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The Bargain Stone stands in the churchyard.
Bargain Stone
The Ernst Thälmann Monument
Ernst Thälmann Monument
One of the BHS murals tells the origin story of Stockport.
The BHS Murals in Stockport
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
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Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Ōmori Nori Vending Machine
Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been slinging these sandwiches since 1929.
Parkway Bakery and Tavern
Parkside Plum Juice
Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
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Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
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All the United States Indiana

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Indiana

152 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Indiana

Updated April 25, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
Well-maintained catacombs exist to this day under the popular City Market
Indianapolis
The sheer walls and striking blue water of the Empire Quarry have dazzled visitors for decades.
Bloomington
The Kokomantis: A Famous Giant Preying Mantis Scrap Metal Sculpture
Kokomo
New Harmony Labyrinth. (Creative Commons)
New Harmony
Prophet’s Rock
West Lafayette
Terre Haute
All Cities
  1. Bedford
  2. Bloomington
  3. Clarksville
  4. Crawfordsville
  5. Elkhart
  6. Evansville
  7. Fort Wayne
  8. Franklin
  9. Indianapolis
  10. Kokomo
  11. Lafayette
  12. Metamora
  13. Nashville
  14. New Harmony
  15. Peru
  16. South Bend
  17. Terre Haute
  18. West Baden Springs
  19. West Lafayette
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in Indiana

Well-maintained catacombs exist to this day under the popular City Market

Indianapolis, Indiana

Market Street Catacombs

A hidden network of subterranean passageways lies tangled beneath Indianapolis' bustling City Market.

Bedford, Indiana

Bluespring Caverns

The longest navigable underground river in the United States is home to countless blind and albino animals.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indiana Medical History Museum

A medical facility that has been kept frozen in time.
The Ruins

Indianapolis, Indiana

The Ruins

Once adorning a New York skyscraper, these reclaimed ruins now haunt an Indiana park.
New Harmony Labyrinth. (Creative Commons)

New Harmony, Indiana

New Harmony Labyrinth

Symbolic attempt to overcome the issues of life.
The bathing pavilion at Indiana Dunes State Park was the location of City West

Chesterton, Indiana

City West Ghost Town

The site of a 19th century "dream city" that almost rivaled Chicago before being swallowed by the Indiana sand dunes.

West Baden Springs, Indiana

Historic West Baden Springs Hotel

A turn-of-the-century architectural marvel built on healing mineral springs and salt licks.
King enjoying a cat nap

Center Point, Indiana

Exotic Feline Rescue Center

Lions and tigers and leopards, servals, pumas, bobcats, lynxes, and ocelots... oh my!
See All 152 Things To Do in Indiana

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Indiana

Jeffersonville, Indiana

Schimpff's Confectionery

This candy shop has been serving up sweets to the Louisville area since the 1850s.

Metamora, Indiana

Grannie's Cookie Jars & Ice Cream Parlor

More than 3,200 cookie jars line the walls and shelves of this little shop and over 1,000 salt and pepper shakers
Myers Dinner Theater Marquis

Hillsboro, Indiana

Myers Dinner Theater

Enjoy classic musicals with a home-cooked meal at this former staple of American social life.

Mentone, Indiana

Mentone Egg

A giant concrete egg marks this Indiana town as the "Egg Basket of the Midwest."
See all 5 Places to Eat in Indiana
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

5 Incredible Trees You Can Find Only in Indiana

Once upon a time, the forests of Indiana were endless. Or that was how it seemed in the 19th century, when the state produced more lumber than anywhere else in the nation. The valuable trees went first, such as black walnut and white oak. The scrubby leftovers were often burned to create farmland. At the start of European settlement, 90 percent of what is now Indiana was forest. That number plummeted to a measly 6 percent by 1922. While the forests have significantly recovered, there are still only about 2,000 acres of old-growth forest left in the state. Yet trees hold a hallowed place here. One town has graciously allowed a tree to grow on its courthouse roof for more than a hundred years. In many graveyards, markers are fashioned to look like stumps and branches. Read on for five woody wonders of Indiana, all rooted deeply in their communities.

View Itinerary
Some Indiana trees have even been to the moon.

Explore Indiana

Architecture 16
Museums 12
History 11
History & Culture 10
Collections 9
Architectural Oddities 8
Plants 8
Outsider Art 8
Monuments 8
Sculptures 7
Animals 6
Geology 6

Indiana Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Mark Casey
    8
  2. cvllrrl
    6
  3. satxwdavis
    5
  4. kerusk
    4
  5. Beth1116
    4

Places Edited

  1. ski queen
    25
  2. Collector of Experiences
    19
  3. Rachel
    13
  4. Martin
    10
  5. Mark Casey
    9

Places Visited

  1. NICKMULLIS
    67
  2. wannabetimetraveler
    51
  3. kerusk
    47
  4. EvanCarnes33
    47
  5. joro
    46

Recent Indiana Activity

  • jayrd

    wants to go to Big Sycamore Tree

  • jayrd

    wants to go to The Sock Barn

  • jayrd

    wants to go to Bilby Tower

  • dobluevoodoo

    has been to Indiana Steam Clock

  • dobluevoodoo

    has been to Elvis Presley Final Concert Plaque

Stories About Indiana

Inside Memorial Auditorium in Gary, Indiana. The auditorium was one of several landmarks damaged by fires set in the late 1990s.

What Can We Learn From the Ruins of Gary, Indiana?

Exploring deindustrialization.
by Matthew Christopher
May 3, 2024

Podcast: Exotic Feline Rescue Center

Long before Joe Exotic got the country talking about big cats, there was Joe Taft
by The Podcast Team
May 1, 2024
Rising Sun Riverfront Levee in Southern Indiana.

Discover 11 Spectacular Spots in Indiana to View the 2024 Eclipse

With an official NASA broadcast location, a performance by Janelle Monáe, an authentic Swiss town and much more, the Hoosier State offers every kind of eclipse experience.
Sponsored by Visit Indiana
Red means higher than average anomalies, and blue means lower than average ones.

Uneven Gravity Makes You Weigh More in Illinois Than in Indiana

A number of factors cause you to be lighter or heavier in different parts of the world.
by Frank Jacobs
September 22, 2023

Podcast: The Mysterious Sinkholes of Mt. Baldy

One family's visit to Lake Michigan turns into a wild tale of a missing boy and mysterious tunnels.
by The Podcast Team
August 23, 2023
The well-preserved remains of Fred, also known as the Buesching Mastodon, were found in 1998 near Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Intriguing Life, Death, and Afterlife of an Indiana Mastodon

Scientists have pieced together a detailed biography—including a search for love and a violent end.
by Gemma Tarlach
June 14, 2022

Podcast: The Rotary Jail Museum

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
April 13, 2022
Berthold Laufer’s cylinders: one row for vocals, the other for instruments.

Do These Tubes Hold the Oldest Known Stereo Recordings?

In 1901, a traveling researcher recorded some Chinese opera, and accidentally made music history.
by Matthew Taub
July 15, 2020

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