story by GLENDA WINDERS
Fortunately, Indiana is filled with a variety of tour options from candy making to auto manufacturing. Some tours are led by guides with personal stories to share; others are self- guided so you can learn at your own pace.
You’ll find both history and basketball in Henry County. Start out at the legendary Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed, then head over to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame to take in memorabilia and interactive exhibits devoted to the state’s favorite game. Round out these tours with a walk through the New Castle Fieldhouse. With 8,424 seats, this is the largest fieldhouse of its kind in the world.
Shift gears for a look at the Gothic Revival/Civil War-era General William Grose House, where the Henry County Historical Society Museum is located and guided tours are available. At the Guyer Opera House in a restored gaslight-era theater, plan your tour so that you can also catch a local theater performance. Then find out what life was like for a couple of famous young brothers at the Wilbur Wright Birthplace and Museum, just a short drive away.
Satisfy your sweet tooth while you watch chocolates, caramels, fudge, truffles, and brittle being made at Abbott’s Candies in Hagerstown. Abbott’s is the oldest candy-maker in the state, serving up their classic recipes since 1890. Watch their original recipes being made through the viewing windows, and feel free to ask their chefs questions while they work. Small and large group tours are offered by appointment.
Nestled in scenic Franklin County, Metamora invites you to explore the historic Whitewater Canal, where you can watch the canal locks in action and stroll across the Duck Creek Aqueduct, the only wooden aqueduct of its kind. Nearby, tour a restored grist mill that brings 1800s life to light.
Just south, discover Oldenburg, affectionately known as “The Village of Spires” for the striking steeples adorning Holy Family Church and the Sisters of St. Francis convent—tours available by reservation. Don’t miss Brookville’s Holiday Historic Homes Tour, where six beautifully decorated homes open their doors for seasonal charm and hospitality.
A self-guided Historic Sites Tour in Dearborn County will enable you to explore Aurora’s rich past. The free PocketSights app will take you from the grand 19th-century Veraestau Estate, perched high on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River, to Whipple truss bridges, the Aurora Depot and the Downtown Historic District.
Discover Dubois County’s rich heritage through a mix of immersive guided tours and flexible self-guided adventures. At the renowned Dubois County Museum—one of Indiana’s largest—knowledgeable guides bring exhibits to life, from early German immigration to military history, woodworking, and a life-sized “Main Street” with 17 period storefronts. Prefer exploring on your own? Use their new audio tour devices to uncover stories at your pace.
For a deeper dive into the county’s spiritual roots, embark on the scenic Trail of Faith, an 85-mile self-guided driving tour through 19 stunning historic churches. Admire the Romanesque architecture of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper and the European elegance of St. Ferdinand Church. A must see highlight is the Monastery Immaculate Conception, home to the Sisters of St. Benedict, where majestic domes, peaceful grounds, and sacred art invite reflection and awe.
Enjoy the Walking Tour of Historic Madison, a two-section self-guided booklet (west and east ends) available for just $2 at the Visitors Center. With 19 pages of maps, photos, and historic stories, it’s a great way to trace the city’s transformation across centuries. Looking for something more specialized? Madison also offers nine themed self-guided walking tours highlighting topics like public art and murals, historic trails, filming locations for movies in Madison, and more—alongside the city’s wonderful architecture, history, and industry tours. All tours can be found on the free PocketSights GPS Tour app, which features maps, photos, and location based details right from your phone.
Prefer a guided experience? Hop aboard the Madison Trolley Line for a narrated trolley tour experience through the heart of the 133-block National Historic Landmark District. Or join the Architectural Walking Tour for an up-close look at Madison’s stately homes and design heritage, on the first and third Saturdays from May to October. Both options showcase architectural gems like the Lanier Mansion, a National Historic Landmark and elegant Greek Revival masterpiece built in 1844. It’s open for guided interior tours and self-guided garden strolls. There’s also the Charles L. Shrewsbury House and the storied Schofield House, where Indiana’s Grand Lodge of Freemasons was founded in 1818.
You’ll find eight beautifully decorated historic homes on Dec. 13 in Corydon, Indiana’s first state capital, at the Holiday Home Tour. Stops include the William Henry Harrison Log Cabin and the Posey House, where local historians will talk about the homes’ special features. The Walking Tour of Historic Downtown is available all year. This is a free self-guided tour that includes such significant landmarks as the Old Capitol, the Constitution Elm Memorial (commemorating where the state constitution was signed) and the Kintner-McGrain House, in addition to the Harrison log cabin and the Posey House. Pick up maps, brochures, and suggestions for your adventure at the Blaine H. Wiseman Visitor Center.
