Things to Do in Crawfordsville, Indiana
The best things to do in Crawfordsville, Indiana, are the Lew Wallace Study & Museum, the Rotary Jail Museum, and the Shades and Turkey Run state parks. It’s a city of about 16,300 people and the seat of Montgomery County.
Major Ambrose Whitlock laid the town out in 1823. By 1825 locals were calling it the “Athens of Indiana,” and the name stuck. Wabash College, founded here in 1832, is one of three all-male liberal arts colleges left in the country.
General Lew Wallace Study & Museum
Lew Wallace was a Union general, a territorial governor and the author of Ben-Hur, the best-selling novel of the 19th century. He designed this study himself and built it from 1895 to 1898, with orange brick, a copper dome and limestone porches. Inside are about 1,200 of his books, his uniforms and the chair he used while writing Ben-Hur.
★ Good to know The Carriage House Interpretive Center and the 3.5-acre grounds are free. The guided study tour has a fee, and the museum prefers you book ahead.
Rotary Jail Museum
From 1881 to 1973 this was the Montgomery County jail and the sheriff’s home. The cells sit on a two-story, 30-ton turntable: 16 wedge-shaped cells that rotate past a single opening. It’s the only rotary jail in Indiana and one of two left in the country.
★ Good to know It’s open seasonally, March through December, Wednesday through Saturday, so check the museum’s site before you go.
Lane Place
Senator Henry S. Lane and his wife, Joanna, started this house in 1845 and expanded it through 1890. The Montgomery County Historical Society runs it as a museum with Lane and Elston family furnishings and county artifacts.
★ Good to know Tours run April through November; the society takes bookings online or by phone.
Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County
This building opened in 1902 as the first Carnegie library in Indiana. The library moved out in 2005, and the building reopened as a history, art and science museum in 2007. Exhibits change through the year, including a community art show.
★ Good to know Admission is free.
Shades State Park
Shades sits about 17 miles southwest of town, with sandstone cliffs above Sugar Creek and shady ravines. It became Indiana’s 15th state park in 1947 and covers about 3,000 acres. Its Pine Hills Nature Preserve includes the Devil’s Backbone, a 100-foot ridge barely wide enough for the trail.
★ Good to know It’s one of the better dark-sky spots in the state, and Sugar Creek is popular for canoeing.
Turkey Run State Park
Turkey Run, about 5 miles past Shades, became Indiana’s second state park in 1916. Its deep sandstone ravines are the draw, and Trail 3 is known for its ladders. There’s also the Turkey Run Inn, a nature center with a planetarium, and the cabin of state parks founder Richard Lieber.
★ Good to know Trails close after heavy rain, so check the DNR alerts page the morning you go.
Sugar Creek Nature Park
For a short walk without the drive, this city park on US 231 north of downtown covers nearly 64 acres. It has more than 4,000 feet of trail and two large shelters, set along the same creek that runs through Shades and Turkey Run.
Also in town
Four Seasons Local Market sells Indiana-made food downtown, Kickin’ Axe has 22 throwing lanes, Coal Creek Cellars pours wine in a 100-year-old barn, and Oak Hill Tree Farm runs a corn maze.
Was Ben-Hur written in Crawfordsville?
Lew Wallace lived in Crawfordsville and published Ben-Hur in 1880. He finished the novel long before he built his study, which now displays the chair he wrote it in.
What is the rotary jail in Crawfordsville?
It’s an 1881 county jail where 16 cells sit on a 30-ton turntable. It closed in 1973 and is now the Rotary Jail Museum, open March through December.
How far is Crawfordsville from Turkey Run State Park?
Shades State Park is about 17 miles southwest of Crawfordsville, and Turkey Run is about 5 miles past it. Both are off State Road 47.
What other small towns are near Crawfordsville?
Williamsport, home to a 90-foot waterfall, is northwest of Crawfordsville on the Wabash River. For more ideas, see our list of small towns in Indiana.
Where to find them
- General Lew Wallace Study & Museum 200 Wallace Ave, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 Website Directions
- Rotary Jail Museum 225 N Washington Street, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 Website Directions
- Shades State Park 7751 S. 890 W., Waveland, IN 47989 Directions
- Turkey Run State Park 8121 E. Park Road, Marshall, IN 47859 Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in Crawfordsville, see Visit Montgomery County →
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Where to stay in Crawfordsville
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