11 Unforgettable Small Towns to Visit in Indiana
Where can you find a holiday village, a monastic brewery, a utopian community, and two old state capitals? The answer is these 11 unforgettable small towns in Indiana. Known as the crossroads of America, Indiana has a long tradition of quirky settlements and villages set up by immigrants from overseas and Easterners headed west. Visitors to these often overlooked towns will discover many unforgettable attractions, from towering sand dunes to well-maintained covered bridges and a toboggan sledding track.
Read on to learn more about these 11 unforgettable small towns to visit in Indiana.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus may just be the quirkiest town in the United States, just from its name alone. According to a Santa Claus legend, officials were debating what to name the community at the church when children thought they heard the bells of Santa's reindeer ringing just outside the doors. Either way, Santa is front and center in this Indiana town with a 22-foot concrete statue of him standing in the Santa Claus Museum & Village. Kids can send letters to Santa at the Original Santa Claus Post Office. It's always a holiday in Santa Claus, especially at its locally owned amusement park: Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, featuring wooden roller coasters, water slides, and free soft drinks. Presidential history buffs will want to visit Santa Claus as well, as it's just a few minutes away from the Indiana boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.
Jasper
A bit North of Santa Claus is the cute town of Jasper. Founded by German Catholic immigrants, it has a distinctly German vibe in its architecture and food scene. Its most stunning building is the Monastery of Immaculate Conception, operated by Sisters of St. Benedict since 1867, just outside of the town. It's the only monastery in the U.S. to have its own brewery: St. Benedict's Brew Works. Jasper is also an unforgettable place for baseball fans with the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame honoring legendary athletes at the high school, college, and pro levels. Speaking of museums, Jasper has the largest county museum in Indiana at the Dubois County Museum, with information on Jasper from its early days throughout America's decades of wars and changing social norms.
Porter
Indiana shares a small coastline with Lake Michigan, the second largest of the Great Lakes. By visiting Porter, you can not only have a fun day on a Lake Michigan beach, but you can also explore a towering landscape of sand dunes. The Indiana Dunes National Park contains a multitude of sand ridges that used to be the shoreline of Lake Michigan, but today are a rich ecosystem of marshes and woodlands. You can hike up the tallest of these dunes with the 3 Dune Challenge or branch out into other trails. One trail will take you by the fascinating 1933 Chicago World's Fair Century of Progress Homes. These structures were put on display as an example of cutting-edge and futuristic architecture at the time and stand as a testament to vintage futurism. Of course, no visit to Porter would be complete without going to one of the beaches like Porter Beach or Dunbar Beach.
Vincennes
If you're looking for a historic Indiana town to visit, then Vincennes is the absolute best. After all, it is the oldest European settlement in the state, with the French first colonizing it in 1732. When it eventually came under American control, it was chosen as the territorial capital of the Northwest Territory, and it still has some of the oldest buildings in Indiana, from the red brick Territorial Capitol Building, constructed in 1804, and the campus buildings of Jefferson Academy, now Vincennes University, built in 1802 as the first institution of higher learning. But Vincennes is also unforgettable for its one-of-a-kind museums from the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy that highlights the sketch comic Skelton to the largest monument west of Washington D.C. at the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park.
Corydon
Much like Vincennes, Corydon also originally served as a capital. For the first 9 years of Indiana's statehood, it served as the capital until it moved to Indianapolis in 1825. You can visit the old state capital building at the Corydon Capitol State Historic Site, along with the two-story Federal-style Governor Hendrick's Headquarters. However, what really makes Corydon unique is its Civil War history and marvelous cave system. Corydon was the site of the only Civil War battle fought in Indiana between Confederate General John Morgan and the Corydon militia at the Battle of Corydon Park. Within the town, you can also find the Indiana Caverns, which are a part of the Binkley Cave System, the longest cave in Indiana. In this cavern, you can walk a karst trail, take an underwater boat ride, or go on a thrilling zipline.
Rockville
Rockville contains the largest collection of covered bridges in the world, with 31 to see within its county borders. Covered bridges typically don't last long in the wild as they are susceptible to wind, rain, and sun damage. One of the best ones to see is the Billie Creek Bridge, built in 1895 to replace an earlier open bridge. This bridge can be found at the Billie Creek Village, a restored mid-19th-century historic community, with an old-timey General Store, Print Shop, and Beeson-Deplanty Log Cabin. If you visit Rockville during October, you can participate in the Covered Bridge Festival with food, art, music, and tours of the bridges of Parke County. Rockville has another unique attraction: the Old Jail Inn of Parke County, a former incarceration center that now has quirky "cells" for rooms and inmate clothing for you to wear while you stay in Rockville.