Orange County is a treasure-trove of historical knowledge. In French Lick and West Baden Springs stroll through the Gilded Age hotels with Indiana Landmark volunteer guides who can tell you all you want to know about the mineral springs people have come to visit since the spas opened here at the turn of the 20th century. Some excursions take you into the kitchens and linen rooms. If you’d rather be on your own, download the app to learn about Pluto Spring, the trolly, baseball tieins, and more.
Neighboring Orleans has its own historic district filled with Victorian-era storefronts as well as Gothic Revival to early 20th-century commercial buildings for you to explore at your own pace on a self-guided walk.
Paoli’s historic district comprises 144 preserved buildings whose architecture styles span from Italianate to Queen Anne. While you’re here, explore the Greek Revival courthouse, one of Indiana’s oldest continuously in use, and the Orange County Museum, located in a restored 1885 home.
For a modern intermission between historic spots, book a tour of the Toyota plant in Princeton. You’ll ride a tram through the production facility and have an opportunity to visit the Toyota Indiana Experience Center to learn about the vehicles they make and the connection between Japan and Indiana.
Tours of the Red House in Vincennes (Indiana’s first territorial capital) also include the Jefferson Academy, the Old French House, Elihu Stout Print Shop, and more, but special tours are themed to add a rich context to your visit. “In every tour, visitors get the bones of what happened in those buildings,” said Janice Barniak, executive director, Vincennes/ Knox County Visitors and Tourism Bureau. “But the tours change throughout the year, with specific tours available only during certain times — such as a ghost tour for Halloween, one for Presidents Day, and one for Women’s History Month, among others.” The “Then and Now” guided walk explores iconic downtown structures, or you can wander through sites such as Fort Knox II and Sugarloaf free of charge and at your own pace. As the holidays approach, Grouseland — the William Henry Harrison Mansion and Museum will light up with seasonal decorations.
In Brown County, the Hard Truth Distillery Tour takes visitors through a working distillery where they craft sweet mash rye whiskey and bourbon. The 25-minute experience includes exploring the production facility. Want more adventure? Take their “Get Lost” ATV Tour that takes participants on a drinking expedition across the 325-acre Hard Truth campus.
If you’re visiting Brown County in October, be sure and download a printable tour map for the Back Roads of Brown County Studio Tour, designed to showcase arts and crafts of the area. You’ll travel scenic back roads and get a glimpse into the lives of working artists and craftsmen.
Terre Haute, the “Queen of the Wabash,” can boast of two National Register historic districts. Wabash Avenue-East, developed between 1880 and 1940, encompasses 20 buildings
in the central business district that range in architecture from Italianate and Romanesque Revival to Renaissance Revival and Art Deco, along with the restored Indiana Theater. Wabash Avenue-West was developed after 1870 and also includes a variety of architectural styles.
A self-guided walking tour of the Stiffy Green Trail will introduce you to the local lore surrounding a bulldog who refused to leave his owner’s gravesite. Then wrap up your visit with a tour of the Vigo County Historical Museum, where guided exhibits illustrate the city’s rich industrial and cultural past.
Escape into a picture-perfect journey through Parke County, the Covered Bridge Capital of the World, with a self-guided tour of its 31 historic bridges. Start at the Rockville Visitor Center and pick up their visitors’ covered bridge map as your guide, then wind your way through the countryside at your own pace. You can also download the covered bridge map from their website. One of the highlights is the Mansfield Covered Bridge, a double-span over Big Raccoon Creek framed by a working mill and waterfalls. The Jackson Covered Bridge is Indiana’s longest single-span bridge, stretching over Sugar Creek. For a more woodland experience, explore the Cox Ford and Narrows Covered Bridges inside Turkey Run State Park.
In Wayne County, you’ll learn powerful stories of freedom and courage during your tour at the Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, the “Grand Central Station” of the Underground Railroad. This eight-room home served as a safe haven for more than 1,000 freedom seekers on their journey to Canada.
At Minnetrista Museum and Gardens in Muncie, take a self-guided tour through the Oakhurst Experience. Here you’ll learn the story of George and Frances Ball while you explore their beautiful home. This interactive experience will teach visitors about home food preservation in the very kitchen where the Ball Blue Book was created.
Lots of tours are on offer at Hunter’s Honey Farm in Martinsville. Depending on which one you choose, you’ll be able to visit the hives, bottle your own product, create your own label, roll your own candle, take a hayride, or explore the forest.
For more about agriculture, the next stop is The Farm at Prophetstown, located within Prophetstown State Park. This training farm for sustainable agriculture, gardening, canning, farm-totable cooking, sewing, and quilting draws on the wisdom of experts in each of these fields to show visitors what farm life was like in the 1920s. The self-guided tour includes farmhouses and outbuildings, and everyone is welcome to help feed the animals and gather the eggs.
