20 Unique Indiana Destinations | Fun and Quirky Spots in Indiana to Visit with Kids

From the world'southward largest ball of paint in Alexandria, to a trail of giant Garfield sculptures in Fairmount, Indiana is filled with unique destinations that are sure to provide a adept photo op and a fun road trip for the family. My family and I discovered twenty of the about unusual excursions inside an 60 minutes's bulldoze of Indy. These trips are sure to spark conversation and provide Instagram worthy photos.

Garfield Trail

Grant County

Whether your kids know Garfield the Cat from cartoons or comic strips, they will relish this trail around Fairmount and surrounding cities. The trail boasts eleven fiberglass statues of the famous cat, each over five feet in elevation, in various outfits and poses. More information about the sculptures is available by calling (765) 997-7034.

If you are interested in learning more about Fairmont, stop by the Fairmount Historical Museum. Exhibits include accurate artifacts of hometown motion-picture show star James Dean, Garfield cartoon creator Jim Davis, as well as community history.

Admission to the Garfield Trail is free. The Fairmount Historical Museum is $5 per adult and children 17 & under are free with paid adult admission.

Wolf Park

Greater Lafayette

Home to gray wolves, cherry-red foxes, gray foxes, and bison, Wolf Park is a non-profit educational wild animals facility in Lafayette. Each type of fauna represented at Wolf Park is native to Indiana. Wolf Park requires a reservation to visit. Reservations for tours, as well as other programs such every bit Howl Nighttime, can be made through their website. Wolf Park is also offering virtual ambassador encounters, virtual howl nights, and individual virtual programs, so y'all can visit without leaving home.

Bob Ross Feel

Muncie

Nosotros don't brand mistakes, just happy little accidents. – Bob Ross

Bob Ross has inspired generations with his gentle voice and iconic paintings. The Joy of Painting was filmed in Muncie, and his old studio is at present open to the public every bit a museum. The Bob Ross Feel includes his refurbished studio, painting equipment, original paintings, and interactive experiences.

The Bob Ross Experience is open Wednesday-Saturday, 9 am-5 pm and Sunday, Apex-5 pm. Admission is $15 per person for all non-residents. For local residents, admission is $8 per person over 12, $6 per kid age 12 & under and children 3 & nether are gratuitous.

World's Largest Ball of Paint

Alexandria

What happens when you cover a baseball game in a layer of paint? Michael Carmichael has spent over 40 years doing merely that, covering a ball with over 25,000 coats of paint. It started in 1977, when he let his son cover a baseball in a layer of paint. Since then, the layers take continued, and the ball at present holds the championship of the 'Largest Ball of Paint in the World.'

Admission is free but visitors are asked to call (765) 724-4088 to schedule a visit. Visitors will discover the giant ball of pigment surrounded by paint buckets, hanging from a steel axle in a custom built 'Ball House' side by side to the Carmichael house in Alexandria. All are welcome to paint the ball in a color of their choosing or select a sliced department of the original ball.

Old Ben, Globe'due south Largest Steer

Kokomo

Inside the Visitor's Center at the Highland Park Pavilion is Sometime Ben, a preserved statue effigy of the world'southward largest steer. Built-in in 1902 on the farm of Mike and John Murphy, he weighed 125 pounds at birth. By historic period four, Ben was two tons and was a local celebrity, appearing at fairs and festivals. He measured over 6 feet tall and xvi feet long.

Highland Park is also dwelling house to a giant sycamore stump. It is 57 feet in bore and was in one case used every bit a phone berth holding over two dozen people.

Grannie'due south Cookie Jar and Water ice Foam Parlor

Metamora

In the tiny town of Metamora, you will detect the world'due south largest collection of cookie jars. Started by Eva "Grannie" and Paul Fuchs in 1998, the drove includes over 3,200 cookie jars and is open to visitors. Eva and her girl Connie likewise make delicious homemade waffle cones to serve with hand dipped ice cream and 24 flavors of soft serve ice cream. Seating is bachelor inside, or y'all can sit outside and watch the equus caballus fatigued canal boat glide on the canal.

Grannie's Cookie Jar and Ice Cream Parlor is open Mon & Tuesday ten-v pm and Wed-Sunday, ten am-7 pm.

Big John, Rocking Chair

Franklin

Long's Article of furniture Earth is a well-known business in Indiana. Even so, one slice of its collection may catch your eye as you drive through Franklin. Outside of the Long'southward Furniture World in Franklin, sits a thirty-2 foot rocking chair. Information technology is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records equally the largest wooden rocking chair in the globe. The custom congenital structure received its name "Large John" every bit a nod to the former possessor of the business concern, JD Long.

Celebrated Hoosier Gym

Knightstown

It would be hard to have an Indiana Adventures listing without mention of basketball game. Part of the 1985 flick Hoosiers was filmed in the Hoosier Gym, the fictional home of the Hickory Huskers. The gym is over lxxx years old and is open to the public.

Silo Landscape Project

Greencastle

Driving through the Indiana landscape, yous accept probably seen your fair share of silos. However, have you ever seen silo art? Greencastle is habitation to four silos featured in The Putnam County Mural Project, one of the largest murals in Indiana. The silos became the canvas for mural artist Key Item (Andrei Krautsou). Key spray painted past hand to transform the 50-feet-tall, 8000-square-foot cylinders into works of art featuring farm animals, an hawkeye, a violin, and a covered bridge. Yous tin download coloring pages of the artwork on The Putnam County Mural Project website.