New Harmony
There have been many utopian communities throughout America. But few of them have as much utopian activity as New Harmony. The Harmonists bought this land in 1814 and lived here as a Christian commune until 1825, when they sold it to Robert Owen. He aimed at creating an egalitarian rural utopia, and many of his descendants still live here and continue his work to this day. They have made several peaceful shrines to these utopian ideals, such as the recreated Harmonist Labyrinth, a private hedge outdoor maze right off of Main Street, or the Jane Blaffer Own Sanctuary, an open-air sculpture garden, and the picturesque Roofless Church. Also in New Harmony are historic buildings such as the Robert Owen Granary and peaceful hiking trails along the Harmonie State Park. A visit to New Harmony may be just the spiritual retreat you need.
Madison
Most towns have a historic district of sorts, but few have one as large or as varied as Madison. It has the largest historic district in Indiana, nestled on the shores of the Ohio River. Some have called Madison an outdoor museum, as you can wander from a luxurious Greek Revival mansion to a college for anti slavery advocates and many other historic places in a single day. Just to mention a few, there's the 1815 Schofield House, which was the first two-story brick inn and tavern in the community; the 1844 Lanier Mansion State Historic Site, which looks like a Greek temple with its Corinthian columns; and the three-story Historic Eleutherian College, established by anti-slavery advocates. Nature lovers enjoy visiting Madison to see its beautiful waterfalls at Clifty Falls State Park. You can see all four of them with the 4 Falls Challenge hike.
Angola
For winter sports enthusiasts, Angola is a top-rated Hoosier town. That's because it has the only refrigerated toboggan run in the state. It operates in the winter at the Pokagon State Park, and races nearly 35-40 mph down a track. There are also cross-country skiing, sledding, ice skating, and snowshoeing opportunities in Pokagon. The park is located by Lake James, which makes it a great spot for fishing and boating. During the summer, drag racing fans flock to Angola to see a thrilling drag race at the Angola Motor Speedway. In downtown Angola, it has one of the best town squares in Indiana, with a magnificent Civil War monument standing in the center of the square, along with great local cafes like Broomsticks and Brews.
Winona Lake
The entire town of Winona Lake is designed around its self-named lake. Locals take boats out all the time on the lake or the creeks feeding into it, or they enjoy a day on the beach and splash pad at the Limitless Park and Splash Pad. Much like New Harmony, Winona Lake has a deeply spiritual vibe. It has several sculptures representing teachings from the Biblical Beatitudes within its Heritage Trail, and it maintains the Billy Sunday Home Museum. This traveling preacher lived here with his mother and used Winona Lake as a headquarters to plan his various revival meetings. Along the lake boardwalk, you can explore a lovely historic shopping center at the Village at Winona, which also contains several cute cafes and ice cream shops to try.
Shipshewana
Shipshewana knows how to live simply without sacrificing the pleasures of life. This village has a large Amish population, who own many local businesses. Just to name a few, there's the Blue Gate Restaurant & Bakery with fresh Amish home-style meals, Buggy Lane Tours, which offer buggy tours of the town, and the Menno-Hof interpretative center. This museum is housed within an Amish red barn and is one of the few places in the U.S. where you can see a replica of a 17th-century boat used by their Anabaptist forefathers to come to America, along with a model Amish kitchen and other exhibits. Shipshewana gives vintage and used items a second life at the largest flea market in the Midwest: the Shipshewana Flea Market. Lastly, you can step out into the lush countryside for yourself by walking on the 17-mile Pumpkinvine Nature Trail.
The Most Unusual Towns in Indiana
Another way to describe these towns is that they are deeply quirky places. After all, you have two former state capitals, a utopian paradise, a covered bridge paradise with a jail for an inn, and other unusual places. But that's precisely what makes these towns so unforgettable: how unusual they are. By dropping in for a day trip or staying for a weekend, you'll have a wonderful time in these Hoosier towns. Just make sure to pick up a souvenir while you're there to remember the trip.
