Sightseeing Sunday: Weird Things to Do in Indiana
Looking for weird things to do in Indiana? We’ve been collecting roadside oddities, oversized objects, offbeat attractions, and stops that make you wonder how a state ended up with rotating jails and a martini-drinking elephant.
Fun Facts About Indiana
Santa Claus, Indiana — one of the stops on this list — is the only city in the world with that name, and its post office gets thousands of letters addressed to Santa every December.
The Indianapolis 500 has been run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1911, making it one of the oldest major auto races in the world.
Indiana produces more than 20% of the popcorn grown in the U.S.
The world’s first train robbery happened in Jackson County, Indiana, in 1866.
Indiana brings the roadside weird — world’s largest ball of paint, rotating jails, and a town literally called Santa Claus. Some of these we’ve visited, others are still on our list. When we’ve been somewhere, the link takes you to our photo page with details and snark. Otherwise, you’ll head to their official site — assuming one exists, since sometimes that’s half the adventure.
Indiana Weirdness, Town by Town
Showing 59 of 59 stops
Alexandria
World's Largest Ball of Paint — Located at 10696 N 200 W. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Batesville
Wood-Mizer — Sawmill machinery maker, with factory tours. Factory ToursNot visited yet
Bedford
Bluespring Cavern — Largest navigable underground river in the United States. Parks, Caves & Trails
Bloomington
Brain Sculpture — World's largest anatomically-accurate brain sculpture at Indiana University. Coordinates: 39.1721, -86.5202 Weird Roadside & Oddities
The Garret — Unique antique store inside an ornate limestone building. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Zoom Flume — Abandoned 1980s waterslide covered in graffiti (on private property, viewable from outside fence). Coordinates: 39.0695, -86.4024 Weird Roadside & Oddities
Bristol
Thor Motor Coach Tour — Factory tour of the Bristol plant. Each Thor plant builds different rigs, so each plant tour is different. Factory Tours
Centerville
Warm Glow Candle Company — Large textured candle leads to shop with unique scents. Factory Tours
Clarksville
Colgate-Palmolive Clock — 2nd largest clock in the world. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Columbus
Chuck Taylor Statue — A statue honoring Converse's Chuck Taylor, in his hometown. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
World's Largest Toilet — Located inside kidscommons Children's Museum. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Crawfordsville
Rotary Jail Museum — One of only 3 remaining rotary jails, the only one that still rotates. Weird Roadside & OdditiesMuseums
Elkhart
Elkhart Post Office Hubcap Art — Hubcap art inside the Elkhart post office. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum — First superhero museum ever created. Museums
Thor Motor Coach Tour — Factory tour of the Elkhart plant. Each Thor plant builds different rigs, so each plant tour is different. Factory Tours
Wellfield Botanical Gardens — Working hydropower source producing 75% of Elkhart's drinking water. Parks, Caves & Trails
Fair Oaks
Fair Oaks Farms — Multiple tour and activity options, dog park on site. Factory ToursFood & TV Legends
Fishers
Conner Prairie — Living history museum where you step into the story. MuseumsHistoric Sites
Fort Wayne
DeBrand Fine Chocolates Tour — Factory tour and chocolate tasting. Factory ToursFood & TV Legends
Fortville
Martini-drinking Pink Elephant — Located at 308 W. Broadway St. Weird Roadside & Oddities
French Lick
Meador's Body Shop Vintage VWs & Pluto Water Sign — A vintage VW collection and the Pluto Water sign, at Meador's Body Shop. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Greencastle
Periodic Museum of Elements — Display of actual periodic table elements at DePauw University's Julian Science Center. Museums
Indianapolis
Black Horse Cafe — Cafe stop from her notebook. Food & TV LegendsNot visited yet
Children's Museum of Indianapolis — World's largest children's museum. Museums
City Market Catacombs — Tour the catacombs beneath Indianapolis. Closed for redevelopment — tours unavailable through 2027. Factory ToursHistoric Sites
