Indiana's official "State Historic Sites" are remarkable gems bringing life to treasured Indiana…read morememories. The Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site is located in Rome City, a Noble County city located on Sylvan Lake. This is one of two homes of Stratton-Porter to be named state historic sites (the other is Limberlost). Considered Stratton-Porter's "cabin," this home is located among 148 acres and surrounded by fields, woods, and formal gardens. Did you know that Stratton-Porter is Indiana's most widely read female author? She was also a nature photographer, naturist, and entrepreneur. Her novels include "The Song of the Cardinal" and "Michael O' Halloran." The Carriage House Visitor Center is a great place to stop when here. You can wander around the grounds, explore her library, and even watch rare video footage of this early 20th century writer. Admission is free to Indiana State Museum members and children under the age of 3. Otherwise, it's $6 for ages 3-17, $5 for Indiana college students (ID required), $8 for seniors (60+), and $9 for other adults. Access Pass members are also $5. Indoor tours are only available by reservation for groups of four or more by calling the site at 260.854.3790. Groups of 10 or more receive $1 off full-priced admission per person, based on age. Admission is FREE for pre-registered, accredited schools and homeschool groups of 10 or more K-12 students. It's important to note that the site is open April-November. Accessibility is a bit inconsistent, though given the age of the house that's to be expected. There's definitely a good effort made (as is true for most historic sites). I did feel like a few tweaks could have improved it a bit (thus the 4-star), however, I still had lots I could enjoy here and I found it incredibly relaxing. As a writer myself, there's something awesome about enjoying Indiana's writing history. You can also host events here! I'm a big fan of Indiana's state historic sites and I'm trying to make my way to all of them. This is a definite gem and should be considered for a stop if in the Noble County (think Kendallville) area.

I went here twice with my daughters, and I so loved the gardens that we walked through. I loved the…read moreattention that this stewardess gave us on the references in history of the place. I read her books and passed them on to my daughters, and they loved them. I have copies of them now at my own cottage. If you haven't been there, please go. It's like revisiting your childhood, or a childhood dream. They keep the place up really nice.

I have to admit that I fell into my superhero fascination much later in life and I came in through…read morethe movies more than the comic books. As a kid, I was completely taken with Batman - the 1966 version. I could watch and talk that Batman for hours. The rest was interesting to me - but I didn't really get a lot of comics as a kid. I did get The Three Stooges comic books - but not much more. As an adult, my appreciation has spread to Daredevil, Black Adam, and the first two Deadpool movies among others. When I walked into the Hall of Heroes in Elkhart, Indiana, I was blown away. The first element of this five-star experience is the off-street parking. That sounds innocuous, but I am a Chicago guy and parking is always a consideration. The next delightful surprise was the price. It was 10 bucks. I had a HoH coupon for a buck off that I had picked up at another museum, the gentleman applied it to my ticket and my buddy's ticket. This gentleman - Allen Stewart - was quick to give us the rundown on the place. He was thorough, before setting us free in the small - but perfectly packed and maintained - museum. The building is divided by Marvel, D.C., and Independents with no one get preferential treatment. This is how a museum should be - just present what you have and let the visitor enjoy. As we worked our way up one aisle and down the next, we saw every kind of action figure you can imagine and some you couldn't. (Who knew they made Hong Kong Fuey action figures?) I got to pose on the bike that Nic Cage rode in "The Ghost Rider," I also got to lay on the Shelby from "Iron Man." (Stewart diligently took pix until I was totally satisfied. I can be kind of a diva.) We also got up close and personal with Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman. There were so many ancillary super-hero themed novelties from Crazy Foam to metal lunch boxes and so many other things I had completely forgotten about. Suddenly my childhood was displayed in pristine display cases. Hall of Heroes covers generations of comic books and comic book iconography that your grandparents will love it as much as your children. If the little ones get bored - there are free arcade games on hand to keep them satisfied. There are bins of reasonably priced comic books and a small shelf for the obligatory souvenirs. Walking back out into the misty autumn Indiana day, my buddy and I discussed how much Stewart knew and his love for the industry. He made the visit exciting. He isn't a ticket-taker. He is the gateway into the superhero universe.

If you're a comic fan this place is fun. If not, the best thing about it is the arcades, which is…read morecool to see. SO it's okay overall. Just a decent historical covering of comics and tons of memorabilia. I wish the back issues were cheaper and they were better organized as I feel whenever things get too tight to peruse it's too filed up, and perhaps a cheapo cutout section might be cool.

