Part of the Wabash Walls! mural project in 2018 took place at the Junction House at 215 Smith…read moreStreet. The property is right next to an elevated pathway along the railroad tracks that is terraced. Artists Cameron Moberg (Camer1) and Jenna Morello painted four panels that are now displayed along that pathway on the east side of the Junction House property. The panels look like they may have been picnic table tops that were converted to artwork. I have heard that on some of the panels, local kids were allowed to decorate the panels first, and then the artists came by later to touch them up and build upon for a more professional finish. Panels include words like "Be the Change" and"Hope", and "Beautiful". One of the panels simply has a multi-colored floral pattern over shades of color. Review #1546

This is a very busy mural that you will find on the back of the Bauer Community Center, overlooking…read morethe parking lot. It is one of many murals that were painted by local artist Zach Medler (ZMED), with the assistance of students from an after-school art program. The mural was painted in 2014. Since it is overlook a parking lot thats always means a couple of things, first parking to get a closer look is easy and second, the lower portion of the mural will more than likely be obstructed in some way by cars. Don't get me wrong, I like this mural, but it is a bit too busy for my liking. It is almost as if it is a bunch a little murals rolled up into one big one. Some of the images on the mural include a young boy sitting on a man's shoulders, Sonic the Hedghog, a young man in a Jordan Jersey painting with a roller, an alien in a small spaceship, a dragon, Mario, a couple of kids painting with brushes, a couple of kids drawing with a pencil, and positive works such as "love, "hope", "creativity", "positivity", "power" and "peace". The focal point of the mural is the word "TOGETHER" (hence the title), in patchwork letting. It is surrounded by kids, some of which appear to be painting it. Like I said there a lot going on and you can clearly see the different levels of artistic ability that were utilized on the mural. Some figures are stick figures, but at least everyone got to participate in the project. So, for that reason, I am rating this piece on more than just the artwork. The mural is almost 10 years old and has seen better days and is showing sings of weather and beginning to fade. There is also a few areas that people have painted over with their own graffiti. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There are a tons of art in the immediate area to start with.

On the north wall of the Bauer Community Center, just south of downtown Lafayette, a mural was…read morepainted by the students of the center under the direction of artist Zach Medler (ZMED) who also painted and designed the mural. The mural is large and spans two stories showing a variety of images including famous people, kids in all kinds of activities, words of inspiration, and sometimes, whimsical. Across the upper center of the wall, the word Together is written in letters of different colors that appear to have been painted by people in the painting. Review #1434

We came across catfish while we were in West Lafayette riding around looking at all all the public…read moreart. It's a big old catfish on the side of a building with a lot of colorful displays. Go check it out.

There is a mural of two giant catfish painted on the south wall of the Crossing on Wabash. The…read moremural was painted by Aaron Vickery (Fasm) and Ella V in September 2018. The mural is the southern most installation for the Wabash Walls! mural project that was intended to bring color and energy to a community trying to unify and make the neighborhood family friendly. The catfish are huge and are somewhat whimsical in style; definitely more colorful and appealing than most catfish I've seen in real life! Done in shades of blues and greens, the catfish fill the foreground of the mural while the background is filled with reds and yellows that I cannot come up with a good guess as to what they signify. (Maybe the catfish don't want to end up in a fish fry. ha!) Review #1553

This is a fun mural that we found called elephant in the room. We took some fun cool pictures with…read moreit in the umbrella and had a good time.

You will find this mural in a small alleyway. It is the work of San Francisco artist Cameron Moberg…read morewho painted the piece 2018. It depicts an elephant showering a rainbow of water from his trunk. It invites invites the viewer to stand under the umbrella for a perfect photo opt with them appearing to hold the umbrella. Moberg explains the piece as Playful and interactive yet still has deep meaning. If you look closely at the painting you will see butterflies on the snout, which Moberg intended to represent change. And the paint and interaction is the joy we can receive from other cultures when we start to get past differences. Moberg chose an elephant because it is an animal that is not native to Indiana. He hopes that seeing a non-native creature could this subconsciously bring change. This mural's artwork is on point. I also like what the artist is trying to convey. Luckily, he explained the piece or it would have been missed completely, at least by me. I am also a sucker for interactive art. You will see another mural next to this one, depicting a large blue bird, with rainbow colored wings, in flight, leading a trail of feather. I do not think that they are part of the same mural, but they are both by Moberg. There is some free street parking available in front of the alley that the mural is located. There is also some space in the back of the alley to park. I just parked on the street. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. Fun fact: The elephant is painted using 7 shades of teal.

