Take a Trip Around the State
Welcome to the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites—a statewide museum network with 12 locations across Indiana. Here, we use our collection of artifacts (everything from mastodon bones to T.C. Steele paintings) and our state’s most culturally significant sites to tell larger stories around bigger themes. Whether you’re interested in art, architecture, history or science, we’ve got you covered. Come out and enjoy wide open spaces at our historic sites, explore three floors of fun at our downtown Indianapolis museum, and discover engaging online activities.
Explore Our Exhibits
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Nov 17, 2021 thru March 21, 2022
Nikon's Small World
Celebrating photography through the microscope.
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Thru Jan 2, 2021
Celebration Crossing
Experience the magic of the holidays during this redesigned celebration.
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Jan 22, 2022 thru May 15, 2022
How People Make Things
Bringing the manufacturing experience to life.
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Wander Our Galleries
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The Animals that Shaped Indiana
Ancient Seas
Explore the marine life that once called Indiana home.
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Explore Indiana's Natural History
R.B. Annis Naturalist’s Lab
Explore Indiana’s natural history through your senses.
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A State of Change
Frozen Reign
Explore the Ice Age, beginning with a trip through an ice tunnel beneath a glacier.
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Indiana's Founding People
First Nations
Discover how ancestors of today’s Native Americans built vibrant communities in Indiana.
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Discover Diverse Landscapes
Natural Regions
Discover Indiana’s diverse and dramatic landscapes as early European explorers would have seen them.
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Indiana's Journey to Statehood
Contested Territory
Learn how Indiana moved from territory to statehood.
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Step into pioneer Indiana
19th State
Step into pioneer Indiana and learn why and how settlers made their homes in our state.
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People Who Lived in Early Indiana
The Hoosier Way
Learn how Indiana forged its identity as it emerged from the Pioneer era.
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Connecting Through Railroads
Crossroads of America
Learn how Hoosiers connected physically through railroads and shared messages through newspapers, books and music.
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Contributions to U.S. Milestones
Enterprise Indiana
Experience American milestones through the lens of Indiana’s contributions.
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Indiana's Influence on the World
Global Indiana
Demonstrating Indiana’s influence on a global scale.
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Hoosiers who made an impact
American Originals
Visit a room filled with the faces of famous Hoosiers.
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People Who Shaped Indiana
Legacy Theater
Providing a diverse cultural experience of Black heritage in Indiana.
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Visit Our Historic Sites
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Evansville, Indiana
Angel Mounds
A thousand years ago, southwest Indiana was home to a thriving community of Native Americans.
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Corydon, Indiana
Corydon Capitol
From Corydon’s colorful beginnings, Hoosier statesmen carefully built the foundations for the state we know today.
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New Albany, Indiana
Culbertson Mansion
The Culbertson Mansion reflects the affluence of a man once considered to be the wealthiest in Indiana.
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Rome City, Indiana
Gene Stratton-Porter
Explore the home of a beloved author, photographer, naturalist and entrepreneur.
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Madison, Indiana
Lanier Mansion
The perfect opportunity to encounter, explore and experience life as it was in the 1840s.
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Fountain City, Indiana
Levi & Catharine Coffin House
As conductors for the Underground Railroad, the Coffins helped more than 1,000 freedom seekers to safety.
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Geneva, Indiana
Limberlost
The Limberlost Swamp was the perfect laboratory for author Gene Stratton-Porter to study nature.
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New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony
Explore the birthplace of two 19th-century utopian communities
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Nashville, Indiana
T.C. Steele
Hoosier painter T.C. Steele and his wife Selma built their home in 1907 amongst these rolling hills.
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Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes
Explore Indiana’s oldest city, where territory officials made decisions that changed the future of the entire Midwest.
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Metamora, Indiana
Whitewater Canal
Discover how this 1840s feat of engineering changed Indiana from a pioneer outpost to the “Crossroads of America."
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Programs
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Dec 7, 2021 10:00 am - 11:00 amSold Out
Small Wonders: Wintertime Fun
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Dec 7, 2021 10:00 am - 12:00 pmSold Out
Homeschool Tuesdays: Snowflake Science
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Dec 7, 2021 1:30 pm - 3:30 pmSold Out
Homeschool Tuesdays: Snowflake Science
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Dec 8, 2021 10:00 am - 12:15 pmIndiana State Museum
Holiday Sounds
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Dec 8, 2021 10:00 am - 11:00 amSold Out
Small Wonders: Wintertime Fun
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Dec 9, 2021 10:00 am - 12:15 pmIndiana State Museum
Holiday Sounds
Latest BLog Posts
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Posted November 19, 2021
Thanksgiving: A tradition centuries in the making
But do you know where this tradition came from, or when the national holiday actually came to be?
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Posted November 16, 2021
Creating the New Snowfall Express Train Ride
One specific goal: create a memorable experience that the entire family could share.
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Posted November 9, 2021
Every great ride needs a soundtrack
Our new Snowfall Express train ride has music written and performed by Fort Wayne-based composer/arranger Eric Van Cleave.
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Posted November 1, 2021
Ninety-nine percent adorable
When visitors ride the new Snowfall Express train, they’ll get an up-close look at style of Indianapolis artist Candice Hartsough.
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Posted October 29, 2021
Spookiest items from the museum’s collection
The history of Indiana isn’t always cheerful. Sometimes, it’s downright spooky.
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Posted October 26, 2021
Collecting During COVID
Today’s pandemic items are tomorrow’s artifacts.
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Posted September 30, 2021
‘Very Elegant, Very Formal, Very Historical’
Getting married at Lanier Mansion is a Temple Family affair
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Posted September 28, 2021
The Transit Center Mystery Bottles
Museum staff recently discovered four sealed bottles containing their original liquids in one of our archaeological collections.
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Posted September 28, 2021
You Haven’t Seen These Steele
About 200 T.C. Steele paintings have been restored and another 100 are in various stages of restoration.
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Our Mission
To serve as a catalyst for informal lifelong learning that connects the stories of real people, places and things.
Our Vision
Be the leader in informal lifelong learning that is recognized, sought-after and celebrated regionally, nationally and globally.