Curious about the Amish and Mennonite cultures/religions? This museum is the perfect place to…read morevisit. I have visited Shipshewana many times and always wanted to stop by this museum, but could never get here before they closed (5p). The last tour starts at 3:45p. If you take your time through the museum and look around in the store, your visit will take about 2 hours. If starts off with a guided tour, then you watch a short video, then you are set free to explore the museum on your own. It tells the history of the Anabaptist, and goes through the current day beliefs and life style. It's very interesting and enlightening. It costs $8.50 for adults, $5 for children and $18 for a family.

I've been several times over a period of ten years, most recently in mid-February 2025-a cold day!…read moreA great introduction to the Anabaptist story. Friendly guides, interactive exhibits. My kids (teens at the time) loved it and learned a lot. And I loved how it showed different Anabaptist groups coming together to help in times of disaster. It's not preachy, but it does demonstrate that there are alternatives to pushy evangelism, preachers who live in mansions, and power hungry Christian Nationalists. It's the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement--come check out why it has endured.

My toddler was in heaven at this place! It's $8 a person (12 months and older). They have a toddler…read morearea for 4 and under but every area has stuff for every age kid. The staff are nice and keep the areas clean. They do have a storytime but we opted out to get a little more time away from the other kids as it can get overwhelming. I would recommend this for younger age range as some of the older kids seemed to get bored at some of the areas

Took our 16 month old and he loved the toddler room!! I do…read morewish the toddler area was larger as it ended up being crammed while we were there. Also wish the time slots were longer than an hour, but otherwise woukd definitely recommend. We didn't even make it to the second level because we felt the toddler area was best fit for our little one!

This is a beautifully presented museum in the former Auburn Automobile Company headquarters. The…read morerestored Art Deco building is impressive on its own, with polished floors, elegant architecture, and cars displayed in what feels more like a gallery than a typical auto museum. The collection focuses on Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg automobiles, along with the history of the company, its designers, and the people who built the cars. Everything is clean, organized, and thoughtfully labeled. The vehicles are presented with enough space to appreciate their design and craftsmanship. The museum next door has a much more industrial feel and a broader variety of vehicles, but this one stands out for its architecture, refinement, and focused collection. Well worth visiting, even for someone who is not a serious car enthusiast.

This is by far the most expensive car museum collection that I have seen. The building is a…read morenational land mark and it's the original headquarters for the car company with the art deco beautiful show room, offices and manufacturing. The museum is on 3 levels and is a massive display. The museum next to it can be a packaged together for $25, tickets are good for two days because the collections are massive. Sorry I deleted all my pictures before I wrote this review. It's definitely a must stop for any car enthusiasts.

Once again, the courtesy at the air zoo can't be beat…read more We went with a medium sized homeschool group, and everyone was very kind and helpful and pleasant. I love how knowledgeable the staff was and how accommodating people were when we had a variety of ages of children. We always love coming to the zoo and I can rest easy that the staff is always very helpful and accommodating. My only criticism would be that we have some significant in anaphylactic allergens and the staff at Kitty Hawk Café didn't seem to be very knowledgeable about allergens and cross contamination, so we didn't feel safe at all getting any food there. I highly recommend bringing a cooler and leaving it in your car if you have allergies.

Excellent aviation museum. It's smaller than the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio, but…read morethat gives it a more intimate feel. There are fewer barriers, so visitors can get much closer to the aircraft. The enormous size of the F-14 is especially impressive when compared with the F-18 or older A-4. One volunteer shared some negative comments about museum leadership and mentioned that another volunteer had sprayed cleaning chemicals inside the F-117A bomb bay door, which reportedly smeared some of the signatures preserved there. This felt more like an internal museum matter than part of the visitor experience. The sci-fi and Alien exhibits also seemed somewhat separate from the museum's core aviation focus. Overall, the aircraft collection is excellent. Seeing the F-117A was a major highlight, and being able to walk right up to the very rare SR-71B made the visit especially worthwhile.

Nice! The Railroad Museum is a beautiful place to visit. Not only is it a perfect place to visit…read morewith children, it also teaches a lot about the railroad history in the US. I loved the observation/ dining car and to learn about how trains were operated in the early 20th century.

