18 Free Things to Do in Indiana, USA

06 August 2017 | Mri Grout - A Lifelong Vagabond

I was born and raised here (for the most part), but even I didn’t know of these hidden gems of Indiana. There are tons upon tons of museums offering free entry to the curious-minded, budget traveler, such as the Indiana State Police Museum in Indianapolis and the Freeman Army Field Museum in Seymour. There are fascinating trails to follow like the one wandering through the eleven statues of the Garfield Trail in Marion and on top of the fossil beds at the Falls of Ohio, New Albany. Then there are the weird and totally unique free attractions of Indiana like the giant lady’s leg sundial in Naked City. So what awesome free things to do are you going to try in the Hoosier State?

Free things to do in Northern Indiana:

Free Attractions Near Elkhart:

• Quilt Gardens – Home to over a million flowers in over a dozen different artistically shaped designs, this place is a must see for flower lovers. Or art lovers. Or awesome picnic spot lovers. Or nature lovers. You get the point; it’s a beautiful, relaxing place with awesome flower murals that change every year.
  Hours: Apr - Sept

Free Attractions Near Hobart:

• Albanese Candy Factory Outlet – Take a free tour, either self-guided or with a group, around this Gummi Factory. The average time for group tour is about 30 minutes and it’s advised that you reserve a spot either by contacting 855-272-3227 or [email protected]. Self-tours, however, don’t need to be pre-arranged and last anywhere between 5-15 minutes.
  Hours: 09.00 – 20.00 (Mon – Sat); 10.00 – 18.00 (Sun)
• North Hudson, Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum – Offering free entry into a world of old travel by trains. There are over 30 pieces on display in various different levels of restoration. There is also a nine mile trailhead nearby for those looking for a peaceful walk along the roadbed of the former trail line.
  Museum hours: 9.00 – 16.00 (Sat)
• Roselawn, Naked City – Built by the proclaimed ‘father of nudism in America,’ this place was eventually passed down to Alois Knapp’s son, Dick. Unfortunately, however, Dick happened to be quite a pervert and was charged with child molestation later on down the line (though after reading that he created events like: Ms. Nude Teeny Bopper Contest, I don’t think it was a surprise allegation…) But in addition to creating new contests once he got his hands on the place, he also created a 63 foot long sundial – in the form of a lady’s leg. A giant lady’s leg.
  
  Viewing is free and clothing now optional (though required after a certain point) and its address is 3449 E. State Rd 10, Roselawn, Indiana for those interested in seeing this ridiculously big sundial.

Free things to do in Indiana's Central Till Plains:

Free Attractions Near Indianpolis:

• Indiana State Police Museum - A collection of historical artifacts concerning the history of the police in Indiana, such as numerous police uniforms from different areas, a car, and the death mask of John Dillinger, an infamous gangster in the 1930s that deemed himself as a current-day 'Robin Hood.'
  Hours: 09.00 - 15.00 (Mon - Fri); 12.00 - 16.00 (3rd Sat of the month)
• Zionsville, Antique Fan Museum – The only antique fan museum that offers free entry (or any kind actually) to the public. It’s a lot bigger than you’d think it would be as it has over 400 artifacts, including over twelve different types of fan. Did you know there used to be alcohol-powered ones? Or was that just a cover for during the Prohibition? I have no idea because I haven’t yet been. (:

Free Attractions Near Lafayette:

• 
  Columbian Park Zoo – Offering free entry to both locals and travelers alike, this is a small zoo in the middle of Lafayette. It claims to focus on the conservation of animals all around the world and that it actively tries to stop the destruction of their environments by bringing awareness to the public (mostly over the horrible coincequences of using palm oil). However, their keepers handle the animals pets, they dehorn their goats when they're kids, none of the volunteers seem to know much about the animals in their care or even of the care that they're supposed to receive, and all of the animals' cages are already bordering on the edge of too small - yet they have plans to crowd in even more animals within a few years. And I'm not talking about tiny animals that wouldn't need much space, but roaming ones like a cougar and leopard. They claim to already have over 190 different animals including white-handed gibbons, black-handed spider monkeys, and galapagos tortoises, but Columbian Park Zoo only ranges 6 tiny acres and a good portion of that is for kid rides and a gift shop.
  So if you want to get a heartsore experiencing at the poor animal welfare of Columbian Park Zoo then its hours are: 10.00-16.30 (23 Apr – 27 May & mid Aug – mid Oct); 10.00 – 19.00 (28 May – mid Aug). Though to be fair, some of them do look happy or rather, simply indifferent to their conditions.
• Crawfordsville, Ropkey Armor Museum – The Ropkey Armor Museum is located on a private drive behind two residentual houses, so don't let the tresspassing feel of it stop you from this enjoying this free thing to do near Lafayette, Indiana. There are clear signs to point you in the right direction until you get to the free parking area in front of the museum. Inside are numerous tanks, planes, artillery shells, and other miscellaneous items from different war periods.
  
