9 Most Beautiful Small Towns In Indiana You Should Visit

Indiana's nickname is the Crossroads of America, which may lead one to believe it's a "flyover" state. But by skipping Indiana, you'll miss out on visiting many beautiful towns. You won't get to see a labyrinth designed by utopians, the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln, the sandy dunes of Lake Michigan, one of the largest historic districts in America, and many other spots. Here are the nine most beautiful small towns in Indiana you should visit.

Marshall

Marshall is a truly hidden Hoosier gem. While the town itself is tiny, it is near a massive state park that should be on any hiker's bucket list: the Turkey Run State Park. This beautiful Indiana state park contains sandstone ravines and canyons that defy the Midwestern stereotype of a featureless, flat landscape. Within this state park, a wide variety of activities is available for both experienced hikers and leisurely strollers. First is the 5 Mile Hiking Challenge, which goes through multiple canyons, across ladders, and over a suspension bridge. Another is the Saddle Barn, where you can take an escorted ride through the park. The park also contains a Nature Center with a Planetarium and the historic Colonel Richard Lieber Cabin, a 1848 pioneer cabin named after the father of the Indiana park system.

Nashville

This town shares a name with Nashville, Tennessee, but it is far closer in appearance to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, thanks to its beautiful rolling hills that are most visible at the Brown County State Park. At this park, you can explore these hills via hiking trails, horseback trails, or go fishing at Strahl Lake. The park also features several hidden treasures, including the historic 90-foot Fire Tower and the nearby Story Inn. This active hotel prides itself on being the world's most inconvenient inn, as it is located right next to a ghost town in the middle of the woods. Another park you should see is Yellowwood State Park, named after the endangered Yellowwood Tree. The downtown area of Nashville is especially cute, as you can explore multiple boutiques and specialty shops like the Mulberry Cottage, Men's Toy Shop Inc., and The Cheeky Owl.

Santa Claus

This might be the quirkiest little town in all of the United States. The legend goes that the residents here chose the name Santa Claus during a town meeting at the local church. While they were debating what to name the town, children began shouting that they heard Santa's sleigh bells just outside the church's doors, so the townsfolk chose the name Santa Claus. You can still visit that old church at the Santa Claus Museum & Village. This village features a historic post office that has a dedicated box for children to send letters to St. Nick. There are many other holiday attractions within its borders, such as the Santa Claus Christmas Store and the amusement park Holiday World & Splashin' Safari. If you're a bit of a Scrooge, you can ditch the Christmas feel and venture out to the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, where Abraham Lincoln spent his boyhood years when his family moved out of Kentucky.

Madison

Madison's beauty is on display everywhere, both in the cliffs surrounding it and its magnificent historic district. It has the largest historic district in Indiana, and has been referred to as an outdoor museum due to the diversity of buildings available to visit. These vary from the luxurious Lanier Mansion, designed in 1844 in the Greek Revival style, to the 1848 Historic Eleutherian College, founded by an antislavery group, and the Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum. This museum, in particular, is one of the few saddletree factories left in the U.S., which designed parts for saddles. The real jewel in Madison is the many waterfalls descending over limestone cliffs within the Clifty Falls State Park. By taking the 4 Falls hiking challenge, you can see them all and take some photos of beautiful locales.

New Harmony

New Harmony is a highly unusual town due to its history of utopian societies settling in this land. The first group was the Harmonists themselves, German religious separatists seeking communal perfection. After living here from 1814 to 1824, they sold off the land to industrialist Robert Owen, who himself aimed to create an early socialist utopian built on the values of equality and learning. Today, the descendants of these utopians keep much of their optimism through beautifully crafted gardens and unusual structures. These include the privet hedge maze, known as the Harmonist Labyrinth, the peaceful Roofless Church, and the Jane Blaffer Owen Sanctuary, an open-air enclosure featuring gardens, fountains, and sculptures. Just outside of the downtown area, you can enjoy a peaceful stroll by the Wabash River at the Harmonie State Park.

Porter

Much like Marshall, Porter's most beautiful attraction is its park: the majestic Indiana Dunes National Park. This landscape used to be a part of Lake Michigan, but as the water receded, it left behind many sandy dune hills, marshes, and other environments. For example, you can hike up the Calumet Dunes ridge via the Calumet Dunes Trail, or explore historic farms at the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm. One of the most interesting historic places to see here is the 1933 World's Fair Century of Progress Homes. These structures were built in a futuristic style for the time and today are a wonderful reminder of vintage futurism. Within Porter, you can also get right up next to the shore of Lake Michigan at Porter Beach.

Vincennes

Settled by the French in 1732, Vincennes is the oldest founded town in Indiana. As such, Vincennes has some of the oldest structures still standing in the state, and many of them are in pristine condition. For example, you can visit the Red House, also known as the Indiana Territorial Capitol, which operated from 1805 to 1813 prior to Indiana becoming a state, or see the 1801 Jefferson Academy, the first higher learning institution in Indiana. Vincennes also features the largest monument west of Washington, D.C., located at the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, named after the American Revolutionary War general. In addition to these sites, Vincennes has museums for people of all interests and walks of life. Enjoy a good laugh at the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy, dedicated to the memory of the 20th-century comic.

Winona Lake

You don't have to travel out to the Great Lakes to have a "great lake day" in Indiana. For example, you can venture to the lovely community of Winona Lake. From the self-named lake itself to the creeks running through town, it's easy to take a boat out for a water adventure here. You can enjoy a gentle beach and splash pad at the Winona Lake Limitless Park and Splash Pad or go hiking through the woods at the Winona Lake Trails, which have lovely sculptures based on the Biblical Beatitudes. Speaking of the Bible, Winona Lake was the headquarters for evangelist Billy Sunday, who traveled across the U.S. in the early 1900s preaching. You can learn about his life at the Billy Sunday Home. If you're up for shopping, visit The Village at Winona Lake, a charming retail outlet with many locally owned boutiques.

Shipshewana

This tiny town has a simple beauty that comes from its rich Amish heritage. Shipshewana has one of the largest Amish communities in the U.S. You can learn a lot about these unique people at the Menno-Hof interpretative center, which includes a replica of a 17th-century boat the Anabaptists would have used to travel to the New World and a recreated Amish kitchen. While traveling through this cute town, you can go for a buggy tour via Buggy Lane Tours or explore it on foot on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, a paved 17-mile trail connecting the nearby communities of Middlebury and Goshen. Lastly, you won't want to miss the delicious Amish-style home cooking at the Bluegate Restaurant & Bakery.

It's Not Flat And Boring In Indiana

As can be seen from these towns, Indiana is far from a flat and boring state. While it doesn't have mountains, it does have picturesque hills such as the cliffs of Madison or the sand dunes of Porter. This beauty extends beyond the natural landscape to architecture, such as the simple yet charming Amish buildings in Shipshewana, the territorial structures of Vincennes, and many more. In fact, we couldn't list all of the beautiful places to see in these Indiana towns; you'll have to visit them yourself to take it all in.