Get to Know the Crossroads of SOIN

Seymour

Small Town Breakdown

Driving I-65 between Indianapolis and Louisville? Get off at the “Crossroads of Southern Indiana” for a plate at Larrison's Diner, a bite and pour at Brooklyn Pizza & Seymour Brewing Company, a drink at Rails Craft Brew & Eatery, a walk through Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, the annual Seymour Oktoberfest downtown, and a photo op at the painted mural of John Mellencamp.

Fast Facts

📍LOCATION: Southern Indiana

• Seymour is located in northeast Jackson County.

• Interstate 65 runs north-south, connecting Seymour to Indianapolis and Louisville.

• U.S. Route 50 runs east-west, connecting the city to Brownstown and Bedford westward and North Vernon/Cincinnati eastward.

• One hour and 15 minutes south of Indianapolis

• One hour north of Louisville

👥 POPULATION & RANKING

• 22,371 residents (as of February 2026)

• Ranks as Indiana’s 47th-largest incorporated town/city

• Largest incorporated town/city in Jackson County

📏 LAND AREA

• 12.1 square miles

📅 FOUNDED

• Jackson County was formed on Jan. 1, 1816, and carved out of Clark, Jefferson, and Washington counties as the 14th county organized in the Indiana Territory.

• It was named for Andrew Jackson, who defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans later that year and went on to become the seventh president of the United States.

• Vallonia served as the temporary county seat in June 1816 before the seat moved to Brownstown that November.

• Seymour was platted in 1852 and grew up at the point where two railroads crossed: the north-south Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad connecting Indy to the Ohio River at Jeffersonville and the east-west Ohio and Mississippi Railroad connecting St. Louis and Cincinnati.

• It became known as the “Crossroads of Southern Indiana.”

• It was named for Hezekiah C. Seymour, a railroad man remembered simply as "the chief contractor and civil engineer. The first train rolled through in June 1854.

🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Manufacturing, Retail Trade, Healthcare

• Valeo Sylvania LLC is an automotive manufacturing facility that specializes in vehicle headlamps, signaling products and lighting systems.

• Nippon Steel Pipe America, once known as Seymour Tubing Co., specializes in producing carbon and stainless steel tubing components for the automotive industry.

The Reno Gang

Seymour's railroad crossroads made it not only a hub but a target. In October 1866, the local Reno Gang robbed an Ohio and Mississippi Railroad train just east of town, making off with thousands of dollars. Historians consider it the first robbery of a moving train in U.S. history.

I Was Born in a Small Town

Seymour's downtown pays tribute to its native son John Mellencamp with a mural of the musician painted by Indianapolis artist Pamela Bliss in 2019. The mural draws visitors from all over the country.

What’s on the Menu?

Start at Larrison's Diner, a Seymour institution since 1974. It's packed with decades of memorabilia. Pro tip: Order a bison burger and milkshake while you're there. They have a 4.7-star rating and nearly 1,000 Google reviews.

Rails Craft Brew & Eatery is another hot spot downtown, open daily except on Sundays. Guests love the cod dinner, salmon spinach berry salad, pretzel and beer cheese, and 50/50 burger, best enjoyed on its seasonal patio. Rails leans on local partners like Darlage Custom Meats and Marion Kay Spices for their ingredients.

Brooklyn Pizza & Seymour Brewing Company has been Seymour's home-grown pizza place since 2006, followed by the founding of the brewery in 2017. Microbrews, nanobrews, unique pizza combinations, wings, and live music on the patio. You can't beat it.

Lola's Modern Kitchen is a trendy spot with 4.8 stars on Google. They have free-play arcade games for all ages, and the food is top notch as well. Fried cheese drizzled with smoked honey for starters, tacos and burritos for the main course, and cheesecake chimichangas for dessert.

Schwatzer's German Restaurant is a great place to dive into some Jagerschnitzel, bratwurst, and German beer, all while learning German for free on its website.

Poplar Street Tavern & Restaurant has draft beers from breweries across Indiana along with a selection of wines like Salt Creek, Purple Toad, and 19 Crimes. There's a family room and bar area for patrons 21 and older, and in the summer there's a large open patio that seats over 200 people.

Seymour Oktoberfest

If you're visiting in early October (Oct. 1-3, 2026), plan around the Seymour Oktoberfest in downtown Seymour. It's grown into one of the region's bigger fall festivals, with a biergarten, food vendors, a parade, a 5K, carnival rides, hot air balloons, arts and crafts vendors, and competitions ranging from a brat-eating contest to a stein hoist.

Outdoors, History and Golf

Just a few miles east of town, Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge offers hiking and birding across acres of wetlands, forest, and grassland.

History buffs can also visit the Freeman Army Airfield Museum, on the site of the World War II-era Freeman Field where cadets trained. It's open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

For golfers, Shadowood Golf Course is an 18-hole public course that's been open since 1976. The tee boxes, fairways, and greens are always in great condition, making it a must-play in Jackson County.

Owls and Cougars

Seymour High School is home of the Owls and has the second-largest gym in the country. They have captured three IHSAA state championships in school history, first in baseball in 1988, followed by girls golf in 1990 and boys golf in 1991.

Trinity Lutheran High School is a private school in town and is home of the Cougars. They've become a 1A juggernaut in volleyball, winning back-to-back state titles in 2025 and 2026.

Check out Nate’s breakdown of Seymour ⬇️