11 Best Small Towns In Indiana For A Crowd-Free Summer
An underground boat ride in Corydon, a paddle across Lake James in Angola, and waterfall hikes in Madison are all part of a crowd-free Indiana summer. Smaller communities across the state offer swimming beaches and cave tours. Historic districts and outdoor spaces are easy to access without the visitor volume at larger destinations. Whether that means taking a boat onto Patoka Lake or cooling off at a pool in Nashville, these towns provide plenty of ways to enjoy the season. These 11 Indiana towns are among the best places in the state for a crowd-free summer.
Madison
For historic summer vacations in Indiana, Madison is one of the best. It has one of the largest contiguous National Historic Landmark Districts in the state at 133 blocks. Many of these homes are open for tours, including the 13,500-square-foot Lanier Mansion State Historic Site, built in 1844 in the Greek Revival style, and Eleutherian College, founded as a center for anti-slavery activism in the 1850s. For outdoor summer activities, Madison's Rockin Thunder River Tours offers jet-boat rides on the Ohio River, while nearby Clifty Falls State Park has trails up to four waterfalls, including the 83-foot Tunnel Falls and the 60-foot Little and Big Clifty Falls. Speaking of water, Madison's Crystal Beach Aquatic Park sits near the Lanier Mansion and offers swimming pools and slides.
Marshall
Marshall sits in Parke County, known as the Covered Bridge Capital of the World with 31 covered bridges. One way to find them is on foot at the 2,000-plus-acre Turkey Run State Park. This park is a hiker's destination, with trails through ravines and canyons leading to historic sites such as the 1882 Narrows Covered Bridge, accessible via Turkey Run Trail 1. The most challenging route is the 5 Mile Challenge, which crosses a suspension bridge, climbs a ladder, traverses canyons, and ends at the Richard Lieber Cabin, named for the father of the Indiana state park system. In the summer, the park maintains an Olympic-size outdoor swimming pool, plus a bathhouse and wading pool.
Shipshewana
Shipshewana is a summer destination for those who prefer a rural pace with some shopping built in. The town stands out for its large Amish community, which Shipshewana celebrates through its Menno-Hof interpretive center, a museum housed in a red barn with displays on Amish kitchens, lifestyle, and the differences between Mennonites and Amish. Visitors can experience Amish culture firsthand by taking a ride with Shipshewana Buggy Rides, which offer various tour levels, the best being the Five Star Tour with a family-style Amish or Mennonite thresher dinner and a working farm tour.
You can also have a home-cooked Amish meal or pastry at the Blue Gate Restaurant & Bakery. The town is ideal for summer shopping when the Shipshewana Flea Market opens in May. It is the largest flea market in Indiana and the Midwest, and is sure to hide all sorts of finds for the discerning customer.
French Lick
Ever since mineral spring water was discovered here, French Lick has drawn visitors looking to experience its healing properties. Today, however, guests are more likely to come to stay in one of the town's award-winning hotels, such as the West Baden Springs Hotel. Constructed at the turn of the 20th century, it features a 200-foot dome that was once the largest free-standing dome in the world. From the hotel, one can venture out for activities such as boating or fishing at the 8,800-acre Patoka Lake or a scenic train ride through the Hoosier National Forest on the French Lick Scenic Railway. This railway provides a 20-mile ride through the wooded area, passing landmarks such as the 2,200-foot Burton Tunnel.
Winona Lake
Indiana has several lake towns that come alive in the summer, especially the peaceful community of Winona Lake. Travelers can spend an entire weekend on the lake shore, whether that is getting out onto the beach at the Limitless Park & Splash Pad, or hiking or biking around it on the Heritage Trail. It was named Heritage because it tells the story of both the history of Winona Lake and its spiritual heritage through sculptures spread along the paved trail. Another way to enjoy the lake is on the boardwalk in the historic neighborhood called the Village at Winona, today a shopping district with boutique shops like The Olive Branch and friendly restaurants such as the Social Ice Cream & Sandwich Shop.
