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
-
March 18 - Oct 29, 2023
Influencing Lincoln
Discover how the 19th-century Black community fought for full citizenship.
Learn More -
Feb 18 - Oct 15, 2023
Vintage Vision: Cars of the 1920s
Indiana was once a mecca of automobile manufacturing and wow, we turned out some beauties.
Learn More -
Open thru June 25, 2023
Inspired by the Dunes
Frank Dudley's inspiration from the beauty of the Indiana Dunes.
Learn More -
Open thru Feb 19, 2023
Nikon's Small World
Celebrating photography through the microscope.
Learn More
Wander Our Galleries
-
An Evolving Collection
Gallery One
Interact with our unique collection of objects in playful and unexpected ways.
Learn More -
The Animals that Shaped Indiana
Ancient Seas
Explore the marine life that once called Indiana home.
Learn More -
Explore Indiana's Natural History
R.B. Annis Naturalist’s Lab
Explore Indiana’s natural history through your senses.
Learn More -
A State of Change
Frozen Reign
Explore the Ice Age, beginning with a trip through an ice tunnel beneath a glacier.
Learn More -
Indiana's Founding People
First Nations
Discover how ancestors of today’s Native Americans built vibrant communities in Indiana.
Learn More -
Discover Diverse Landscapes
Natural Regions
Discover Indiana’s diverse and dramatic landscapes as early European explorers would have seen them.
Learn More -
Indiana's Journey to Statehood
Contested Territory
Learn how Indiana moved from territory to statehood.
Learn More -
Step into pioneer Indiana
19th State
Step into pioneer Indiana and learn why and how settlers made their homes in our state.
Learn More -
People Who Lived in Early Indiana
The Hoosier Way
Learn how Indiana forged its identity as it emerged from the Pioneer era.
Learn More -
Connecting Through Railroads
Crossroads of America
Learn how Hoosiers connected physically through railroads and shared messages through newspapers, books and music.
Learn More -
Contributions to U.S. Milestones
Enterprise Indiana
Experience American milestones through the lens of Indiana’s contributions.
Learn More -
Indiana's Influence on the World
Global Indiana
Demonstrating Indiana’s influence on a global scale.
Learn More -
Hoosiers who made an impact
American Originals
Visit a room filled with the faces of famous Hoosiers.
Learn More -
People Who Shaped Indiana
Legacy Theater
Providing a diverse cultural experience of Black heritage in Indiana.
Learn More
Visit Our Historic Sites
-
Evansville, Indiana
Angel Mounds
A thousand years ago, southwest Indiana was home to a thriving community of Native Americans.
Learn More -
Corydon, Indiana
Corydon Capitol
From Corydon’s colorful beginnings, Hoosier statesmen carefully built the foundations for the state we know today.
Learn More -
New Albany, Indiana
Culbertson Mansion
The Culbertson Mansion reflects the affluence of a man once considered to be the wealthiest in Indiana.
Learn More -
Rome City, Indiana
Gene Stratton-Porter
Explore the home of a beloved author, photographer, naturalist and entrepreneur.
Learn More -
Madison, Indiana
Lanier Mansion
The perfect opportunity to encounter, explore and experience life as it was in the 1840s.
Learn More -
Fountain City, Indiana
Levi & Catharine Coffin House
As conductors for the Underground Railroad, the Coffins helped more than 1,000 freedom-seekers to safety.
Learn More -
Geneva, Indiana
Limberlost
The Limberlost Swamp was the perfect laboratory for author Gene Stratton-Porter to study nature.
Learn More -
New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony
Explore the birthplace of two 19th-century utopian communities
Learn More -
Nashville, Indiana
T.C. Steele
Hoosier painter T.C. Steele and his wife Selma built their home in 1907 amongst these rolling hills.
Learn More -
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes
Explore Indiana’s oldest city, where territory officials made decisions that changed the future of the entire Midwest.
Learn More -
Metamora, Indiana
Whitewater Canal
Discover how this 1840s feat of engineering changed Indiana from a pioneer outpost to the “Crossroads of America."
Learn More
Programs
-
Feb 5, 2023 11:15 am - 12:00 pmT.C. Steele
Children’s Tour: James Whitcomb Riley and T.C. Steele
-
Feb 6, 2023 10:30 am - 12:30 pmSold Out
Homeschool Monday: Trip Around the U.S.A.
-
Feb 7, 2023 10:00 am - 12:00 pmSold Out
Homeschool Tuesday: Trip Around the U.S.A.
-
Feb 7, 2023 10:00 am - 11:00 amSold Out
Small Wonders: Geology
-
Feb 7, 2023 1:30 pm - 3:30 pmSold Out
Homeschool Tuesday: Trip Around the U.S.A.
-
Feb 8, 2023 10:00 am - 11:00 amSold Out
Small Wonders: Geology
Latest BLog Posts
-
Posted February 3, 2023
Land Lovers
New exhibit features art by Jason Wesaw, a mixed-media artist from southern Michigan who’s a member of the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Nation.
Read More -
Posted January 17, 2023
What is Hygge?
Winter can feel long, cold, dark and depressing, and Devin Payne wanted to do something to brighten the mood.
Read More -
Posted January 12, 2023
Do Try This At Home
This winter break, 260 Pike Township third-, fourth- and fifth-graders had no good reason to say, “I’m bored!”
Read More -
Posted December 15, 2022
The Song Remains the Same
Gene Stratton-Porter reminisced in one of her chapter books about some of the activities and preparations from Christmas holidays during her years.
Read More -
Posted November 22, 2022
The math of hanging a picture
When there's an art exhibit, staff members often comment not only about the pictures but the symmetry with which they’re hung.
Read More -
Posted November 22, 2022
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?
Read More -
Posted November 21, 2022
Gene Stratton-Porter could potentially be a hazard
In 1925, the year after Gene Stratton-Porter’s death, it was estimated that about 10 million copies of her books had been sold.
Read More -
Posted November 14, 2022
LOCAL ARTISTS DESIGN NEW ORNAMENTS
The Indiana State Museum’s 92 County Tree is getting a facelift.
Read More -
Posted October 28, 2022
The Web of Mystery and Fear of Spiders
Far too seldom do we take a moment to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the spider.
Read More
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.
