Road-trip stops in Indiana

George Rogers Clark National Historical Park

Indiana Dunes National Park

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The 2.5-mile oval that's hosted the Indy 500 every year since 1911 (with WWII pauses). Kiss the Bricks tour lets you stand on the actual Yard of Bricks at the start/finish line. The Hall of Fame Museum has 75+ winning cars including the original 1911 Marmon Wasp. Race week (the two weeks before Memorial Day) is crowded but electric — otherwise it's a quiet 90-minute family stop right off I-65. Bus tour around the track is the unmissable part — even non-race-fans get the chills.

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Omni Severin Hotel

West Baden Springs Hotel

Fair Oaks Farms

A working dairy farm where your kids can watch a cow give birth on live camera, ride a bus through the barns, and see a pig adventure trail that's somehow a real thing. Fair Oaks is right off I-65 between Chicago and Indianapolis and it's the kind of stop where 'the kids will love it' actually turns out to be true. The ice cream at the end is made from the milk you just watched being collected. Full circle, people.

Hampton Inn Indianapolis South

If you left Chicago this morning, Indianapolis is where you stop for the night. You've done three hours, the kids are still relatively civilized, and pushing on to Louisville in the dark isn't worth the argument. The Hampton Inn on the south side puts you right on I-65 heading toward Kentucky in the morning. Pool, breakfast, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing you'll wake up a third of the way to Florida.

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

A theme park in a town called Santa Claus, Indiana — and it's consistently rated one of the friendliest parks in America. Free drinks, free sunscreen, free parking, free Wi-Fi. The waterpark has three of the top-rated water coasters in the world. Holiday World is about forty minutes off I-65 between Louisville and Nashville, and if your family can give it a day, you'll wonder why nobody told you about this place sooner. The Voyage wooden coaster is a top-ten ride anywhere.

Indianapolis Children's Museum

The largest children's museum in the world. Not the state, not the country — the world. Five floors of dinosaurs, space exhibits, a working carousel, and a hot wheels track that will make your kid forget Disney exists for approximately four hours. If you're driving through Indianapolis and you skip this, your children will find out when they're older and they will never forgive you. Budget half a day minimum.

Portillo's - Merrillville

Portillo's is Chicago's answer to fast food and the Merrillville location is right off I-65 heading south out of Chicago. The Italian beef — dipped, with hot giardiniera — is the sandwich that Chicagoans describe to out-of-towners with a level of passion usually reserved for their sports teams. The chocolate cake shake is exactly what it sounds like and your kids will worship you for ordering it. Last taste of Chicago before Indiana takes over.