Day Trips from Purdue

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Whether you’ve got a day off of classes or are looking to kill some time over a holiday weekend, there are a wide variety of attractions within a day’s drive from Purdue. The majority of the trips listed below (in ascending distance) are most accessible by car and are all within two hours of campus.

Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette is the only option on this list without an associated transportation cost – either catch one of the CityBus routes with your student pass or enjoy the walk southeast from campus over the Wabash when the weather is nice. There are frequent events being held downtown, particularly in the summer and fall, such as night markets, festivals, and concerts. When the weather is colder or if you’re going on a weekday, staple attractions include escape rooms, axe throwing, and the performing arts center. If you have homework or studying you need to get done in addition to the day out, Lafayette is home to a variety of coffee shops as well as a cat cafe.



Turkey Run State Park – Marshall, Indiana

Turkey Run State Park is an hour drive from campus, comprises 2,382 acres of wooded areas and gorges, and an occupant of the National Register of Historic Places. There are eleven trails that feature over fourteen miles of streams, ladders through hollows, a suspension bridge over a creek, and sycamores, hemlock, and black walnut trees. You can see recent history in cabins, memorials, and a covered bridge built in the 1800s as well as rock and sediment layers in the ravines from the Carboniferous Period when the bedrock was formed to the canyons of today brought by erosion during the Pleistocene Epoch. If you visit, be sure to bring seven or nine dollars in cash for the entrance fee per vehicle (Indiana vs out of state license plates).




Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is just over an hour away from campus and the capital city with the state’s largest population and plenty to do. For children and children-at-heart, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the largest of its kind in the world, and Purdue is the official sponsor for the museum’s 100th birthday and partner presenter for the current centennial highlight exhibit. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is reopening April 2nd, 2025 after renovations and contains more than 300 race cars, passenger automobiles, motorcycles, pace cars, and more. You can also schedule a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself through the museum. If indoor and scenic beauty is more up your alley, Newfields merges art galleries and over a hundred acres of natural outdoor installations, gardens, and parks.

Indiana Dunes National Park – Porter, Indiana

Indiana Dunes National Park is an hour and a half drive north from campus to the shores of Lake Michigan. The park contains more than fifty miles of trails through the namesake dunes, forests, oak savannas, wetlands, and prairies. In the warmer months, you can enjoy a Midwestern day at the beach among the sand dunes with swimming, camping, fishing, and bike trails. Visit in the spring or fall for fewer crowds and the beauty of the changing seasons; see shelf ice from a safe distance during the winter; and enjoy gorgeous views of the night sky while stargazing any time of the year due to the park’s park sky designation and the vastness of Lake Michigan.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is a two hour drive from Purdue, and the Windy City has tons to offer any time of the year. See The Bean in Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, and passing boats, pedestrian crowds, and the city’s skyline from the Riverwalk. Chicago offers a rich variety of museums such as the Art Institute (home to over 300,000 pieces of art including Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte and Hopper’s Nighthawks) the Field Museum of Natural History (featuring SUE the T. rex and pieces of the Chelyabinsk meteor), and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere and in possession of more than 35,000 artifacts). If you’re a fan of animals, check out Lincoln Park Zoo or the Shedd Aquarium to get up-close views and learn about conservation efforts. Shopping and dining options are plentiful, especially along the Magnificent Mile, and you can immerse yourself in the heart of the city by wandering around downtown.




I hope this article was able to give you some new trip ideas or inspire you to revisit old favorites – take care and good luck on your travels!

Natalie Anderson, IE '24 

Recruitment Project Committee

 

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