[[survival_guide:lafayette_attractions]]
 
Trace: • lafayette_attractions

Table of Contents

Points of Interest

The greater Lafayette area is home to many interesting places and organizations. You could spend an afternoon visiting a museum, attending a performance, or just lazing around one of the many parks in the area.

  • Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • International Center
  • Morton Community Center
  • Civic Theater and Monon Art Gallery
    • 5th and North Streets, Lafayette, 463-1669
    • The Civic Theater provides five productions each season with children's programs in the historic Monon Depot.
  • Clegg Botanical Gardens
    • 1782 North 400 East, Lafayette
    • Clegg Botanical Gardens features many interesting wild flowers, lush green trees, and rugged terrain for hiking.
  • Columbian Water Park & Zoo
    • Main Street (SR 38), Lafayette, 447-9351
    • Columbian Park has many attractions including a water park, a zoo, and the baseball field where the Lafayette Leopards, a minor league baseball team, play. Columbian Water Park is located a few miles south of downtown Lafayette on Main Street. The picnic and playground areas are open year round but the water park is only open during the summer months. The Columbian Park Zoo is home to llamas, cougars, snow leopards, flamingos, lemurs, eagles, and many other animals. Highlights of the zoo include Monkey Island, the summer home of the monkey troupe, the petting zoo, and the Kinkajous. The zoo has one of the few breeding Kinkajou colonies in existence.
  • Fort Ouiatenon Historic Park and Museum
    • South River Road, West Lafayette, 742-8411
    • Fort Ouiatenon Park is located on the banks of the Wabash River on South River Road four miles south of the State Street/River Road intersection. The park has a boat launch, fishing access, picnic shelters, and swimming. Fort Ouiatenon was the site of the first European settlement in Indiana. The current blockhouse was built in 1930 on the site where the original fort was thought to have been. Archaeologists later discovered in 1968 that the original fort was actually located a mile downstream. The park features a Blockhouse Trading Post and Museum and is also the the setting of Lafayette's yearly Feast of the Hunter's Moon, a recreation of an 18th Century French and Indian encampment on the banks of the Wabash River, which is held in October.
  • Fowler House
    • 909 South Street, Lafayette, 742-8411
    • An English Gothic house built in 1851 is now home to the Tippecanoe County Historical Museum.
  • Greater Lafayette Museum of Art
    • 101 S 9th Street, Lafayette, 742-1128
    • The Museum of Art is a contemporary art center housing permanent art collections and national traveling exhibitions.
  • Long Center for the Performing Arts
    • 111 N 6th Street, Lafayette, 742-6463
    • Located in the heart of downtown Lafayette, the theater is home to the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.
  • Prophet's Rock
    • Prophet's Rock Road, Battle Ground
    • Prophet's Rock, though small, is of historic value and is good for rock-climbing and picnicing. In addition, it provides a scenic overlook of the Wabash Valley. You can see the Tippecanoe Battlefield Monument from there. To find it, look for a stone marker on the left side of the road as you are driving out Prophet's Rock Road. See directions to Wolf Park below.
  • Riehle Plaza and the Pedestrian Bridge
    • Main Street Bridge and North 2nd Street, Lafayette
    • Riehle Plaza is home of the historic Big Four Railroad Depot and host to many fun activities and events. It is also home to Amtrak and CityBus services and facilities. The Main Street Pedestrian Bridge spans the Wabash River and joins Riehle Plaza and Tapawingo Park. The bridge used to be the main bridge spanning the two cities, and now it provides walkers and bicyclist a great way to cross between Lafayette and West Lafayette.
  • Tippecanoe Battlefield
    • Canal Road, 7 miles north of Lafayette off SR 43, 567-2147
    • This is the site of the defeat of Tecumseh and The Prophet by the General William Henry Harrison during the Battle of Tippecanoe. The site is a national historic landmark and a State memorial with a 112-acre park, museum, picnic area, and scenic trails. The Tippecanoe Battlefield is also home of the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering held in July. This regional festival attracts traditional, folk, and country musicians from across the United States.
  • Tippecanoe County Amphitheater
    • SR 43 North, Lafayette, 463-2211
    • This state-of-the-art amphitheater includes a main stage, side stages, a rain shelter, and more within it's 166 acres.
  • Tippecanoe County Courthouse
    • Courthouse Square, Lafayette, 423-9326
    • Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this courthouse is the architectural focal point of the center of Lafayette.
  • Wolf Park
    • Two miles north of Battle Ground, 567-2265
    • Wolf Park is a research wildlife park that is home to twenty wolves and a herd of bison, as well as foxes and coyotes. Visitors can observe the behavior of wolves up close as well as wolf-bison interaction. Howl Nights occur Saturdays at 7:30 PM year round and Fridays at 7:30 PM May through December. Wolf-Bison Demonstrations occur Sundays (weather permitting) at 1:00 PM May through November. Both demonstrations have admission fees. Visit Wolf Park's web site at http://www.wolfpark.org/ for additional info.
    • To get to Wolf Park, go north on North River Road. About 5 miles past the State Street/River Road intersection, you'll get to a right turn on Burnett Rd (if you get to I-65 you have gone too far), followed by a quick left turn onto Prophet's Rock Road. Take Prophet's Rock Road and continue to the town of Battle Ground. In Battle Ground, stay on Prophet's Rock Road until it ends, then turn left on Railroad Street. When you get to North Street, turn right and cross the tracks where North Street takes you into Main Street. Continue on Main to Jefferson and turn left on to Jefferson. One mile on Jefferson, out of town on a gravel road, is the entrance to Wolf Park.