Indy's Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum

Indianapolis
This small one-room museum on the eastside of Indianapolis is home to more than than 700 items featuring the image of the statue of freedom. From traditional statues, to snowfall globes and sweaters, this museum has a vast collection to explore in a tiny space. You can request a private tour of Indy's Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum by inbound Tim and Julie's Some other Fine Mess next door. The museum is a fun stop for elementary-aged kids, or those who savor collecting. The museum is open up Midweek-Saturday, Noon-5 pm. Access is 50 cents or free with a donation with an item to the museum.

Veal's Ice Tree

Indianapolis

Veal's Ice Tree is a seasonal and weather-dependent Indiana attraction, started in the winter of 1961 past Vierl G. Veal. It is a massive icy and colorful sculpture, created with nearby swimming water. The sculpture is breathtaking and worth the bulldoze.

The tree is built later seven-ten consecutive days of consequent temperatures in the 20s, usually in January. Follow their Facebook page for updates. The ice tree is open dawn to dusk, 7 days a week. The lights around the tree turn off around 10 pm.

Twisted House

Indianapolis

The modest, twisted firm nestled in the woods in Broad Ripple is certain to spark the imagination of little ones and adults alike. The house is also an amazing showcase of woodworking skills. It was created by American artist John McNaughton, who has taught woodworking, drawing, and sculpture at the University of Southern Indiana for 35 years. His work has been featured in collections at the White House and the Smithsonian Institution.

The curvy business firm is made from cedar wood and looks every bit though it is supported by its roof and foundation. Visitors can walk into the artwork, exploring the house and peering through the glass windows into the surrounding forest. The piece tin be viewed for free on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center in Broad Ripple.

Safety Horse Sculpture

Indianapolis

Calling all Colts fans! Did you know there is a horse fabricated from recycled tires in downtown Indy? Located at the corner of Prospect and New Jersey Streets, this horse provides quite the sight, and looks fix for some riders should the urge strike.

Garden of Gas Station Signs

Whiteland

Whiteland resident Alan Ray Whitaker has created a stunning display with his drove of over 36 oval gas station signs, each placed on 18 foot poles, with a spinning roto-sphere in the center. The vintage signs date from 1934-1961. The outside portion of the Garden of Gas Station Signs, located in the side yard of the Whitaker shop, is free and open to the public.

Giant Toilet Slide

Columbus

Kidscommons is a three-story children'southward museum filled with fun exhibits such as a 17-pes climbing wall, a bubble room, and Explorahouse. Information technology is sure to delight children ages preschool through grade six. Nonetheless, my kids will be quick to tell yous the highlight of the museum is the giant toilet slide, complete with a trip downward the plumbing. After your visit to Kidscommons, stop side by side door and visit Zaharakos, an ice cream parlor built in 1900 with an former-fashioned soda fountain.

The Sock Barn

Nashville

I commencement noticed this barn concluding yr while driving down to the T.C. Steele State Historic Site in Brownish County. Located off Country Road 46, is a barn with a stop sign and a pile of geodes. A few years agone, the couple who own the property put up small stickers that said "Take a Rock, Leave a Sock." Under the sign is a large pile of geodes collected from the nearby creek. Since and then, hikers have made the trip… and left dingy socks… in exchange for geodes.

In that location is now a new sign that reads "Hikers! Please, aid yourself to a free geode!" Leaving a sock is optional and a guestbook tin can be found inside a large plastic bag hanging from the sign.

Car-Sized Sneaker

New Castle

Located in the parking lot outside the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, the giant shoe makes for a fun photograph. If you take a basketball game fan in the family, stop by the Hall of Fame to see jerseys, trophies, pendants, and plaques from Indiana basketball game greats.

To run into a matching shoe, bulldoze most a mile due south from the Hall of Fame to the Steve Alford All-American Inn.

Pink Martini Drinking Elephant

Fortville

If you lot are looking for a very unique photo op, look no further than the large pink elephant, wearing glasses and drinking a martini in Fortville. Co-ordinate to the elephant's owner, information technology has a wardrobe to match the holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Patrick'due south Solar day, and the Fourth of July. Please note that the elephant is located on a lot adjacent to a liquor store. Nosotros stopped by during daytime hours and were the only elephant visitors. The elephant occasionally joins local parades and non-profit events.

If you're looking for more to practice check out our 10+ Family Friendly Things to practise in Fortville.

Periodic Table Display

Greencastle

Practice y'all have a budding scientist at home? If so, y'all may desire to add together this destination to your travel list. At the Julian Science and Mathematics Center of DePauw University is an extraordinary display of the periodic table. The periodic display is housed in a large custom cabinet, with 6 inch cubes for each element, and features an interactive screen with information about the elements. A few elements are missing due to the risk of danger to visitors. The creators, Theodore Grey and Max Whitby, made sure to discover a multifariousness of shapes and textures for the pure elements. They also included examples of common and uncommon uses for the elements. For example, the cube for copper (Cu) includes copper nails, telephone wire, and a sample of native pure copper from Michigan.

Rotary Jail Museum

Crawfordsville

Did you know Indiana is domicile to the only rotating jail in the world that is still operational? The Rotary Jail of Montgomery County was the first jails of its kind in the U.Due south. Built in 1881, it was designed to rotate the cell cake in a consummate circle and intended to allow for 1 i guard to lookout more inmates. The jail has eight wedge-shaped cells divided betwixt two floors, with ane door on each floor. The only way to enter or get out a cell was if the jail cell and door were aligned. The 32 ton mechanism is hand cranked and rotated regularly for tours.

Summer hours are Wednesday-Saturday, x am-5 pm–check their website for updates. Admission is $5 for ages 12+; $3 for children ages half dozen-eleven; and free for children five and under. There is street parking in front of the museum and on Jump Street.

Indy With Kids is e'er on the lookout for memorable family outings. Annotate below to allow usa know which one is your favorite, or if there are other Indiana hidden gems you lot would like added to the list.

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