City Market Tours — Topside tour of market history. Closed for redevelopment — the market is closed until at least 2028. Factory Tours
Holliday Park — Home of The Ruins, architectural pieces from a 1950s NYC skyscraper. Parks, Caves & TrailsHistoric Sites
Indiana Medical History Museum — Explore the origins of modern medicine (by appointment only). Museums
Indiana State Museum — Houses the state's largest IMAX screen. Museums
Indianapolis Art Center — Unique sculptures including the Twisted House you can enter. Museums
Indianapolis Moon Tree — Sycamore tree grown from seed taken to the moon on Apollo 14, located at Indiana Statehouse. Weird Roadside & OdditiesHistoric Sites
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Tours — Behind-the-scenes racing experience. Factory Tours
K1 Speed — Race go-karts up to 45 mph. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Lilly House — Guided tour depicting life 100 years ago. Factory ToursHistoric Sites
Lucas Oil Speedway — Ride along or race in a dragster at up to 140 mph. Factory Tours
Newfields — Multiple attractions including Lilly House. Factory ToursMuseums
Jasper
Geode Grotto — A religious grotto built of geodes, at 520 W 9th St. Weird Roadside & OdditiesHistoric SitesNot visited yet
Jeffersonville
Schimpff's Confectionary — Old-fashioned candy store with tours. Factory ToursFood & TV Legends
The Lady Statue — A tall metal lady statue in a mosaic dress, holding a rose — at Dutch Lane & Champion. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Kokomo
Kokomantis — Very large praying mantis sculpture. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company Tour — Watch glass-making in action. Factory Tours
World's Largest Preserved Steer — Old Ben Drive. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Sycamore Stump — Old Ben Drive. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Lafayette
Subaru of Indiana Factory Tour — See how Subarus are made. Factory Tours
Ligonier
Annie Oakley Perfume Factory Tour — Behind-the-scenes perfume making. Factory Tours
Mentone
World's Largest Egg — Giant egg monument. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Middlebury
Jayco RV's Factory Tour — See RV manufacturing process. Factory Tours
Nappanee
Newmar RV Factory Tour — Tour luxury RV production. Factory Tours
Nashville
Country Kitchen Restaurant — Home cooking in Nashville's artist colony. Food & TV LegendsNot visited yet
The Sock Barn — Trade a dirty sock for a geode. Coordinates: 39.1518, -86.3466 Weird Roadside & Oddities
New Harmony
Harmonist Labyrinth — Large labyrinth open year-round. Coordinates: 38.1224, -87.9359 Parks, Caves & TrailsHistoric Sites
Richmond
Uranus Fudge Factory — The Uranus empire's Indiana fudge factory — not the Missouri original. Factory ToursFood & TV LegendsNot visited yet
Santa Claus
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari — Christmas-themed amusement park in the town of Santa Claus. Parks, Caves & TrailsWeird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Santa Claus Central — Christmas-themed town attractions. Weird Roadside & Oddities
South Bend
South Bend Chocolate Factory Tour — Watch chocolate being made. Factory ToursFood & TV Legends
St Joe
Sechler's Pickle Factory Tour — Offered one week per year during St Joe Pickle Festival. Factory ToursFood & TV Legends
Wakarusa
Thor Motor Coach Tour — Factory tour of the Wakarusa plant. Each Thor plant builds different rigs, so each plant tour is different. Factory Tours
Wakarusa Dime Store — The old-school candy store behind the jumbo jelly beans — home of the Jumbo Jelly Bean since 1969, sold by the ton. Factory ToursFood & TV Legends
Wakarusa RV Factory Tours — RV manufacturing tours and jumbo jelly beans, because Indiana does not do subtlety. Factory Tours
Plan Your Indiana Road Trip
We’re always adding new weird things to do in Indiana to this list, so check back for more roadside attractions, quirky museums, oversized oddities, and future road trip discoveries.
Where to next? Check out our Iowa roadside attractions guide for more Midwest weird, browse our complete roadside attractions by state guide, get tips for traveling with pets, or head back to the Right At The Light homepage.
Interactive Map: Weird Roadside Stops We’re Tracking
This map includes weird roadside attractions, big-rig friendly stops, and places still on our running road trip list across the country.