Conner Prairie, Fishers, Indiana

The U.S. state of Indiana is commonly called the Crossroads of the United States of America.  How does the state get the name?  The three longest routes in the nation, U.S. Route 6 (known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway), U.S. Route 20, and U.S. Route 30 (known as the Lincoln Highway named for Abraham Lincoln), pass through the state along with interstate route 70, 80, and 90.  Being a crossroads state, it is not a state that many travelers put on their list of must visit states, but be advised that there are many great place to visit in this state.  It is commonly known for the sport of basketball with Larry Bird being from the town of French Lick.  It is also home to one of the biggest races in the world: the Indianapolis 500.  In the early years of Indiana, it was mostly prairie with no mountains in the state.  A way to experience life in Indiana is to make your way to Conner Prairie.

What is Conner Prairie?  It is a living history museum location in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers.  When you visit Conner Prairie, you will experience life in the early days of Indiana.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  It is great that they created a place where you could experience the early days of Indiana.  There is one problem.  This is not a railroad museum.  Therefore, you will not be visiting this museum.”

Why visit Conner Prairie?  You are right when you say that it is not a railroad museum, but that is not a reason for you not to visit.

Conner Prairie is a living history museum.  What is a living history museum?  It is a museum when many of the workers are dressed in period dress.  What is period dress?  It is when you dress in a particular period.  At Conner Prairie, it is mainly the nineteenth century.  As you enter, the very first thing you will notice is a hot air balloon.  Well, it is a hot air balloon that looks like a balloon from 1859, and you can take a ride in this balloon for an extra fee.  The museum grounds is divided into communities.  You have the 1816 Lenape Indian Camp displaying how the settlers lived with the local Indian tribes.  You have the 1836 Prairie Town where you can see how they lived in 1836 from the general store to the doctor to making pottery.

You have other areas in the museum, but then you come upon the 1863 Civil War Journey that tells the story of Indiana’s role in the American Civil War.  It is designed after the town of Dupont, Indiana.  It has a general store and a Union Army Camp that was attacked.  You have a schoolhouse and a farm.  Then you have the old train station.  Yes, you see the old train station from Dupont with a railroad line next to it.  Sadly, there is no train on the tracks, and the train station is mainly a snack shop and restrooms, but it tells the story of how the railroad played a role in Indiana’s participation in the war.

So, there you have it.  You have a reason to visit Conner Prairie.  Well, as you walk around, you will have many reasons to visit Conner Prairie other than seeing the train station.  You will need plenty of time to visit this place, and you will be doing a lot of walking.

Connie Prairie is located at 13400 Allisonville Road in Fishers, Indiana, a northern suburb of the state capital city of Indianapolis.  It is open most of the year.  Parking is on site, and, although it makes you feel like its in the 1800’s, it is completely wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information on admission, directions, events, on the history of Conner Prairie, and the museum’s future projects at https://www.connerprairie.org/.

As you think about the state of Indiana and basketball and the Indianapolis 500, think about Conner Prairie.  You will be glad that you did.