Visiting Indiana on a Budget
Indiana hides far more free travel than its 'flyover' reputation suggests, starting in the capital. Downtown Indianapolis threads the free 8-mile Cultural Trail and Canal Walk past the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, the free Indiana War Memorial, and a cluster of museums, while Holliday Park's salvaged-skyscraper Ruins and Newfields' free 100 Acres of sculpture sit minutes away. Bloomington's IU campus holds the free Lilly Library and Eskenazi Museum of Art; Fort Wayne's Genealogy Center is the country's second-largest free collection; and down on the Ohio River, Evansville pairs a free 2.5-mile riverfront walkway with historic Bosse Field and Angel Mounds. Two hours from Indy, French Lick's West Baden Springs Hotel atrium dome soars 200 feet.
Cities in Indiana
Pick a city to see free attractions, cheap activities, and budget travel tips.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indiana's capital packs an astonishing amount of free travel into a walkable downtown core. White River State Park, the Canal Walk, and the 8-mile Cultural Trail stitch together the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, the free Indiana War Memorial, the State Library, and a cluster of museums — many bike-friendly and car-free. Beyond downtown, the surreal columns of Holliday Park's Ruins, the free contemporary sculptures of Newfields' 100 Acres, and Crown Hill's presidential graves cost nothing. When you do spend, picks like the NCAA Hall of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut Museum, and Eiteljorg keep most visits well under $20.
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Fort Wayne, Indiana
Indiana's second-largest city sits where the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee rivers converge — and it's quietly stacked with budget-friendly attractions. Free options include the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (always free), the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center (the country's second-largest free collection), a full-scale reconstruction of the 1816 Old Fort, and the All-America Rose Selections test garden at Lakeside Park. The downtown Promenade Park's tree-canopy walkway and the riverside Headwaters Park both stay free year-round, and Eagle Marsh Nature Preserve covers 831 acres of restored wetland just southwest of town, a haven for migrating birds.
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Bloomington, Indiana
Home to Indiana University and a famously walkable square, Bloomington pairs a small-town college vibe with cultural depth most cities its size can't match. Free attractions include the Eskenazi Museum of Art, the rare-books vault at IU's Lilly Library (Audubon's Birds of America, Shakespeare First Folios, 30,000+ mechanical puzzles), the Wylie House historic museum, and a Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist temple complex on the city's south side. The 3.1-mile B-Line Trail threads downtown past Switchyard Park and the Saturday farmers' market, and Griffy Lake's 1,200-acre nature preserve sits ten minutes from campus, with wooded trails circling the water.
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French Lick, Indiana
French Lick is a tiny southern Indiana spa-resort town that punches enormously above its weight — the West Baden Springs Hotel atrium, with its 200-foot free-spanning dome, was the largest in America until 1955 and is free to walk into. The sister French Lick Springs Hotel a mile south is equally historic and free to wander, connected by the free Ferguson Trail. Add the $10 French Lick West Baden Museum, the free Larry Bird self-guided hometown tour (he grew up here), and free hiking in the Hoosier National Forest's Springs Valley Recreation Area, and a weekend rarely tops $20 a day.
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Evansville, Indiana
Tucked in Indiana's southwest corner on the Ohio River, Evansville blends riverfront leisure with deep history. The free 2.5-mile Dress Plaza walkway runs past the Four Freedoms Monument and famous sunset views, while downtown holds the free Victorian Willard Library and the Beaux-Arts Old Courthouse. Just east, Angel Mounds preserves one of North America's best Mississippian sites, and Wesselman Woods protects the largest urban old-growth forest in the US. Add Mesker Park Zoo, the riverside Evansville Museum, the WWII USS LST-325, and a game at 1915 Bosse Field — third-oldest ballpark in the country — and most outings stay well under $20.
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More on Indiana from TravelCheapUS
In-depth budget travel guides from our companion blog that mention Indiana.