Things to Do in New Harmony, Indiana
The best things to do in New Harmony, Indiana, are the Roofless Church, the Harmonist Labyrinth and a guided tour from the Atheneum. It’s a town of about 690 people in Posey County, on the Wabash River.
New Harmony has been a utopia twice. George Rapp’s Harmony Society built it starting in 1814, and in 1825 the Welsh reformer Robert Owen bought the town for his own experiment. It failed within a few years, but it drew scientists like David Dale Owen, who ran Indiana’s first official geological survey.
Roofless Church
Jane Blaffer Owen commissioned this open-air church from architect Philip Johnson, and it was dedicated in 1960. Brick walls enclose a limestone-paved courtyard. A shingled canopy shaped like an upside-down rosebud shelters Jacques Lipchitz’s sculpture ‘Descent of the Holy Spirit,’ and Lipchitz made the gilded gates too.
★ Good to know It’s free and open to the public, part of the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation’s sanctuaries.
The Atheneum and Historic New Harmony tours
Richard Meier’s white Atheneum, finished in 1979, is the town’s visitor center, with an orientation film and exhibits. Every guided tour starts here and travels by tram through the historic district, a National Historic Landmark since 1965. Survivors include the 1818 Rapp-Owen Granary, later David Dale Owen’s lab. Thrall’s Opera House was built in 1824 as Harmonist Community House No. 4.
★ Good to know The Atheneum is free to enter; the University of Southern Indiana runs guided tours Tuesday through Sunday from March to mid-December.
Harmonist Labyrinth
The Harmonists built the first hedge labyrinth here. The one you walk today was replanted in 1939 near the original site, in concentric circles of clipped privet.
★ Good to know It’s free, and it’s part of the New Harmony State Historic Site.
Working Men’s Institute
William Maclure founded the Working Men’s Institute in 1838 as a society for mutual instruction. It’s Indiana’s oldest continuously operating public library. There’s also a museum and gallery of local history and art, in a building on Tavern Street.
★ Good to know It’s closed Mondays.
Cathedral Labyrinth and Paul Tillich Park
The Cathedral Labyrinth is a granite copy of the one at Chartres Cathedral, designed by Kent Schuette in 1996. Paul Tillich Park honors the theologian with evergreens, paths and boulders carved with his words. Both belong to the Blaffer sanctuaries, which are free. Tillich Park sits beside the swan lake at the New Harmony Inn.
★ Good to know Tillich Park is open around the clock.
New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art
The University of Southern Indiana runs this contemporary art gallery on Main Street, with changing exhibitions and programs. In town, look for the Tree of 40 Fruit, a grafted tree by artist Sam Van Aken that bears peaches, plums, cherries and more. It was planted in 2016.
★ Good to know The tree blooms in pink, crimson and white in spring and bears fruit in summer.
Harmonie State Park
This 3,465-acre state park, established in 1966, sits about 4 miles south of town on the Wabash River. It has camping, family cabins, hiking and mountain bike trails, fishing and a boat ramp.
★ Good to know The nature center keeps limited, seasonal days, so check the DNR page before you plan around it.
Firefly Festival and Kunstfest
The Firefly Festival in June celebrates Say’s Firefly, Indiana’s state insect, which naturalist Thomas Say documented here in 1826. There are evening firefly walks, music and a 5K. Kunstfest, in September, is the town’s biggest event, with German food, crafts and live entertainment on Main Street.
★ Good to know Dates change each year, so check the Visit New Harmony calendar before you book.
Also in town
Also here: the Red Geranium at the New Harmony Inn, Moon River Spa (by appointment), Black Lodge Coffee Roasters, and golf cart rentals from New Harmony Golf Car Company.
Is the Roofless Church free?
Yes. The Roofless Church and the other Blaffer sanctuaries are free and open to the public. The Harmonist Labyrinth is free too.
Why is New Harmony, Indiana, famous?
It was home to two utopian communities: George Rapp’s Harmony Society from 1814 and Robert Owen’s group from 1825. Owen’s scientists and educators left behind Indiana’s oldest continuously operating public library.
How long do you need in New Harmony?
Plan 2 to 3 hours for a guided tour and a walk around town. Stay the night if you want Harmonie State Park or a festival.
What other small towns in Indiana are worth visiting?
For a resort weekend, try French Lick. For Christmas history and Holiday World, try Santa Claus, or browse more small towns in Indiana.
Where to find them
- The Atheneum 401 N Arthur St, New Harmony, IN 47631 Website Directions
- The Roofless Church North Street, New Harmony, IN 47631 (see map) Website Directions
- Harmonist Labyrinth 1309 Main St, New Harmony, IN 47631 Website Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in New Harmony, see Visit New Harmony →
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Tours and tickets in New Harmony
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