A beautiful park is located just west of the center of Purdue's campus. The lawn has been…read moresprinkled with some new trees and in the center, the Loeb Fountain blasts 2200 gallons per minute in an array of arcs and jets. The area around the fountain is terraced with flower gardens. To the north of the fountain, several art works can be found. Review #1132

Outside of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering on the Purdue University campus is the…read moreEngineering Fountain. This has become an icon, not only of the university but also of West Lafayette, Indiana. It is made up of several structures surrounding a central stream of water. During the non-winter months this fountain is alive drawing the campus towards it. In the winter you can walk right through it when traversing from building to building. Right in the middle of many buildings, the Engineering Fountain is a must-see.

On the north end of the Purdue central campus is a plaza that has become a landmark of the West…read moreLafayette area. The Engineering Fountain is a plaza that is circular in design with an water installation in the center. The installation called "Class of 1939 Water Sculpture" was installed 50 years later by Robert Youngman in 1989. This concrete structure has four axis pieces reaching 38 feet in height. In the center is a geyser of water shooting 588 gallons per minute. For safety (some students had tried running through the fountain), a cylinder surrounds the upward water jet so students can still get wet from the falling water, but not take a direct blast from the jets. The water feeds back into the reservoir underneath and is recycled. To the perimeter of the plaza, landscaped lawns with flower beds add color to the area. Trees offer shade along the brick path that encircles the park. Elevated plantings complete the circular pattern while allowing sidewalks to pass through. Although I have not seen it at night, there are 280 colored lights directed at the fountain to add a dynamic visual to the park. Review #1130

I've been visiting West Lafayette for many years but never noticed this magnificent fountain until…read moremy visit to the Courthouse in September. The fountain is amazing - my first thought was just "wow". The fountain was designed by Laredo Taft in 1887. The statue honors General Lafayette, the city namesake. His figure stands majestically over the pool below. Panels around the base also honor John Purdue (namesake of Purdue University), an artesian well beneath the fountain, early pioneers of the city, Union solders who fought in the Civil War, and William Digby (founder of Lafayette). The fountain is surrounded by beautiful landscaping. Local business workers sat around the fountain eating lunch or reading in the serene setting and the sounds of the fountain water. There is free street parking about a block away. The fountain and Courthouse are definitely worth a visit.

Famous American sculptor Lorado Taft from Illinois was selected to create the magnificent fountain…read moreon the northeast corner of the Tippecanoe County Courthouse. In 1887, the piece was erected on the site and appears to have undergone some TLC along with the courthouse. The main figure atop the fountain is that of the Marquis de Lafayette who was instrumental in helping the inexperienced and underfunded American military during the Revolutionary War. Below that life sized figure, there are four oval reliefs and below that, an octagonal shape with each of the sides bearing an ornate framing around the names of honorees with ties to the city. Honorees are quite varied and include pioneers, soldiers, John Purdue, and William Digby, the town founder. Earlier versions of the courthouse are also honored. Although the honorees may be somewhat random, the overall beauty of the work is fantastic. Review #1410

This is a fun mural that we found called elephant in the room. We took some fun cool pictures with…read moreit in the umbrella and had a good time.

You will find this mural in a small alleyway. It is the work of San Francisco artist Cameron Moberg…read morewho painted the piece 2018. It depicts an elephant showering a rainbow of water from his trunk. It invites invites the viewer to stand under the umbrella for a perfect photo opt with them appearing to hold the umbrella. Moberg explains the piece as Playful and interactive yet still has deep meaning. If you look closely at the painting you will see butterflies on the snout, which Moberg intended to represent change. And the paint and interaction is the joy we can receive from other cultures when we start to get past differences. Moberg chose an elephant because it is an animal that is not native to Indiana. He hopes that seeing a non-native creature could this subconsciously bring change. This mural's artwork is on point. I also like what the artist is trying to convey. Luckily, he explained the piece or it would have been missed completely, at least by me. I am also a sucker for interactive art. You will see another mural next to this one, depicting a large blue bird, with rainbow colored wings, in flight, leading a trail of feather. I do not think that they are part of the same mural, but they are both by Moberg. There is some free street parking available in front of the alley that the mural is located. There is also some space in the back of the alley to park. I just parked on the street. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. Fun fact: The elephant is painted using 7 shades of teal.

This is a small, but well done tribute to Gold Star families that is among many other memorials in…read morethe Tippecanoe War Memorial (a sub-section of Colombian Park). It was dedicated in May 2015 and honors the families of servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the military. It costed about $60,000 to build. It is in a very picturesque and located on a man made lagoon island, that is nicknamed memorial Island. The memorial is primarily a sculpture. It is an abbreviated version of more recent one, has 2 granite slab panels, and was made by the Louisville-based Woody Williams Foundation. The two panels form a cutout silhouette of a solder rendering a hand salute, along with the gold-etched words, "Gold Star Families, a tribute to Mothers, Fathers and family members who sacrificed a Loved One for our Freedom" with a large gold star above it on the first panel and "PATRIOT Honoring All Men and Women who served Our Country" below an image of the Iwo Jima flag raining on the second panel. The seals of the 5 branches of service are long the base of the sculpture. The memorial has a little bench in front of and facing it that you can sit and reflect and there is a nice flower garden that surrounds it. This is a nice place to reflect and pay respects to those members of the Armed Forces that made the ultimate sacrifice. There are not many memorials or monuments dedicated to Gold Star families, but that number is growing every month. Currently, there are less than 120 nationwide. The Woody Williams foundation has made these monuments in all 50 states and Guam. Indiana has 2 of them, the other two being in Fishers and Indianapolis. The front of each monument is the same, but some of them are personalized on the reverse side to suit each respective community. This one, in Lafayette does not have anything on the back.

This is a very nice man-made island located on a lagoon in Colombian park. You could not tell by…read moreits amazing features and renovated spaces, but the island was dedicated back in 1949. It's development was led by Veterans of Foreign War Post 1154 and the area is also known as Memorial Plaza, which is the front part of it. This is the location that the city decided to centralize their memorial and several memorials from around the city were relocated here. The island is very picturesque and scenic with some nice landscaping and brick pavers. Being that it is a subsection of a park, parking is not an issue. There are a few lots to park. You do have to walk a bit to get here though, no matter where you park because of the way the park is laid out. The entry walkway leading into the island is called the memorial plaza and has flags of all the branches of service waving tall and proud from flagpoles. The next thing that you will come across is Tippecanoe County Veterans Memorial. It is the oldest of the memorials (1949) and honors those residents that made the supreme sacrifice in the defense of our Country. Outside of the memorials, the centerpiece of this island is its awesome amphitheater, which has fixed and lawn seating. It can be rented for special events.There is also a promenade area with seating along the water. As far as memorial go, this area is packed as would be expected. They have the United Spanish War Memorial, Gold Star Family Memorial, Medal of Honor Memorial, Purple Heart Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. There is also a bunch of flag waving from flags poles over there and a Howitzer gun on display. They are all nicely done. I cannot stress enough how beautiful this place is. It is a fitting tribute to the brave men and women of the armed forces. It is well done and is placed in a prominent spot and not in the some back corner. It is definitely worth a visit.