Great museum. Just the right size. Has a lot of interactive hands on opportunities. Even has a…read moredemonstration of model trains. Many historical pictures. They even have an area that the kids can do crafts. My recent visit they had a list for you to discover or find things throughout your tour to the museum. I highly recommend visiting here. Great for all ages. I discover something new each time I visit this museum.

Highly recommend! Whenever there's kids in town visiting we try to get them here (but equally…read moreenjoyable for adults too!). It's so fun to be hands on with the animals and the staff/volunteers are the nicest, answering all your random questions and telling you about the animals, but also giving you space if you don't feel like socializing.

This place is great. You can learn a lot about different animals, hands on. The staff is well…read moreinformed, and passionate about learning. It's free to go, so make sure to stop by their very reasonably priced gift shop and or leave a donation. Side note, I can't wait to go back. I want to snuggle their ferrets, and purchase some more of their cool science nerdy earrings!

"Where it All Began…read more. In 1893 Wing and Mahurin began construction on Robert and Clara's Romanesque styled mansion. Same architect as the University of Saint Francis' Bass Mansion and The History Center both in Fort Wayne. Robert served as a 2 time state senator, assistant U.S. Commissioner for Indiana, huge investor in natural gas, (the reason Fort Wayne & even Chicago got natural gas when they did) and was a prominent lawyer. Clara helped form the first classes at the Fort Wayne Art School and was the co-founder of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. The couple was originally from the Muncie area but moved up here for business purposes. They were a very prominent couple during their years here in Fort Wayne. Not only did Clara leave her forever footsteps at the Art Museum, Robert's law firm is still going strong known as the Barrett-McNagny law firm serving the local area still today. They only had one child Bessie but unfortunately due to illness died at 11 months old. After Robert's death in 1901 the home was sold to William K. Noble who ran a lumber company that operated in 3 states. His family of 3 lived there for 22 years and sold the building for $50,000 to The Klaehn Funeral home. In 1935 the west side addition was added due to high demand. At this time funerals were no longer held in the residents home as they were done in the 1800s. Today there are over 14,000 square feet in this absolutely breathtaking mansion. No detail has gone unnoticed. It remained a funeral home for over 93 years. Until they left the building in 2018 and the Sturm's bought the building in 2020 to preserve its beauty. We want to preserve our precious history first and foremost. History is the reason why we are all here today! We are SOOO PASSIONATE about preserving and sharing this place with the world!" My friend Jesse from JMH Fotografy https://www.facebook.com/jmhfotografy?mibextid=2JQ9oc https://instagram.com/jmhfotografy?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== was one of the invitees to do a Spooky Photo Shoot. Every room ( and there are lots of them ) have original wood work, beautiful pocket doors. Chandeliers, staircase is beautiful, stained glass, big open spaces. Since this was a funeral home for nearly 100 years there are bits and pieces of that history still here too. The building had a great vibe inside and out. They are raising money for more renovations so book an event. And call Jesse for photos. I was his assistant for the day. We had such a great time.

Amazing place and very beautiful atmosphere. Very welcoming and you will fall in love with the…read morearchitecture of the 130 year old building

I'm not sure how this place has only five reviews. Someone clearly put a lot of time, money, and…read morecare into building it. The museum is very focused on early Ford V-8 vehicles, but the collection still has a surprising amount of variety. There are beautifully restored coupes and sedans, a bright yellow vintage taxi, a fire truck, exposed engines, old Ford signs, photographs, and other period memorabilia. The vehicles look incredible, with polished chrome, whitewall tires, original-style details, and displays explaining what you are looking at. The building itself is also impressive. The outside has a distinctive Art Deco look, while the inside is clean, bright, spacious, and extremely well maintained. Both the museum and the cars were spotless. Admission costs less than a sandwich, which makes this one of the better-value attractions in the area. Even if you are not a serious Ford expert, it is still worth visiting for the craftsmanship, history, and quality of the collection.

What a fabulous way to spend a couple of hours !! They are part of the Harvest Host Program.... So…read moreparking our 43 ft Class A Coach was very easy. When we checked in as the Harvest Host guest, we met Jan J. Found she was the Marketing & Events Mgr. What a delightful woman who is full of personality. She gave us a "preview" & some of what the tour would include. Touring the Museum is eye-popping. Each vehicle stood out in their own way.... and we each had our favorites.... Truly eye candy to my husband ! Definitely worth the stop.