As an activist who is fairly well known around Indiana, I've often had the opportunity to really…read moreget to know Indiana's communities. One of my favorites is Peru, Indiana, a city of a little over 11,000 that has always been warm and hospitable to me and incredibly proactive in supporting its residents with disabilities. For years, Peru was the circus capital of the United States and was the winter headquarters for several famous circuses. While the circus's presence in Peru has slowed down, the city remains a strong presence, both literally and nostalgically, for anyone involved in or having a love of circuses. The International Circus Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame honoring many of the icons of the circus industry. It is located on the grounds of the former Wallace Circus and American Circus Corporation Winter Headquarters. These grounds are also a National Historic Landmark. Benjamin Wallace purchased the land in 1891 and its use as a headquarters for circuses flourished until 1944. In 1921, American Circus Corporation bought it all from Wallace and in 1929 American Circus was sold to John Ringling. You should know the name John Ringling. After 1944, the property reverted to agricultural use and, sadly, many of the buildings were altered or even destroyed. The circus industry was declining. Ringling Brothers had established their winter headquarters in Florida and the original incarnation of the International Circus Hall of Fame opened in Sarasota in 1956. It attracted 80,000 visitors annually even into the late 70s, though it became unprofitable and was closed in 1980. In 1981, a group of circus devotees from Peru - community leaders, businesses, etc. - learned of the closure and the availability of many of the Hall of Fame's items. They all united together and, essentially, the community bought the hall of fame and moved it to Peru where it remains to this day. Since acquiring the hall of fame, Peru's Hall of Fame has continued to grow including 16 historical wagons reconstructed in the Hall of Fame's wagon shop and the Peru Wagon Works Shop. Most years, the Hall of Fame inducts new members including familiar names like the Wallendas, John Ringling, Annie Oakley, Emmett Kelly, P.T. Barnum, and dozens of others. The Hall of Fame is over 9 acres of land and it's not uncommon to see displays around the community different times of the year. They have a gift shop that is also available online. The museum is filled with circus artifacts, costumes, circus posters, heralds, photographs, films, route cards, route books, and numerous circus wagons. Five of the original buildings house all of this and all five buildings are Historic Landmarks. The Hall of Fame also houses the Circus Model Builder's Museum and its Hall of Fame. Entry into the museum is affordable - $5 for adults; $2.50 for under 12; and free for military (Peru does have a military base). You can even camp at the hall of fame right on the Mississinewa River. Camping with electricity is only $25 a night; $12.50 for "primitive" camping. There is so much to love here and so much more to say but, alas, reviews have a word limit and I'd rather you experience the place for yourself. While the pandemic still influences things, they have a work week coming up in September and two festivals are on the books for 2022!

Closed when I was here early in the morning during the offseason, so I was only able to see the…read moreoutside but yes, it is a lighthouse that is since decommissioned and is no longer an active navigational aid. But it's been converted into a museum. Built in 1858 at a cost of $8,000, the Old Michigan City Light replaced an 1837 brick & stone light built at the edge of Lake Michigan. It was the second light at the site, and the predecessor to the Michigan City East Light. It was remodeled in 1904. Seven lighthouse keepers and fourteen assistant keepers served here from 1837 to 1940. [Review 20615 overall - 146 in Indiana - 1596 of 2023.]

This was a super cool museum. There was lots of cool artifacts. There is a small gift shop with t…read moreshirts ornaments and books. Got lots of pics. Sorry yelp limited how many I could post!

We heard there was an interesting automotive museum in South Bend so we decided to check it out…read morewhen we were in South Bend this week. The Studebaker National Museum consists of three floors that display everything from carriages, wagons, automobiles, "sleighs", military vehicles and trucks. The first thing I noticed when we entered the museum was how well the air conditioning worked! It was at least 95 degrees when we arrived. We bought tickets to both the Studebaker and History Museum (which included a tour of the Oliver Mansion adjacent to the museum). I was amazed to learn the earliest Studebaker automobiles were electric and had an approximate 70 mile range. I tried to learn how charging was accomplished but was unable to. There was a display of carriages along with some presidential carriages including the one that transported Abraham Lincoln to the Ford Theater the night of his assassination. Of huge interest was seeing the evolution of automotive design through the years. It could be argued that many cars today look alike. That certainly was not the case 50 or more years ago. Studebaker manufacturing sites were in South Bend, Detroit, Chicago and Hamilton Ontario with the last car coming off the assembly line in in 1966. This was an excellent way to spend a few hours. The museum also includes a gift shop and snack bar.