“By exploring our 1920s living history farm, visitors gain insight into the daily skills, sustainable practices, and cultural values that shaped rural life a century ago — lessons in self-reliance and stewardship that remain relevant in our world today,” said Madia (Sunshine) Bickett, media & educational outreach at the farm.
Another opportunity to visit an automobile plant is also in Lafayette — this time Subaru. Be sure to schedule ahead and check the rules about clothing restrictions. Then be prepared to watch a Subaru take shape from start to finish.
Lafayette has its own National Historic Landmark — a Usonian home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1954 named Samara. Another not-tomiss home here is the Haan Museum of Indiana Art. Once a part of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, it was dismantled and moved to Lafayette by rail to become a private home. Today its opulent décor and furnishings make up the background for paintings by Indiana artists.
To see the city from outdoors, download a 28-page brochure that tells its architectural and cultural history and then set off for an unforgettable self-guided walk. Another place to get outside is Tippecanoe Battlefield Park. Along with learning an important history lesson, enjoy picnic areas, a nature center, pioneer chapel, and hiking trails.
Another place to experience agriculture and teach younger visitors about where their food comes from is Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. Included in your general admission is an optional tour to visit a working dairy farm and a breed-to-wean pig farm. On the Dairy Adventure Farm Tour, you’ll enjoy such highlights as a 72-cow rotary milking parlor and a robotic milking parlor. The Pig Adventure Farm Tour will teach you about large-scale pig farming, and you can experience a pig’s journey through growing, breeding and gestation, and farrowing.
Don’t miss the Kokomo Opalescent Glass tour. Here you’ll learn how all colors and types of glass have been made since 1888 with the same tools and techniques. They’ll gift you with a small memento at the end, and you’ll have time to browse in the gift shop and take home a decorative piece of their work.
A family-friendly tour of the Journeyman distillery and brewery in Valparaiso is also a distinctive experience. Once a woolen mill in the 1860s, this example of early American industrial architecture is now home to all the beer and spirits that the Journeyman people produce. Learn about their organic practices during your tour and then sip a sample at the end.
For another look at opulence and luxury, a visit to the Barker Mansion in Michigan City is in order. In 1855 a businessman named John Barker invested in a railcar company that soon evolved into the Haskell & Barker Car Co. The company thrived during the Civil War as it manufactured freight cars for Union troops — and made Barker extremely wealthy. The original mansion he built was later renovated by architect Frederick Wainwright Perkins. Guided tours take you from room to room to learn more about the mansion. A less-expensive ticket allows you to stroll through at your own pace, taking time to look at whatever interests you.
While in town, check out HEROES Gallery, Arcade & Museum. After playing their vintage hero-themed arcade games, request a guided tour of the stunning collection of comic book art and memorabilia. HEROES is operated by The Graf Dairy Hero Foundation which uses superheroes like Spider-man, Wonder Woman, and Superman to teach kids about virtues and character.
A tour of the Ruthmere campus in Elkhart gives you access to two historic properties: the Dr. Havilah Beardsley House and the Ruthmere Mansion. Beardsley founded the city of Elkhart, and his nephew, Albert, who built Ruthmere, was a key figure in the development of Miles Laboratories, one of the city’s leading businesses.
An interesting fact about Elkhart County is that it produces more than 80% of all RVs built in the United States. So it’s no surprise the area is home to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum, where you can take a selfguided tour to see trailers and other authentic memorabilia dating as far back as the 1920s. The Manufactured Housing exhibit takes guests on a walk through the evolution of the industry, beginning with the covered wagon, then making stops in the 30’s, 50’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
Automotive buffs will enjoy the Highlights Tour at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, happening every first Saturday of the month for the remainder of the year. This complimentary tour is included with your admission and lasts about 45 minutes. Their knowledgeable docents will explore not only the iconic vehicles in their galleries but also broader themes of automotive history and the art deco era.
A fascinating display of historic aircraft from the Cold War era is on display at the Grissom Air Museum in Peru. Here, you can schedule a guided tour, which includes one or more of their volunteer guides, all former military, who will bring the displays and aircraft to life. Be sure and schedule your tour in advance.
Shipshewana is in the heart of Mennonite and Amish country, so a visit here isn’t complete without learning more about this fascinating culture. The best way to do that is at the Menno-Hof Mennonite-Amish Visitors Center. Here, time periods in history are laid out in a series of rooms that you visit with a guide, and you’ll learn the historical context of their journey to America and why and how they practice their faith.
Then it’s on to two unusual stops in Noble County. The first is the Annie Oakley Natural Perfumery, where you’ll see how scents are created, bottled and readied for distribution. At the end you’ll be able to create your own signature fragrance and browse in the gift shop. Also here is the Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, whose mission is to rescue captive-raised exotic animals. They will take you on an hour-and-a-half tour to teach you how their facility operates as well as to tell you the stories of how each of their bears, tigers, alligators and more came into their care.