Angola
Keeping the lake-town theme going, Angola sits in one of the biggest concentrations of lakes in Indiana, with 101 lakes in Steuben County. The most popular lake in Angola is Lake James, part of Pokagon State Park. The park spans over 1,200 acres, offering paddleboat and pontoon rentals to get out onto the water, along with a swimming beach and a sand volleyball court. In downtown Angola, one can snap photos of historic monuments in the town square, such as the Steuben County Soldiers' Monument, erected in 1917 to honor the men who fought in the Union Army during the Civil War. Another option is a show at the T. Furth Center for the Performing Arts, housed within the former Angola Christian Church, which is preserved for music and theatrical performances.
New Albany
New Albany is an Ohio River town, right across from Louisville. It is a popular place to stay during big Louisville events, but the town is worth visiting for its own attractions, such as its historic, walkable Main Street. On Main Street, visitors can tour Mansion Row, including the Second Empire-style Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site, built in 1867 with 25 rooms and hand-painted ceilings. They can also explore the Ohio River Greenway, a paved 7.5-mile trail that runs to the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge across the Ohio River. The greenway in New Albany covers 70 acres of landscape, including wetland and bottomland forest for wildlife viewing. Just outside of downtown, the RiverRun water park helps families cool off with a lazy river, splash pad, bowl slide, and more.
New Harmony
New Harmony is a town to visit for a peaceful summer. That is because the town was built as a paradise by its founders, the Harmony Society. They founded New Harmony in 1814 and attempted to live communal utopian lives here. They sold the town to the Owenites in 1825, who established their own utopian communities here for a few years. Today, visitors can enjoy peaceful walks along the Wabash River at Harmonie State Park and view the natural rock formations known as The Old Dam nearby, which is only visible during the summer when the Wabash River runs lower. Visitors can also experience utopian-inspired spaces in New Harmony, including the Harmonist Labyrinth, a hedge maze, and the more modern Roofless Church, an interdenominational place of worship known for its sculpture gardens and notable lack of a roof.
Corydon
For scorching summer days, one way to beat the heat is not just to find shade but to go underground. Corydon is home to a large cave network known as the Binkley Cave System. These caves are accessible via Indiana Caverns, which features guided cave tours, a boat tour on an underground stream, and zipline courses. After emerging from the cave, you can spend an entire day hiking through O'Bannon Woods State Park or visiting the historic attractions in Corydon, which point back to its time as Indiana's first state capital between 1816 and 1825. The Corydon Capitol State Historic Site keeps the original two-story brick building open for tours, complete with its restored legislative chambers where Indiana's early lawmakers once met.
Nashville
Nashville is a remarkably hilly town, earning the region the nickname "Little Smokies" in reference to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Its main attraction is the Brown County State Park, a nearly 16,000-acre facility known for steep slopes and gullies. Visitors can explore it on foot or on the 70 miles of horse trails. Abe Martin Lodge, opened in 1932, is open to visitors for overnight stays at the park, including its indoor swimming pool. Visitors can enjoy outdoor water activities at Strahl Lake within the park. Nashville proper has a long history of artists putting down roots, and many of their works can be seen at the Brown County Art Gallery, home to paintings by members of the famed Brown County Art Colony, and the Brown County Art Guild, which showcases regional artists in the heart of downtown.
Porter
Indiana has a quieter shoreline on Lake Michigan, accessible from the northern town of Porter. Visitors can beat the heat by swimming at Porter Beach or Dunbar Beach, or by visiting one of Lake Michigan's best features: its dunes. These dunes rise up to 120 feet at Indiana Dunes National Park. This landscape is not only beautiful but also a rich ecological sanctuary, home to bogs and oak savannas along the Cowles Bog Trail. There is also an unusual set of buildings in the park that were built for the 1933 Chicago World Fair as part of the World's Fair Century of Progress Homes. They were designed to represent the homes of the future for their time, and they have a quirky, vintage vibe, such as the Florida Tropical, a pink house that overlooks the lake.
Summer In Indiana
Many of these communities have shores on natural or man-made lakes or rivers that are not as well-known as those in other cities. This is to their benefit, as it ensures visitors can beat the crowds when arriving during the summertime and enjoy peaceful excursions out on a paddleboat on Lake James in Angola, in the swimming pool at Turkey Run State Park after hiking through the canyons, or relaxing by the beaches at the Indiana Dunes National Park. On these quieter shorelines, guests can get in some time for themselves.