This is a well done museum and there is also a history museum inside. Worth a stop. There also a…read moremansion next door that you can tour.

I have to admit that I fell into my superhero fascination much later in life and I came in through…read morethe movies more than the comic books. As a kid, I was completely taken with Batman - the 1966 version. I could watch and talk that Batman for hours. The rest was interesting to me - but I didn't really get a lot of comics as a kid. I did get The Three Stooges comic books - but not much more. As an adult, my appreciation has spread to Daredevil, Black Adam, and the first two Deadpool movies among others. When I walked into the Hall of Heroes in Elkhart, Indiana, I was blown away. The first element of this five-star experience is the off-street parking. That sounds innocuous, but I am a Chicago guy and parking is always a consideration. The next delightful surprise was the price. It was 10 bucks. I had a HoH coupon for a buck off that I had picked up at another museum, the gentleman applied it to my ticket and my buddy's ticket. This gentleman - Allen Stewart - was quick to give us the rundown on the place. He was thorough, before setting us free in the small - but perfectly packed and maintained - museum. The building is divided by Marvel, D.C., and Independents with no one get preferential treatment. This is how a museum should be - just present what you have and let the visitor enjoy. As we worked our way up one aisle and down the next, we saw every kind of action figure you can imagine and some you couldn't. (Who knew they made Hong Kong Fuey action figures?) I got to pose on the bike that Nic Cage rode in "The Ghost Rider," I also got to lay on the Shelby from "Iron Man." (Stewart diligently took pix until I was totally satisfied. I can be kind of a diva.) We also got up close and personal with Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman. There were so many ancillary super-hero themed novelties from Crazy Foam to metal lunch boxes and so many other things I had completely forgotten about. Suddenly my childhood was displayed in pristine display cases. Hall of Heroes covers generations of comic books and comic book iconography that your grandparents will love it as much as your children. If the little ones get bored - there are free arcade games on hand to keep them satisfied. There are bins of reasonably priced comic books and a small shelf for the obligatory souvenirs. Walking back out into the misty autumn Indiana day, my buddy and I discussed how much Stewart knew and his love for the industry. He made the visit exciting. He isn't a ticket-taker. He is the gateway into the superhero universe.

If you're a comic fan this place is fun. If not, the best thing about it is the arcades, which is…read morecool to see. SO it's okay overall. Just a decent historical covering of comics and tons of memorabilia. I wish the back issues were cheaper and they were better organized as I feel whenever things get too tight to peruse it's too filed up, and perhaps a cheapo cutout section might be cool.

This was a beautiful house to tour. Our tour guide was wonderful and very knowledgeable. I learned…read moreso much about the history of this family between the house and the museum. I visited while the house was decorated for Christmas, which I highly recommend. The decorations were gorgeous.

My husband and I came here for "Christmas at Copshaholm" and it was truly magical. We are both born…read moreand raised in Elkhart but neither one of us had ever been here. I saw that it was decorated for Christmas (my favorite holiday) and decided it would be the perfect first visit for us. As soon as you walk in you're hit with the beauty of all the original woodwork in the home. It's absolutely stunning. We learned that all of the furniture is original to the house, which is such a rare and special touch when looking at a historical home. We take historical home tours all over the U.S. and it's very rare that all the furniture is original to the home. We will absolutely be back! I didn't take many pictures because I was taking in all the beauty!