  The thing that makes the Ropkey Armor Museum stand out above the rest, however, are its many open exhibits. You still can't climb into the tanks, but many doors have been open for you to peek into. I don't even like tanks and I liked this free attraction so it's definitely worth a visit for any traveler in Indiana.
  
  The Ropkey Armor Museum is open 11:00-16:00 Mon-Wed and takes about 45-60 minutes to visit, more if you're a war or tank buff.
• Logansport, Jerolaman-Long Home: Another museum offering free entry to see its collections of thousands of artifacts about the history of Cass Country, such as locally created art pieces, war costumes, and some Native American pieces. There is also an 19th century two-story log cabin restored to its former glory.
  Hours: 13.00 – 17.00 (Tue – Sat). Viewing in January is by appointment only.

Free things to do in Southern Indiana:

Free Attractions Near Bloomington:

• 
  Leonard Springs Nature Park - Leonard Springs Nature Park offers a cool relief from the all too common heat waves of southern Indiana. The entire 1.1 mile hike is covered by shade and the first section of it (if you take the branch down at the split) is cooled even further by a terraced waterfall that offers a wonderful place for a picnic. There are two caves at Leonard Springs Nature Park, but neither allow entry; instead you must be pacified at seeing their mouths from the pathway.
  
  There is free parking at Leonard Springs Nature Park for roughly eight cars and the park is open from 5-9pm. The path is not wheelchair accessible nor convenient for anyone who has difficulty on stairs.

Free Attractions Near Gentryville:

• Colonel Jones’ House – The restored 19th century home of a man named William Jones. Not only was he one of Abraham Lincoln’s bosses back before Lincoln became president, but it was also the setting of the creation of Honest Abe. The story goes that one night while working in Jones’ shop, Abraham accidentally overcharged a customer by a few cents, but instead of pocketing the change he walked for miles in the middle of the night to return the money to its rightful owner.
  Hours: 09.00 – 17.00 (Wed – Sat); 13.00 – 17.00 (Sun). Open mid-March – mid-Dec only.
• Santa Claus, Santa’s Candy Castle – First off, who freaking knew there was a place in Indiana called freaking ‘Santa Claus!!!!’ Secondly, the guy who now owns the castle that was built there in 1935 (along with a whole Santa Claus village that’s now gone) had this to say: "I thought it would be cool to fill the castle moat with hot chocolate," Kevin told us. "But our health inspector thought it would not be so cool." !!!! Could you imagine how cool that would be!?
  Hours: 09.00 – 20.00 (7 days in summer); 09.00 – 17.00 (weekends in fall)

Free Attractions Near New Albany:

• 
  Falls of Ohio - Located on the banks of the Ohio River, which runs between Kentucky and Indiana, the Falls of the Ohio State Park is a real prized hidden gem offering free entry to the public. It's one of the best fossil-finding places in the world and can be visited at any time of year. One doesn't need to know anything about fossils when hunting here as they are clear and easy to see due to being embedded into the rock beneath your feet. You used to be able to collect fossils from here as well, but due to the high number of them taken, the practice of fossil collecting is now limited to only to the collecting piles behind the Information Center.

Free Attractions Near Seymour:

• Freeman Army Airfield Museum – A historical army base camp during WWII, this place has now been converted into a museum that’s run entirely; Can call 812-522-2031 during normal business hours to get access at other times or shoot an email to [email protected]
  *Any donations given to the Freeman Army Airfieald Museum is tax deductable.

Free Attractions Near Vincennes:

• George Rogers Clark Park – A national historical park located near the border of Indiana and Illonois. It is home to the largest monument in the US outside of Washington D.C. and is in memory of the conquest of the ex-British owned settlement of Fort Sackville in 1770. Though, really, what did they expect when they named it such? I mean, that’s just pushing your luck...or were they hoping it would be a misnomer?