11 Cultural Destinations in Indiana
Looking for something to do in Indiana? You might want to think about a cultural outing.
While Indiana is not set to host a UNESCO World Heritage site any time soon, it is not a cultural desert. Far from it! Many out of state visitors (and even some native Hoosiers) would be surprised to know just how many interesting cultural destinations there are to visit here in Indiana.
Here are twelve of our favorite picks!
Global Village Welcome Center
Located on the northwest side of Indianapolis, near Lafayette Square Mall, this cultural and community center features dozens of cultural exhibits containing artifacts and artwork from all over the world, as well as common space available for community events and conferences.
The Global Village Welcome Center is a close affiliate of the International Marketplace Coalition—an organization dedicated to revitalizing the highly diverse northwest side of the city, which is home to more than 100 ethnic restaurants, 40 markets and 900 businesses, and where community members collectively speak and represent more than 80 languages.
Events hosted by the International Marketplace Coalition such as Taste the Difference Festival & Sister Cities Fest, International Women’s Gathering and World Arts Expo will be held at the Global Village Welcome Center in coming years.
Eiteljorg Museum
Home to an astounding array of indigenous and western art, this is one of the most interesting museums in Indianapolis.
The Eiteljorg was founded by famous Indianapolis philanthropist Harrison Eiteljorg in 1989, with the intent of educating people on the culture of Indigenous North Americans and the American West more broadly.
Today the museum contains a huge number of art exhibits from Indigenous artists past and present, including displays of traditionally manufactured clothing and accessories, paintings, sculpture, and more. Additionally, visitors sometimes have the opportunity to meet resident Native artists, purchase artwork at shows, or attend the Western Book Club.
Mounds State Park
Mounds State Park, located in Anderson, IN, gets its name from the ~2000 year old earthen mounds that lie at the center of the park. These earthworks, built by the prehistoric midwestern Adena-Hopewell people, were likely used for ceremonial purposes, and as a site for viewing astronomical phenomena.
The park is also home to a number of hiking trails, as well as an open-to-the-public Nature Center. Other activities include camping and fishing on the banks of the White River.
Corydon Capitol State Historic Site
Many people are unaware that before Indianapolis—a planned city—was founded, Indiana had a different capital city. Corydon, IN was the official capital city of Indiana from the time it became a state in December 1816 until the year 1825.
Nowadays, although the town has a population of just over 3000, it is an important tourist destination due to its historic legacy as Indiana’s first capital, and its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Prophetstown State Park
Another culturally significant state park, located in West Lafayette, is the historic site of Prophetstown, a Native American village founded in 1808 by the revered Indigenous leader Tecumseh.
Tecumpseh, having formed an alliance with 14 tribes across the region in order build an army to fight off the encroaching American settlers, used Prophetstown as the base of operations for his military project, as well as a spiritual home for his brother, Tenskwatawa, known as The Prophet.
In November 1811, William Henry Harrison, then governor of Indiana Territory, sent an army of 1200 to the site while Tecumseh was travelling and gathering support. Despite ferocious resistance from its inhabitants, Prophetstown was eventually overrun and burned to the ground.
Today, Prophetstown State Park encompasses both the site of the razed town, as well as the nearby battlefield where Tenskwatawa’s men were defeated.
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
Built in the 1870s, this house on Indianapolis’s near northside was once the home of President Benjamin Harrison and family. It is now preserved as a museum, with nearly all of the original architecture—and some historic furniture—fully intact.
Visitors can book a tour and intimately explore the historic home every day of the week, including weekends. Additionally, the site hosts cultural events on a regular basis, including candlelight theatre performances.
Indiana Medical History Museum
Once a part of the Central State Hospital, the Indiana Medical History Museum, located on Indianapolis’s west side, is housed in the Old Pathology Building, which is the oldest surviving pathology facility in the nation.
Guided tours are available on a regular basis (although capacity is limited to groups of 5 at a time for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic). Guides will introduce visitors to the variety of instruments and methodologies used by pathologists during the turn of the 20th century, as well as specimens collected from the Central State Hospital during the same time period.
Crispus Attucks Museum
This eclectic museum, tucked away near the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on the near westside, hosts a wide variety of memorabilia from the Crispus Attucks School—the first all African American school in Indiana. It also contains displays featuring Black artwork, and jazz memorabilia from the golden age of jazz on Indiana Avenue.
New Harmony State Historic Site
A classic example of 19th century utopian communities, the New Harmony State Historic Site is a well-preserved monument to a famous attempt to create paradise on earth.
Founded by German immigrants in the 1810s, Welsh industrialist Robert Owen took the helm in 1825, with the goal of turning the town into a utopian community similar to that of the Shakers or Oneida in upstate New York.
Unfortunately, the experiment only lasted two years before succumbing to internal conflicts, food shortages, a lack of housing, and other problems.
However, several historic buildings remain to this day, and are open for visits and guided tours.
General Lew Wallace Museum
Lew Wallace was already famous throughout the United States in the second half of the 19th century due to his leadership as a general in the Union Army during the civil war, where he served as a Major General during several decisive battles.
However, he remains famous to this day for his literary genius. Wallace was the author of the religious novel Ben-Hur: A tale of the Christ, which was a bestselling novel in its time and remains popular to this day due to the subsequent 1959 film Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston.
The General Lew Wallace Museum is located on the site where the novel was originally written, and contains a great deal of Wallace’s personal affects and memorabilia.
Spring Mill State Park
Spring Mill State Park sits on the site of a historic pioneer village, where a year-round natural spring was first used by settlers to power a sawmill, gristmills, and a wool mill (thus the name Spring Mill)
In addition to 20 restored buildings from a time when Indiana was part of the frontier, the park also is home to a series of natural caves, which are open for guided tours from May through July.
Finally, consider visiting the memorial site of Gus Grissom, a native Hoosier and astronaut who became America’s second person to visit space.
