9 Amazing Indiana Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

Indiana rewards day-trippers with striking natural scenery, from Clifty Falls State Park’s fossil-filled creeks and seasonal waterfalls to Indiana Dunes National Park’s towering Lake Michigan dunes. Brown County State Park continues that scenic appeal with ravine trails and a 75-foot fire tower overlooking one of the state’s most beautiful landscapes. Beyond the outdoors, Indiana also offers standout cultural stops, including Picasso works at the Eskenazi Museum of Art and the massive Dinosphere at the Children’s Museum. Those experiences pair well with historic attractions, such as French Lick’s West Baden Springs Hotel and its remarkable 200-foot dome, along with Lincoln’s preserved boyhood farm. If this

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Within Indianapolis

If you're traveling with children, then the Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a strong first stop before you hit the road for other day trips. With five stories and 472,900 square feet, it's the world's largest children's museum, offering a multitude of experiences for active children.

For example, the Playscape offers hands-on activities for kids, whether that's drawing in the Art Studio, building castles in The Sandbox, or climbing up nets in The Pond. The museum provides plenty of educational opportunities through its exhibits on Egyptian tombs, famous children throughout history, and dinosaur fossils at the Dinosphere. Currently, the museum has a PAW Patrol: Adventure Play exhibit and Tiana's Joyful Celebration based on the Disney character Tiana.

White River State Park: Within Indianapolis

One appealing feature of Indianapolis is that you don't have to get out of the city to enjoy nature; you can experience it right on the banks of the White River via White River State Park. The park provides green spaces against the backdrop of downtown Indianapolis, with the Canal Walk. It's a 3-mile loop where you can either walk or rent a gondola for a Venice-style journey.

Another popular walk is the Old Washington Street Bridge, which was converted into a pedestrian bridge and is filled with sculptures made by Indiana artists. You can have a picnic at Locust Grove or attend a concert at the Everwise Amphitheater. Make sure to check the calendar before you visit so you can catch the right event for you and your family.

Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art: 1 hour, 2 minutes drive

About an hour from Indianapolis, the college town of Bloomington makes an easy cultural day trip. It has a top-notch art museum, the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, featuring works from Africa, Monet, Picasso, and the ancient world.

Located on the historic Indiana University Bloomington campus, the museum has seven galleries showcasing the masters around the world. You can find objects used by humans as far back as 30,000 BCE, alongside traditional art from Oceania, and the only complete set of Marcel Duchamp's Readymades in the U.S., a contemporary art set of works made of mass-produced objects. The museum presents contemporary art across almost all its galleries to remind visitors of how art has changed over time.

Clifty Falls State Park: 1 hour, 44 minutes drive

Clifty Falls State Park is a lesser-visited Indiana destination in the historic river town of Madison. The park's best features are its waterfalls, which plunge over beautiful cliffs and into Clifty Creek, which itself is filled with fossils of squids, corals, and brachiopods. You can see all four waterfalls via the strenuous Four Falls Hiking Challenge. It's worth it to visit at different times of year, as they can range from small streams to roaring waterfalls to frozen sculptures.

In addition to the hiking trails, there's a Clifty Inn and Restaurant within the park, and a Nature Center that teaches about the various flora and fauna, including timber rattlesnakes.

While you're in Madison, you can also check out its historic district, the largest continuous historic district in Indiana, featuring Greek Revival mansions such as Lanier State Historic Site and nearby Historic Eleutherian College.

French Lick: 1 hour, 58 minutes drive

French Lick is a small town that's worth the longer drive, as it has some of Indiana's most notable historic hotels. With the discovery of mineral waters there in the 1840s, French Lick became a major spa town. One of the most impressive hotels built here to accommodate guests is the West Baden Springs Hotel, built in 1901. It features a 200-foot dome over its atrium. This was the largest free-spanning dome in the United States until 1955.

Today, you can tour its grounds or learn about the lives and times of the gangsters and basketball stars who called French Lick home at the French Lick West Baden Museum. This museum features an exhibit on NBA superstar Larry Bird and the world's largest circus diorama.

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari: 2 hours, 38 minutes drive

This excursion works well for thrill seekers and families looking to save some money. The locally owned Holiday World & Splashin' Safari is open seasonally from May to August, and then on select dates in September through November within the quirky town of Santa Claus, Indiana. It helps visitors save money with free unlimited soft drinks, sunscreen, and parking, so they can focus on the rides.

The theme park is best known for its wooden roller coasters, such as The Raven and The Legend, but it also features innovative rides, including the Thunderbird Launched Wing Coaster, the first roller coaster of its kind in the U.S. that launches you from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. On hotter days, the Splashin' Safari section of the park features a wave pool and a variety of water slides for kids and adults.

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial: 2 hours, 40 minutes drive

You can visit two places in one drive by taking a short detour from Holiday World & Splashin' Safari to the town of Lincoln City, named after Abraham Lincoln. He lived in Indiana from the ages of 7 to 21 after his family moved from Kentucky. Today, his far site is maintained as the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and has several indoor and outdoor activities.

Starting indoors, you can tour the museum and the Memorial Visitor Center, which features 12 exhibits on his life in Indiana. From there, you can go outside to the Trail of Twelve Stones, which begins at the Cabin Site Memorial and goes through several chronological events in Lincoln's life, including the gravesite of Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Afterwards, you can get a good idea of how pioneers lived at the time at the Lincoln Living Historical Farm, where reenactors showcase life in the 1820s.

Brown County State Park: 1 hour, 2 minutes drive

Brown County State Park is located in Nashville, Indiana, a region often compared to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for its art-filled downtown and rolling hills. At the park, the hills stretch for miles, earning it the nickname Little Smokies. The geological reason is that the glaciers from the last Ice Age didn't reach this region.

By visiting here, you can hike through these ravine trails, such as at the Rally Campground Trail, which heads down a ravine to Ogle Lake, or you can see a rare Yellowwood tree on Trail 5. If you brought a fishing pole with you, you can go fishing at Strahl Lake. For one of the best views of the park, go up to the 75-foot Fire Tower.

Indiana Dunes National Park: 2 hours, 24 minutes drive

This northern Indiana park is close to Chicago, making it worth stopping in if you're traveling from that direction as well, because it offers some of the Midwest's most distinctive Lake Michigan landscapes. The Indiana Dunes National Park contains landscapes that formed as Lake Michigan slowly receded over time.

Hikers can get right up on these towering dunes at the Calumet Dunes Trail or Dune Ridge Trail, both of which are short hikes under a mile long. If you're staying longer in the park, there are longer trails to check out, such as the Glenwood Dunes Trail, which winds through forests, or the Cowles Bog Trail, which has been designated a National Natural Landmark for its marshes, swamps, and savannahs. Due to its close location to Lake Michigan, you can also easily access several beaches in the area, including Porter Beach and Dunbar Beach.

What Makes These Indiana Day Trips Stand Out

Indiana was where Abe Lincoln truly grew up and gained the values and expertise needed to guide America through the American Civil War. Today, his old stomping grounds in Indiana can teach you similar lessons, whether that's appreciating nature at Clifty Falls State Park or understanding the natural history of Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes National Park. These getaways provide other lessons as well, such as the architectural wonders of French Lick or the educational programs at Bloomington's art museum and the Indianapolis Children's Museum. With modern transportation, you'll be able to travel across Indiana much faster than Abe Lincoln ever could while still covering a wide range of day trips.