Best Small Towns in Indiana
The best small towns in Indiana are Nashville for Brown County State Park and art galleries, French Lick for the domed West Baden Springs Hotel, Madison for a 133-block historic district on the Ohio River, New Harmony for two utopian experiments and Shipshewana for Amish country. Most of the best ones sit in the hilly south, but the north has Amish farm country and a lake region around Angola. Here are 10 worth the trip, grouped by region.
- Best season: May–October
- Regions: Northern Indiana, West-central Indiana, Southern Indiana, Ohio River & Southeast
- Closest big cities: Indianapolis, Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne
| Town | Region | Best for | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | Southern Indiana | fall color, art galleries, hiking | Indianapolis (IND), about 1 hr |
| French Lick | Southern Indiana | a splurge weekend, history, golf | Louisville (SDF), about 1 hr 15 min |
| Madison | Ohio River & Southeast | history, river views, a walkable weekend | Louisville (SDF), about 1 hr |
| New Harmony | Southern Indiana | history, slow weekends, architecture | Evansville (EVV), about 40 min |
| Shipshewana | Northern Indiana | Amish country, shopping, food | South Bend (SBN), about 50 min |
| Santa Claus | Southern Indiana | families with kids, summer, Christmas | Evansville (EVV), about 45 min |
| Corydon | Southern Indiana | history, a day trip from Louisville | Louisville (SDF), about 30 min |
| Metamora | Ohio River & Southeast | a day trip, antiques, families | Cincinnati (CVG), about 1 hr 15 min |
| Crawfordsville | West-central Indiana | history, hiking base | Indianapolis (IND), about 50 min |
| Angola | Northern Indiana | lakes, summer weekends, winter tobogganing | Fort Wayne (FWA), about 50 min |
Southern Indiana
1. Nashville
Nashville is a little arts town in Brown County and the gateway to Brown County State Park, Indiana's largest state park at roughly 15,700 acres. The park is minutes from a downtown full of galleries, craft shops and places to eat.
Pop. 1,256 (2020 Census) Brown County Founded 1836 Nearest airport: Indianapolis (IND), about 1 hr Known for: Brown County State Park, galleries, fall color
- Best for: fall color, art galleries, hiking
- Don't miss: Scenic drives and overlooks in Brown County State Park; T.C. Steele State Historic Site, the painter's home and studio
- Heads up: Mid-to-late October weekends get crowded. Go on a weekday if you can.
2. French Lick
French Lick and its neighbor West Baden Springs grew up around mineral springs and two grand resort hotels that still operate. West Baden's hotel, with its huge domed atrium, is worth the drive on its own.
Pop. 1,722 (2020 Census) Orange County Founded 1857 Nearest airport: Louisville (SDF), about 1 hr 15 min Known for: West Baden Springs Hotel, resort weekends, Larry Bird
- Best for: a splurge weekend, history, golf
- Don't miss: The West Baden Springs Hotel atrium (you can walk in even if you're not staying); The French Lick Scenic Railway
3. New Harmony
New Harmony was founded in 1814 by the Harmony Society. In 1825 social reformer Robert Owen bought it for his own utopian experiment. Today it's one of the quietest, most thoughtful small towns in the Midwest.
Pop. 690 (2020 Census) Posey County Founded 1814 Nearest airport: Evansville (EVV), about 40 min Known for: Utopian history, Roofless Church, labyrinth
- Best for: history, slow weekends, architecture
- Don't miss: The Roofless Church; The Atheneum visitor center; The Harmonist Labyrinth
4. Santa Claus
Santa Claus is home to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, one of the Midwest's best-loved family theme parks. Every December its post office gets letters addressed to Santa from all over the country.
Pop. 2,586 (2020 Census) Spencer County Founded 1849 Nearest airport: Evansville (EVV), about 45 min Known for: Holiday World, Christmas letters, Santa Claus Museum
- Best for: families with kids, summer, Christmas
- Don't miss: Holiday World (check the season calendar before you go); Santa Claus Museum & Village; Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, a few minutes away
5. Corydon
Corydon was Indiana's first state capital (1816 to 1825), and the original limestone capitol still stands on the town square. It's an easy half-hour from Louisville, with some of the state's best caves close by.
Pop. 3,153 (2020 Census) Harrison County Founded 1808 Nearest airport: Louisville (SDF), about 30 min Known for: Indiana's first state capital, caves
- Best for: history, a day trip from Louisville
- Don't miss: Corydon Capitol State Historic Site; Indiana Caverns and Squire Boone Caverns nearby
Ohio River & Southeast
6. Madison
Madison sits on a bend of the Ohio River, and its historic district covers 133 blocks of 19th-century buildings. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Park once and walk all day.
