867, and that exploded to 10,178 as of the 2020 Census. As of February 2026, the population was 16,823, making it the 54th-largest incorporated city/town in Indiana, the third-largest incorporated city/town in Boone County behind Zionsville (32,095) and Lebanon (17,812), and one of the fastest-growing towns in Indiana.
Things to Do In or Near Whitestown, Indiana
If you're visiting in April, attend the Whitestown Viking Fest in Anson Acres Park. You'll see Viking reenactors, Viking villages, live music, artisan vendors, mead, Keg Toss and Iron Skillet Toss competitions.
Whitestown's has a strong parks system, including Main Street Park, which has tennis courts, a playground, a basketball court, cornhole, and a splash pad, and hosts the town's free Summer Concert Series. The aforementioned Anson Acres Park has open green space, a pond, fitness and nature trails, and basketball courts, and Panther Park offers a playground.
Sticking outdoors, the Big-4 Trail follows the old railroad lines and connects Whitestown to Zionsville as a paved path for walking, running, and biking. The northwest end of Whitestown's portion will eventually connect to the Lebanon to Colfax section, and the intent is for the trail to connect all of Boone County.
Whitestown also has a farmers market and winter market on Thursdays.
Places to Eat or Drink in Whitestown, Indiana
Start your day at Hattie's Coffee House. It opened in 2023 inside a renovated farmhouse, and it's named after Harriet “Hattie” Wilson White, wife of Albert S. White, for whom Whitestown is named. They're open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Moontown Brewing Company sits inside a historic building (more on that in the high school history section), and it's one of three Moontown locations in Indiana (also Carmel and Nashville in Brown County). After Nashville won the inaugural Small Town Showdown Bracket Challenge in 2025, the Get Indiana crew set up shop at Moontown in Nashville and covered over $1,200 in drinks for all who visited that evening. The brisket sandwich is top of the line, you can't go wrong with a 5 oz. or 8 oz. pour from its variety of beers, and they mix in live music throughout the year.
LA Cafe is a local favorite, with guests raving about the prime rib. Its Monday Night Steak Night deal features an 8 oz. sirloin, baked potato and house salad. They also have a 2-for-1 shrimp cocktail special every Tuesday.
Paws on Tap is a newer social destination that is dog-friendly. It features a 21+ self-pour taproom, restaurant, and beer garden.
And you can't miss the new, massive travel center off I-65, Wally's. It opened in June 2026 and is just the third Wally's location, with the others in Pontiac, Ill. and Fenton, Mo. It has 84 pumps and spans over 53,000 square feet!
High School History
Students from Whitestown attend school in either Lebanon or Zionsville, as Whitestown High School's last graduating class was in 1961 before the school officially closed in 1963. Its mascot was the Panthers.
The building started as a grade school in 1895 and expanded with a high school in 1915 and gymnasium in 1939. After closing in 1963, it served a variety of purposes, becoming home to a beauty school, auction house, warehouse, t-shirt factory, and apartments. In 2018, it became home to Moontown Brewing Company, housed inside the school's beautifully restored gymnasium.
That's it for small town breakdown No. 78. Where should we head next?
