Attractions, day trips, food stops, parks, towns, and events

Things to Do in Indiana.

A practical guide to what is worth doing across the Hoosier State, from classic attractions to small-town stops and local stories that make a trip feel specific.

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Trip Planner

Start with one good reason to leave the house

A good Indiana day usually starts with one anchor: a park, a downtown, a festival, a restaurant, a museum, a game, or a seasonal thing you finally remembered before it was over.

From there, build a day that feels easy. Add a food stop. Find the nearby town square. Save a backup for weather. Leave enough room for the random place you see on the way home.

01

Pick the shape of the day

Outdoor day? Look for parks, trails, lakes, gardens, caves, and scenic drives. Food day? Start with the restaurant or bakery, then add something close enough that the drive feels worth it.

02

Use the part of Indiana you are already in

Indiana is easier to plan when you stop treating it like one giant list. A lake-town day up north, a museum day in Indy, and a river-town drive down south all ask for different plans.

03

Let the season help

Spring is for gardens, trails, festivals, and towns waking back up. Summer is lakes, patios, parks, markets, and long drives. Fall is orchards, football, color, and festivals. Winter needs lights, food, shopping, museums, and indoor backup plans.

04

Do not overpack it

Two or three good stops beat six rushed ones. Pick the thing you actually care about, add food, and keep one flexible stop nearby.

Browse Things to Do

Use the latest stories as a trip-planning feed, then narrow by region or search for a specific destination.

The Dixie, a red-and-white sternwheel paddleboat, cruising across Webster Lake in North Webster, Indiana, with passengers on its decks under a clear blue sky.
Travel & Outdoors

Take a Relaxing Cruise on the Dixie Sternwheeler in North Webster, Indiana

Taylor Huff3 min read
Blue-and-gold Indiana historical marker titled Odon, Formerly Clarksburg beside a pond, noting the town was platted in 1846 and renamed Odon in 1881.
Living in Indiana

What's it like in Odon, Indiana?

Cheyne Reiter5 min read
Colorful themed attractions at The Fun Farm in Fort Wayne, including a blue alien spaceship, a castle, a giant mushroom and elephant sculptures across a grassy field.
Travel & Outdoors

The Fun Farm in Fort Wayne

Taylor Huff3 min read
Illuminated Welcome to the Indiana State Fair Midway arch at dusk, with a Ferris wheel and carousel glowing on the midway behind it.
Living in Indiana

The Hidden Costs of Indiana's Biggest Summer Events (and How to Budget for Them)

Destany Long6 min read
A packed dining room at the Carriage Inn in Haubstadt, Indiana, with families gathered around tables set with fresh bread, drinks and homestyle comfort food.
Food & Drink

A Hidden Gem in Southern Indiana: The Carriage Inn

Taylor Huff2 min read
A packed amphitheater crowd faces bright stage lights at dusk during an outdoor summer concert in Indiana, hands raised under a pink and blue sky.
Living in Indiana

Things to Do in Indiana This Week: July 21-28, 2026

Jarred Porter4 min read
The counter at René's Bakery in Broad Ripple, with glass jars of peanut butter, chocolate chip and chocolate chewy cookies above a case of pastries as bakers work behind it.
Food & Drink

René's Bakery: The 400-Square-Foot Broad Ripple Gem With a Cult-Favorite Cinnamon Roll

Jarred Porter4 min read
A paddler's point-of-view from a teal kayak drifting down a calm, tree-lined Indiana river on a sunny summer day, with water shoes propped on the bow.
Travel & Outdoors

5 Underrated Indiana River Float Trips for a Low-Crowd Summer

Allison Martin5 min read
The rubberized red-and-green Pfeil Miracle Field at Normain Park in Mishawaka, with a Miracle League of Northern Indiana outfield banner and scoreboard.
Travel & Outdoors

Miracle League Complex at Normain Park: Mishawaka's Fully Accessible Ballpark and Playground

Jarred Porter4 min read
The green storefront and corner entrance of St. Elmo Steak House in downtown Indianapolis, with its Famous Since 1902 sign and a World Famous Shrimp Cocktail window above the door at 127
Food & Drink

123 Years of Heat: The Story of St. Elmo Steak House

Jarred Porter3 min read
A wide sandy beach at Indiana Dunes National Park with Lake Michigan waves on the right and a wooded dune ridge in fall color on the left
Travel & Outdoors

Indiana Dunes Is Busier Than Most of the National Parks You Can Name

Jarred Porter4 min read
A round reflecting pool set in a lawn at the Garden at Newfields, with clipped hedges, stone steps and a brick garden building behind it under fall foliage
Travel & Outdoors

The Most Romantic Botanical Gardens in Indiana

Jarred Porter4 min read
A visitor stands atop the sandstone Prophet's Rock overlook in a sunlit spring forest near Battle Ground, Indiana, with a large tree rising in the foreground.
History & Heritage

Prophet's Rock: One of Indiana's Most Historic Overlooks

Taylor Huff3 min read
The Mandy's Ice Cream storefront in downtown Brownsburg beside a vanilla scoop in a green cup and a cup of ice cream topped with syrup held in hand.
Food & Drink

Mandy's Ice Cream in Brownsburg

Taylor Huff2 min read
A country rock band performs on an outdoor stage under blue skies at WAMMfest in Greenwood, with a singer on guitar and a bandmate in a cowboy hat
Entertainment & Culture

WAMMfest Returns to Greenwood on Saturday, August 15

Cheyne Reiter3 min read
IN the Parks podcast cover graphic titled Indiana Parks Alliance, with a fall-colored tree against a blue sky and a Listen Now button
Travel & Outdoors

Indiana Parks Alliance: Giving Back to the Parks

Allison Martin6 min read
Aerial view of a packed Ruoff Music Center amphitheater in Noblesville at dusk, ringed by full parking lots during a summer concert.
Living in Indiana

Things to Do in Indiana This Week: July 14-21, 2026

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Nighttime crowd gathered on the lawn at 950 Speakeasy Bistro in Lagro, Indiana, watching a live band play under string lights beside the two-story timber patio
Living in Indiana

What's it like in Lagro, Indiana?

Cheyne Reiter4 min read
Hundreds of high school students fill an auditorium facing a stage with an IHSPA banner during the Indiana High School Press Association state convention.
Living in Indiana

The Indiana High School Press Association and the Standard of Excellence

Ryan Miller7 min read
Fairgoers ride a swing carnival ride at dusk beside a Fresh Fried Veggies food stand at an Indiana county fair.
Living in Indiana

Things to Do in Indiana This Week: July 6-12, 2026

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