Imagine strolling underneath vast canopies of trees, their shadows darkening the waters of a clear creek, or ascending up to one of the highest ridges in Indiana and seeing the smoky hills that inspired countless artists. These are all places one can find right within peaceful towns and villages in Indiana.
These towns can be found from the lakes of northern Indiana to culturally rich centers on the Ohio River to the south. Without further ado, here are the 8 most peaceful small towns in Indiana.
New Albany
New Albany is one of the quieter Ohio River towns, located to the north of the metro area of Louisville, Kentucky, which originally was one of the most populated towns in Indiana due to it being a center for riverboats. It also served as an important stop on the Underground Railroad, helping to smuggle escaped slaves out of Louisville and into the north. The Floyd County Carnegie Library Cultural Arts Center tells much of the story of that daring escape, including the role played by the historic 1852 Town Clock Church.
Main Street New Albany is full of such historic spots, including the Culbertson State Mansion Historic Site, a 19th century Second Empire Style home that hosts tours and haunted walks. Speaking of walks, New Albany is connected to the Ohio River Greenway, a paved trail that runs for 7.5 miles on the shoreline of the Ohio River.
Vevay
Many of Indiana’s most laid back towns are located on the Ohio River, such as Vevay, but few can boast its cultural heritage. Known as little Switzerland, this town’s history dates back to 1802 when James Dufour came here from Switzerland and named it after a Swiss village. Today that heritage is felt in the town’s quieter attractions, such as the Musee De Venoge, a French Colonial style home that features Swiss artifacts and reenactments; the Thiebaud Farmstead which preserves the early 19th-century history of the French-Swiss immigrants who settled along the Ohio River Valley.
The busiest the town gets is during the Swiss Wine Festival hosted annually in August, which celebrates the town’s role as the earliest wine making center in Indiana. During the spring, Black Tulips bloom just outside of downtown, which are grown by the influencer and tattoo artist resident Kat Von D.
Charlestown
Charlestown is located about 14 miles to the northeast of New Albany, off of the Ohio River Scenic Byway. During the 1920s, Charlestown was one of the most visited places for Louisville residents, due to the Rose Island Amusement Park. Although called an island, it was actually a peninsula amusement park featuring a wooden roller coaster and a zoo. The flood of 1937 destroyed the amusement park, but today its ruins are accessible from the Charlestown State Park by hiking down Trail 3 to the Rose Island Loop.
Along the way on Trail 3, one can stop to go fishing at the 14 Mile Creek. One can find plenty of high points and overlooks in the park as well, such as Trail 6, with views of the Twelve Mile Island. Charlestown has other nature trails as well, such as in the Nine Penny Branch State Nature Preserve, where one can see a waterfall.
Mitchell
Mitchell is a place so quiet, one can hear whispers of those long since departed, such as Gus Grissom. This NASA astronaut was born and raised in Mitchell, Indiana, and played a crucial role in early space exploration in the 1960s. Today, the town maintains the Gus Grissom Boyhood Home and the Grissom Memorial at the Spring Mill State Park, featuring artifacts from the space age.
Spring Mill State Park itself hearkens back to pioneer days from the early 1800s, with a retired mill and historical reenactors to teach visitors about the struggles of early pioneer life. Speaking of whispers, paranormal investigators consider Mitchell to be one of the most haunted towns in Indiana due to Whispers Estate. Built in 1894, today folks can book tours to see if they hear the whispers of the original occupants.
Rockville
Dubbed as one of the most welcoming towns in Indiana, Rockville hearkens back to a day when the best way to cross a stream was to go across a stylized covered bridge. In fact, Rockville is the county seat of Parke County, which is known as the Covered Bridge Capital of the World for having 31 of these rare structures still intact. Every October, the town celebrates this heritage with its Covered Bridge Festival, hosting tours, art vendors, and food.
However, one can easily go see these bridges at their own pace, with the closest one to town being the Billie Creek Bridge, a 62 foot structure built in 1895, which is today part of the Billie Creek Village, which has an eclectic mixture of historic structures brought in from throughout the state such as a general store, church, and cafe.
Corydon
Some of the most unassuming towns in Indiana played a crucial role in the state’s early history. Nowhere is this more present than in Corydon. In 1816, territorial representatives gathered here to sign the Indiana State Constitution beneath the Constitutional Elm, and they established Corydon as the first state capital. It would move 9 years later, but nine structures from this capital era are still here at Corydon Capitol State Historic Site, including the federal style office building and Governor Hendricks’ Headquarters.
Today, Corydon is also known for its forests and underground caverns, with trails winding through the O’Bannon Woods State Park and boat tours through underground streams in the Indiana Caverns.
Winona Lake
Winona Lake makes some of the best use of its lakefront out of any community in Indiana. It combines both access to nature and spiritual places. One can easily take a boat right through downtown in a stream and enter the lake, while children play by the splashpad and beach at the Limitless Park & Splash Pad.
Circling the lake is the Heritage Trail, named for its sculptures that display Winona Lake’s history and values, with statues representing values from the Biblical Beatitudes. Speaking of Biblical themes, Winona Lake was the home base for baseball player turned travelling preacher Billy Sunday, and the Billy Sunday Home Museum tells his story as a young boy to an evangelist. Lastly, Winona Lake has a lakeside boardwalk shopping outlet called the Village at Winona, featuring dozens of shops and cafes.
Nashville
Nashville is geologically unique in Indiana. Unlike most of the state, its ridges and cliffs were not sanded off by the end of the last Ice Age, thus preserving several high points within the Brown County State Park, also known as the Hills O’ Brown by locals. The highest point here is Weed Patch Hill at 1,058 feet in elevation. T
hese hills also hide tucked-away artistic places, such as the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, the home of 20th-century landscape artist who was inspired by the nature and wildlife of this part of Indiana, and the Story Inn. Located next to a ghost town, it humorously refers to itself as the World’s Most Inconvenient Inn. Downtown Nashville is also an artistic hot spot, containing the Brown County Art Gallery, which still showcases the work of landscape artists today.
