Lafayette

Lafayette, Indiana, sits along the Wabash River, sharing its banks with West Lafayette and Purdue University. Cross the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge to walk riverside paths, see 19th-century brick buildings, and explore the rebuilt Fort Ouiatenon. Watch planes take off from the site of America's first airmail delivery in 1859, buy fresh produce at the Lafayette Farmers Market on Saturdays, or join 60,000 fans at a Purdue football game. The area thrives on factory history, university research projects, and events like the Feast of the Hunters' Moon. You'll find a balance between small-town ease and cultural activities without big-city crowds.

History and Key Landmarks

French traders built Fort Ouiatenon in 1717 near Miami tribe lands, now marked by a reconstruction that hosts October reenactments with flintlock demonstrations and fiddle music. Ten miles north, the Tippecanoe Battlefield preserves the open field where U.S. troops fought Shawnee forces in 1811. Downtown's Ninth Street Hill neighborhood displays Victorian houses with turrets and wraparound porches built between 1870 and 1910. The Tippecanoe County Historical Museum keeps letters from Civil War soldiers and Potawatomi baskets. Look for the 1919 Standard Oil gas station on South Street, a white stucco building with a red tile roof that still pumps air for tires.

Areas to Explore

Main Street forms downtown Lafayette's core, with the 1938 Art Deco movie theater, pottery studios, and riverside bars like the Black Sparrow. The Arts & Market district holds Saturday farm stands from May through October under a steel pavilion. Across the river, West Lafayette's Chauncey Village has textbook shops, bubble tea cafes, and 24-hour diners catering to Purdue students. Residential streets near Ninth Street Hill and Centennial neighborhoods feature American Foursquare homes with wide front steps. Walk or bike the Wabash Heritage Trail to reach Tapawingo Park's playgrounds and the Celery Bog's marshes, where herons nest.

Things to Do

Columbian Park Zoo lets you watch river otters swim and red pandas climb trees for free, with a small train looping past prairie dog mounds. At Wolf Park, 15 minutes north, staff explain wolf behavior during evening howling sessions and feedings. Prophetstown State Park includes a working 1920s farm with sheep and chickens, plus five miles of trails through tallgrass prairie. The Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum displays muskets and war club replicas in a 1908 church building. When temperatures drop, rent skates at Riverside Skating Center's outdoor rink or watch Purdue's basketball team play in Mackey Arena.

Seasonal Events

Fort Ouiatenon's October festival recreates 1700s frontier life with tomahawk throwing contests, cornmeal grinding, and venison stew served in wooden bowls. Downtown hosts the Taste of Tippecanoe in June, where 30 local restaurants sell egg rolls, barbecue, and fried biscuits on Fourth Street. High school baseball teams from Mexico and Canada compete in the August Colt World Series at Loeb Stadium. Purdue's Slayter Center amphitheater holds the Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering each June, with banjo workshops and square dancing under oak trees.

Where to Eat and Drink

Lafayette Brewing Company fills a brick warehouse with copper vats, serving bacon burgers and oatmeal stout since 1993. People’s Brewing offers Friday tours of its fermentation tanks and a hoppy pale ale called People’s Mound Builder. Arni’s Restaurant on South Street bakes cracker-thin pizzas topped with sausage from nearby Meyer’s Meat Market. Try the pork schnitzel at Knickerbocker Saloon, open since 1835, or share sushi rolls at Kokoro near Purdue’s campus.

Getting Around

Three weekly Amtrak trains stop at Lafayette’s station on North Third Street, with routes to Chicago (4 hours) and Indianapolis (2 hours). CityBus runs free trolleys between Purdue’s dorms and downtown shops every 15 minutes on weekdays. Indianapolis Airport shuttle vans take 90 minutes; book seats online for morning departures. Drivers reach downtown Chicago in two hours via Interstate 65, passing wind farms and cornfields.

Parks Within Driving Distance

Turkey Run State Park, 60 miles south, has 10 hiking trails through narrow canyons lined with moss and hemlock trees. At Shades State Park, 35 miles southeast, wade across Sugar Creek to reach trails with ladder-like staircases up sandstone cliffs. Indiana Dunes National Park, 100 miles north, protects beaches where you can swim Lake Michigan’s shallow waters or climb 200-foot sand hills. Closer to town, Celery Bog’s wooden walkways let you spot bluebirds and cattail marshes without leaving city limits.