Pop. 12,357 (2020 Census) Jefferson County Founded 1810 Nearest airport: Louisville (SDF), about 1 hr Known for: 133-block historic district, Madison Regatta
- Best for: history, river views, a walkable weekend
- Don't miss: Clifty Falls State Park just outside town; Lanier Mansion State Historic Site; The Madison Regatta hydroplane races in early July
7. Metamora
Metamora is a tiny canal town on the old Whitewater Canal, with a working grist mill and a main street of small shops. It's at its best on a slow Saturday.
Pop. 207 (2020 Census) Franklin County Founded 1838 Nearest airport: Cincinnati (CVG), about 1 hr 15 min Known for: Whitewater Canal, grist mill, small shops
- Best for: a day trip, antiques, families
- Don't miss: Whitewater Canal State Historic Site and the grist mill; The 1846 Duck Creek Aqueduct
- Heads up: An August 2026 flood left the canal dry and closed some shops; call ahead
Northern Indiana
8. Shipshewana
Shipshewana is the heart of northern Indiana's Amish country: horse-drawn buggies on the back roads, bakeries, quilt shops and the Shipshewana Flea Market, which bills itself as the Midwest's largest with roughly 600 vendors.
Pop. 839 (2020 Census) LaGrange County Nearest airport: South Bend (SBN), about 50 min Known for: Amish country, Shipshewana Flea Market
- Best for: Amish country, shopping, food
- Don't miss: The flea market (Tuesdays and Wednesdays, May through September); Menno-Hof, the Amish and Mennonite heritage center
- Heads up: Much of town is closed on Sundays.
9. Angola
Angola is the hub of Steuben County's lake country. It's a summer lake town that also has one of Indiana's most fun winter traditions.
Pop. 9,340 (2020 Census) Steuben County Founded 1838 Nearest airport: Fort Wayne (FWA), about 50 min Known for: Lake country, Pokagon State Park toboggan run
- Best for: lakes, summer weekends, winter tobogganing
- Don't miss: Pokagon State Park and its refrigerated toboggan run (winter season only); Lake James
West-central Indiana
10. Crawfordsville
Crawfordsville is where Lew Wallace wrote much of Ben-Hur, and his study is now a museum. It's also a good base for two of Indiana's best state parks for hiking.
Pop. 16,306 (2020 Census) Montgomery County Founded 1823 Nearest airport: Indianapolis (IND), about 50 min Known for: Ben-Hur author Lew Wallace, Rotary Jail
- Best for: history, hiking base
- Don't miss: General Lew Wallace Study & Museum; Rotary Jail Museum; Shades and Turkey Run State Parks nearby
- October: Fall color peaks in Brown County, and the DNR calls the state park around Nashville a traditional hot spot, so expect company. Metamora’s Canal Days fills the village in early October.
- May–September: Shipshewana’s flea market runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Madison holds its Regatta on the July 4th weekend. Holiday World in Santa Claus runs roughly spring through fall.
- Winter: Pokagon’s toboggan run near Angola opens around late November and runs on weekends and holiday breaks. French Lick’s resort hotels stay open all year. Winter and early spring also bring the most water to Clifty Falls outside Madison.
These didn’t make the list, but each has its own guide: Middlebury (Amish country, Essenhaus) · Williamsport (90-foot waterfall) · Goshen (Elkhart County seat) · Attica (Wabash River town) · Aurora (Ohio River town) · Country Squire Lakes (Jennings County community) · Edinburgh (south of Indianapolis) · Flora (Carroll County town) · Monticello (White County seat) · North Vernon (Jennings County town) · Paoli (Orange County seat) · Seymour (Jackson County city) · Shelbyville (Shelby County seat) · Stinesville (Monroe County village)
What is the prettiest small town in Indiana?
Madison has a 133-block historic district on the Ohio River and waterfalls at Clifty Falls. Nashville wins in fall, when Brown County’s hills turn color around a town of galleries.
What small towns in Indiana are best for a weekend?
French Lick is built for one, with two historic resort hotels, golf and a scenic railway. In the north, pair Shipshewana with Middlebury for Amish country.
What is the smallest town in Indiana worth visiting?
Metamora has about 200 people and a working grist mill on the old Whitewater Canal. New Harmony, with about 690, holds the Roofless Church and two centuries of utopian history.
What are the best small towns in southern Indiana?
Start with Nashville, French Lick and Corydon, Indiana’s first state capital. Farther southwest, Santa Claus and New Harmony make an easy pairing.