Recreation and Places of Interest

Indiana has a wide variety of recreational facilities and tourist attractions. Picnicking, camping, water sports, hiking, and other outdoor activities are popular, especially in the many state parks, state forests, and in the state’s one national forest. Indiana’s lakes and rivers provide game fish for anglers, and its fields and woodlands attract animal watchers and hunters. There are a number of state memorials that commemorate famous Hoosiers or events associated with the state’s history. At one time southern Indiana was noted for its health centers, including the resorts of French Lick, Dillsboro, and Martinsville, known for their mineral springs. French Lick still attracts visitors and conventions.

National Forest and National Parks

Hoosier National Forest covers an area of 78,000 hectares (193,000 acres) in the south-central part of the state. Noted for its scenic drives, the national forest also has facilities for swimming, picnicking, camping, hunting, and fishing. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, adjoining the large Lincoln State Park in Spencer County, includes the site of the cabin where Abraham Lincoln lived between the ages of 7 and 21 and the grave of his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. The George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, honoring the Revolutionary War colonel who led American forces in the conquest of the Old Northwest, stands at the former site of Fort Sackville at Vincennes. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore includes 6,088 hectares (15,044 acres) of beaches, dunes, and hinterlands along Lake Michigan.

State Parks

There are 35 state parks and recreation areas in Indiana, most providing overnight accommodations. McCormick’s Creek State Park, northwest of Bloomington, dates from 1916 and was the first state park established in Indiana. Brown County State Park, the largest, covers about 6,350 hectares (15,700 acres) of rolling hill country in south central Indiana. Known for its scenic beauty, the park is extremely popular with tourists and landscape painters. Indiana Dunes State Park extends for 5 km (3 mi) along Lake Michigan. Its sand dunes, broad sandy beaches, cattail marshes, and woodlands make it an area of unusual natural beauty. Turkey Run State Park, in west central Indiana, is noted for its rugged sandstone canyons and winding streams and for its beech, black walnut, and tulip trees.

In Spring Mill State Park, in the southern part of the state, some of the state’s largest tulip trees and white oaks form part of the park’s extensive area of woodlands. The park is also the site of a restored frontier village including a working water-powered grist mill and sawmill, log cabins, shops, and houses. A panoramic view of the Ohio River and the Kentucky shoreline can be seen from a bluff that rises about 120 m (about 400 ft) above the river in Clifty Falls State Park, in southeastern Indiana. The park is named for its waterfall which is 27 m (90 ft) high. The largest Native American earthworks in the state is preserved in Mounds State Park, which lies on the White River just east of Anderson (see Mound Builders). Pokagon State Park, on Lake James in northeastern Indiana, is a popular center for winter sports.

There are more than a dozen state memorials in Indiana. In Angel Mounds State Historic Site is a well-preserved group of Native American earthworks. The memorial lies along the Ohio River near Evansville. Indiana Territory State Memorial, at Vincennes, preserves the building that served as the capitol of Indiana Territory from 1800 to 1813, when the seat of government was transferred to Corydon. The Corydon Capitol State Historic Site, in Corydon, preserves the building that served as the second territorial capitol and, after 1816, as the first state capitol.

Just north of Lafayette is the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe, where on November 7, 1811, William Henry Harrison’s forces defeated the Native American confederacy that had been formed by the famous Shawnee chief Tecumseh. New Harmony State Historic Site, in the town of New Harmony in southwestern Indiana, includes buildings of the early 19th-century settlements of Harmony and New Harmony.

State Forests

Of the 12 state forests in Indiana, the largest are Clark State Forest, Harrison-Crawford State Forest, Morgan-Monroe State Forest, and Yellowwood State Forest. All of the state forests offer a variety of recreational opportunities.

Museums

The Indianapolis Museum of Art is the state’s principal art museum. It has collections of American, European, and Asian art. There are also art museums in Evansville, Fort Wayne, and Terre Haute. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has exhibits that explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures, and the arts.The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, in Indianapolis, collects art of the American West and Native American art and artifacts. Multimedia and interactive exhibits depict Abraham Lincoln and his times in the Lincoln Museum, in Fort Wayne.

Other Places to Visit

A number of the many places of interest in the state are located in the Indianapolis area. Among them is the former home of the famous poet James Whitcomb Riley. Riley’s birthplace is preserved at Greenfield, just east of Indianapolis. In southern Indiana is the small village of Santa Claus. Its postmark appears on millions of letters remailed from there to children all over the country at Christmastime. At Madison, in the southeast, are a large number of fine antebellum homes. Southern Indiana is also the site of one of the largest caves in North America, Wyandotte Cave, which has more than 55 km (35 mi) of underground passageways. Another notable cave, Marengo Cave, lies north of Wyandotte Cave. Lincoln Pioneer Village, at Rockport, with its rustic log structures and two museums, commemorates the early years Abraham Lincoln spent in Indiana. Conner Prairie Frontier Village, northeast of Indianapolis, is a reconstructed wilderness trading post. Also in Indiana is a section of the Lincoln Heritage Trail, a route that links cities and other places in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky associated with the life of Lincoln. The town of Columbus is famous for its many buildings designed by some of the world’s leading modern architects.

Source: MSN Encarta: Online Encyclopedia