The kids' area of The History Museum is located downstairs, and it's super fun for little kids…read more There are lots of interactive things to do, like play in a pretend grocery store, ride in a canoe, ride in a wagon, build a pretend fire. On certain days, they have activities for kids down there. On the main floor are the permanent and rotating exhibits. Some of them are bigger and more interesting than others, but all of them give you some information about Indiana history. There was an exhibit for the Teachers Credit Union, which at first I thought was odd, but it's interesting that they chose that topic to highlight, and I learned things I never knew about Indiana's credit union. There is a (free and optional) tour of Oliver Mansion offered at the museum, which goes a couple of times per day. We didn't have time to tour the mansion this time, but you can see the outside of it from the museum, and it looks vintage and huge (just like I like my old houses). Connected to The History Museum is the Studebaker Museum, which is a separate entry fee.

As part of our visit to the Studebaker Museum, we also decided to visit the History Museum mainly…read moreto tour the Oliver Mansion that was adjacent. Fortunately we arrived at the right time as there are only two tours per day. We had ample time to tour the Studebaker Museum and then joined the mansion tour. The mansion has 38 rooms and was built in 1895-96 and was beautifully finished in almost every part. J. D. Oliver was president of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works and grew the company into one of the largest in the world in the late 1800's. The home was called, "Copshaholm" which was the name of the Scottish village the Olivers were from. Of interest to me was the degree of finish quality especially the woodwork. The home remained totally furnished which from my perspective was nice as many tours we've been on featured large, empty rooms. Despite the home being so old, there was a pretty good air handling system that even on this brutally hot day, we remained comfortable. After visiting the Studebaker and History Museums, we hit a favorite restaurant before driving home. All in all a very good day.

Nice! The Railroad Museum is a beautiful place to visit. Not only is it a perfect place to visit…read morewith children, it also teaches a lot about the railroad history in the US. I loved the observation/ dining car and to learn about how trains were operated in the early 20th century.

Great museum. Just the right size. Has a lot of interactive hands on opportunities. Even has a…read moredemonstration of model trains. Many historical pictures. They even have an area that the kids can do crafts. My recent visit they had a list for you to discover or find things throughout your tour to the museum. I highly recommend visiting here. Great for all ages. I discover something new each time I visit this museum.

Truly this little museum was well-done and felt way more personal than the big national museums…read more The guys who work here were all very knowledgable and happy to share all kinds of tidbits about the displays with us. The park outside was cool and we enjoyed the special planes and aircraft in their collection here. This museum is also a Harvest Host.Grissom Air Museum in Peru, IN. We stayed in the parking lot which had 2 entrances, so an easy pull-through with our travel trailer and was mostly flat. A large 5th wheel also stayed the night and there was plenty of room for both of us. It is easy off-on IN Highway 31. There is some highway noise, but it died down in the evening and we slept well. It felt safe, maybe the proximity to the Air Base helped with that feeling. And we loved having the views of the aircraft displays out of our camper windows. We did patronize the Grissom Air Museum. Truly the little museum was well-done and felt way more personal than a big national museum. The guys who work here were all very knowlegable and happy to share all kinds of tidbits about the displays with us. The walk-through park outside was cool and we enjoyed the special planes and aircraft in their collection here.

It has a diverse collection of aircraft and a great value for the price! Definitely recommend…read morevisiting if you're in the area

Curious about the Amish and Mennonite cultures/religions? This museum is the perfect place to…read morevisit. I have visited Shipshewana many times and always wanted to stop by this museum, but could never get here before they closed (5p). The last tour starts at 3:45p. If you take your time through the museum and look around in the store, your visit will take about 2 hours. If starts off with a guided tour, then you watch a short video, then you are set free to explore the museum on your own. It tells the history of the Anabaptist, and goes through the current day beliefs and life style. It's very interesting and enlightening. It costs $8.50 for adults, $5 for children and $18 for a family.

I've been several times over a period of ten years, most recently in mid-February 2025-a cold day!…read moreA great introduction to the Anabaptist story. Friendly guides, interactive exhibits. My kids (teens at the time) loved it and learned a lot. And I loved how it showed different Anabaptist groups coming together to help in times of disaster. It's not preachy, but it does demonstrate that there are alternatives to pushy evangelism, preachers who live in mansions, and power hungry Christian Nationalists. It's the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement--come check out why it has endured.