story by GLENDA WINDERS
Who doesn’t love a road trip? The music on the radio, the snacks in a cooler, the stops at roadside attractions — all recall a time when people vacationed at a more leisurely pace when they got away from the pressures at home and visited places they had never before seen.
For your next getaway, why not lean into that nostalgic state of mind and plan a trip that takes you into the past. We’re not talking time travel here, but rather a getaway where you can visit destinations steeped in history. From museums and antique shops, to diners and candy shops, Indiana has plenty of stops for your own nostalgic road trip.
A good place to start is the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart checks both boxes as you begin your explorations. The evolution of camping trailers from 1920 to the present is on display in the RV Founders Hall. While you’re in the mood to look at older objects, head over to Michigan City to explore Good News Vintage, where you’ll find curated home décor for whatever era you like. Pieces available at The Antique Market include hunting, sport, war, and railroad memorabilia; furniture and mirrors; jewelry, pottery, and glassware.
Then it’s on to Highland in Lake County and America’s Antique Mall, 60,000 square feet that encompass 350 booths and 350 glass cases filled with treasures just waiting for you to find them.
Still haven’t had your fill of antique stores? Rochester in Fulton County invites you to check out Green Oaks Antiques for items that range from furniture, dishes, and toys to tools, pottery, and garden ornaments. Also here is the Times Theater, “where memories come alive,” which dates to 1924. Now restored, it celebrates movies, live music, and art.
You’ll encounter antiques in Lafayette, too, but there are also several other ways to have fun here. Fort Ouiatenon was established by the French in 1717 as a fur-trading post. A replica blockhouse, built in 1930, is now open and programmed by the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. Come in the autumn for the annual Feast of the Hunters’ Moon festival.
The Haan Museum of Art is in a mansion that served as the Connecticut Building at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. It was later moved to Lafayette and is known for its outstanding collection of historic Indiana paintings. The historic Long Center for the Performing Arts, built in 1921, has been restored and now presents music, theatrical productions and retro films.
Catch a live show at the restored art deco Lafayette Theater, built in 1938, or tour Samara, a pristine example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian architecture, now a National Historic Landmark.
The Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo is not to be missed. Completed in 1891 for Monroe Seiberling, who came here during the gas boom and built several factories, it is now an elegant museum that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Muncie’s Cammack Station, built in 1931, is a perfect stop on a road trip since it was built to be a gas station. Now it is a restaurant that is filled with memorabilia from its heyday. Order from a retro menu — coney dog or fried bologna sandwich, anyone? — and follow up with one of their ice cream creations.
Another spot for a memorable meal is the bright-yellow Lemon Drop in Anderson. In business since the 1950s, the diner-style eatery serves up onion burgers, tenderloins, french fries, homemade pies, and milkshakes. On your way out the door be sure to pick up some free lemon drops. Another possibility is Gene’s Root Beer and Hot Dogs, where they invite you to enjoy those delights along with others on the menu.
Henry County offers a winning mix of history and hoops. Begin your journey at the iconic Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed, and move on to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the New Castle Fieldhouse. For a change of pace, catch a live performance at the restored Guyer Opera House.
Grover Center in Shelbyville tells the area’s history by way of an exhibit titled “The Streets of Old Shelby,” where an interurban train car delivers you to a life-size village that re-creates the saloon, school, stores, and offices that were once here. Another exhibit celebrates trains that in Shelby County date to 1834, and the Charlotte Jones Gallery illuminates how this part of the state changed geologically as well as its agricultural and industrial past.
Step into 19th-century grandeur in Madison, home to the nation’s largest downtown National Historic Landmark District, spanning 133 blocks of beautifully preserved architecture. Tour the Lanier Mansion, an 1844 Greek Revival jewel overlooking the river, and the Shrewsbury-Windle House, both famed for their dramatic three-story spiral staircases. Then explore the magical downtown district for gifts and finds you won’t see anywhere else.
Anna Rosales-Crone, communications manager at SoIN Tourism which represents Clark and Floyd counties, recalls that Schimpff’s Confectionary was the first place her husband took her when she moved to Jeffersonville, and now it is the first place she takes people who come to visit. In the 135 years of its existence, it has remained in the same family, and they still give tours and demonstrate how they make their candies. And you can’t get more nostalgic than the Georgetown Drive-in, just west of Jeffersonville, which now offers family-friendly activities as well as double-feature films.
Huber’s Orchard and Winery is another favorite, a family-owned farm where you can pick your own fruit and sample the wine. Jeffersonville is also home to Abbey Road on the River, a festival that celebrates the music of the Beatles, and Recbar, an arcade where you’ll also find good food and adult beverages.
Explore the underground wonders of Harrison County, with a lineup of extraordinary destinations: Marengo Cave, a U.S. National Natural Landmark; Squire Boone Caverns with its 73step spiral staircase and burial site of Squire Boone; and Indiana Caverns for an underground boat ride through Indiana’s longest cave system. Interactive exhibits at the Harrison County Discovery Center in Corydon bring the area’s history and geology to life.
In French Lick step back in time to luxury at the 1845 French Lick Springs Hotel, a resort known for its relaxing mineral springs. Its sister property, West Baden Springs Hotel, features a stunning 200-foot domed atrium and a pampering spa.
In Dubois County, start in Huntingburg at League Stadium, a vintage 1894 ballpark restored in 1991 for the film “A League of Their Own.” Then visit the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, known as the “Castle on the Hill,” a stunning Romanesque structure that features a dome, gardens, and tours that offer insight into more than 125 years of spiritual heritage.
Vincennes, Indiana’s first territorial capital, is rich in history. Visit the Indiana Military Museum to see artifacts tracing U.S. conflicts from the Civil War to the present. Stand beneath the soaring columns of the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, where the 1779 capture of Fort Sackville shaped frontier America. Then pause at the Knox County Veteran Memorial Park.
Cinema 67 Drive-In in Spencer has been showing double features under the stars since 1957. Downtown is the Tivoli Theatre, a restored 1928 gem with its original Mission Revival amenities. By day, explore McCormick’s Creek State Park or take in the cascading beauty of Cataract Falls.
Discover thrills in Morgan County at the Paragon Speedway before you catch a double-feature at the ‘50s-era Centerbrook Drive-in. Sweeten your visit — and wrap up your trip — with a stop at Martinsville Candy Kitchen, established in 1919, for handmade candy canes and sundaes.