One definition of Gateway is "a means of access or entry to a place". So having the two 30'…read moresculptures (by Hoosier artist Jeff Laramore) on the north and south corners where Main St meets 2nd St seems perfect. Each side has an arcing red metal "stroke" that seems to be breaking out of the black I-beam box (used as support) to reach towards its counterpart on the other side of Main. Pass through the gateway heading east and you find a vibrant downtown loaded with sculpture, murals, new restaurants, and businesses. Pass through the gateway heading west and you approach the waterfront with the Riehle Plaza, the John T Myers Pedestrian Bridge which spans the river, and the under construction riverwalk area by the "Marq" mixed use apartment/retail space. Or, if you like art, you can simply stop and admire the gateway itself. Review #1125

This controversial mural is the work of The Droops, an Indianapolis-based artist collective who…read morewere commissioned by The Spot to do the piece in 2015. It located on the side of the Spot and overlooks their parking lot. It takes up 2 sections of the bar's side wall. The mural is in great shape but as you can see in the photos, its lower park is obstructed by parked vehicles. It is a collogue of random images that include a guillotine, a beer on a folding chair, a tombstone, a skull, a in a bikini with four eyes holding a beer up, a knife, a clown, a bomb, a trumpet, a cigarette butt, a foot, a face being punched by a fist, a hand holding a knife, and an odd character holding a beer while playing a piano. The mural also depicts a naked woman tied to a tree and male genitalia in between a hotdog bun, which caused quite a site as you can imagine. There were calls by the community to have the offensive piece removed, covered up or fenced off. The change.org petition ended with 20 supporters. At one point the Lafayette police issued a warning that artwork was violation of the city's graffiti ordinance. There was a point during all of this that they used a Mike Pence head (who was governor at the time) to cover the male genitalia. Ultimately, the Spot won and the city decided that the mural was not graffiti and did not meet the criteria for a citation. The mural is standing today. Even though there are a lot of images to digest. The artwork is very nice. This is a provocative piece that definitely generates conversation. You can deiced for yourself what your thoughts on the piece are. Parking to get a closer look at the mural is easy, even though it overlooks a parking lot, the lot is kind of tight. There is however, some free parking pretty close to the mural too. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There of tons of murals to check out in the immediate area.

Good bar with friendly staff. On weeknights it's a chill place that makes good drinks at a decent…read moreprice. They have a turntable and offer to play records if you bring them in. On weekends it can get packed and they open up the dance area with loud music. The vibe is still good, just a lot more going on. The outdoor area is a great place to hang out for a more chill experience on these nights.

I paid $32 for my 8 year old daughter, disabled son, and I when we only used the pool part of the…read morepark and lazy river. While getting out of the lazy river a lifeguard helped us to the part that gradually gets more shallow on your way out instead the steps, which was fine until we get all the way out where there's no more water just before the cement starts, and first my daughter slips and falls, then just as I'm seeing her fall (and while holding my son) I fall too. Not just a little slip but we completely fell to the ground. It was so extremely slippery in that spot. Luckily we walked away with scraped knees and the top of my foot scraped. Somehow I managed to not drop my son. The place was packed and not a single person asked if we were okay or needed help up. Not to mention the lifeguards blew their whistles constantly at some kids "too tall" to go down the baby fish slide or for standing/sitting on the water spouts by kiddy area. But didn't care about the older boys throwing a full size football nearly hitting people's (including me and my kids) heads in the deeper swimming area. Overall it was an okay time, my kids had a lot of fun and that's what matters most. But I think some changes are needed. I've been there plenty of times even when I was a kid myself but this was my least favorite experience. Most importantly they seriously need to fix that slick spot before someone busts their head or breaks a bone.

Lots and family fun here. My son was too small (under 48") for most of the water rides, but he…read morestill enjoyed the splash fountains, wading pool, dolphin slide and we both loved the inner tube lazy river ride. Lots of lifeguards are posted here and many nice people help keep the kiddos safe. Life vests are available for extra precaution and a few different pools to play in make it fun for all ages. No refunds if the weather turns rainy, so plan accordingly.

On the east side of West Lafayette, there is a colorful mural on the large retaining wall behind…read morethe McDonald's called "Boilertown". The mural uses silhouettes of people and local structures that are generally recognizable to the locals. The mural was designed by Petronio Bendito and then painted by local artist Craig Martin, I believe in early 2018. The primary colors are shades of orange and pink with white and a light grayish blue to make the images, sometimes using negative space (in white) to create the image. Fun Fact: around the corner of the mural (to the right) is another mural, "Mystic Wabash". Review #1537