Movies

There are a number of movie theaters in Lafayette, as well as the Wabash Landing 9 on the Levee by the river. A variety of groups sponsor movie series on campus, and there are a number of video rental stores around campus.

  • Von's Video
    • 317 W State Street, West Lafayette, 743-1974
    • The Von's series of stores is located in the village by Chauncey Hill and provides one of the most interesting shopping areas within walking distance of campus.
  • Video Update
    • 1251 Sagamore Parkway (WL), 15 Creasy Lane (Laf), 228 Teal Road (Laf), 220 Elmwood Avenue (Laf), 224 Teal Road (Laf)
    • A nation-wide chain of video stores.
  • Blockbuster Video
    • 311 Sagamore Parkway, Lafayette, 447-3335
    • A nation-wide chain of video stores.
  • Hollywood Video
    • 3540 State Rd., Lafayette, 448-2829
    • A nation-wide chain of video stores.
  • Wabash Landing 9
    • 300 E States St
    • (Note: the movie theater is on States St which is not State Road 26). The Wabash Landing 9 is located North of SR 26 on the Levee just this side of the river, behind Starbucks. Directions and movie listings for this theater, the Eastside 9, and the Lafayette 7 are available at http://www.wabashlanding9.com/.
  • Eastside 9 Theater
    • 300 Farabee Drive N, Lafayette, 447-3446
    • The Eastside 9 Theater is located off of SR 26 about a 1/4 mile past Sagamore Parkway (US 52) in Lafayette. Remember that SR 26 is State Street in West Lafayette. To get to the theater, go east on SR 26 from West Lafayette, through Lafayette, to Farabee Drive and turn left.
  • Lafayette 7
    • 3525 McCarthy Lane, Lafayette, 447-3446
  • PSUB Films
    • Fowler Hall, Stewart Center, Purdue University
    • The Purdue Student Union Board (PSUB) sponsors second run movies which are shown on the weekends in Fowler Hall at Stewart Center. Check the Exponent or Stewart Center display cases for show times. More information on the web at http://www.union.purdue.edu/HTML/PSUB/committees/Films.html
  • Cinema Now
    • Fowler Hall, Stewart Center, Purdue University
    • The Department of Convocations sponsors the Cinema Now series of international and independent films. Call 494-3933 for more information.

Music

A number of local bars have dance floors and a few even bring in live music on occasion. The Boiler Room across from Chauncey Hill Mall is one bar that has featured live music in the past. One thing to be aware of is that the bar scene around campus is in constant flux with the bars changing names, management, and decor. So don't be surprised if your favorite campus music spot suddenly becomes a restaurant or the location of the newest set of student apartments.

The Knickerbocker Saloon, the oldest bar in the Hoosier state, has jazz or blues bands playing live almost every weekend. Usually, bands from Indianapolis and Cincinnati come into town and perform on Fridays and Saturdays. If you like import beer, they also hold the largest collection of import beer in Lafayette. The Knickerbocker is located at 113 N 5th Street in downtown Lafayette.

Each year the Department of Convocations brings a wide variety of musical entertainment to Purdue. Past performances have included operas and Broadway musicals. Several big-name entertainers (pop, rock, and jazz) appear in concert each semester under the sponsorship of the Student Concert Committee and the Department of Convocations. Check out their website at (http://www.purdue.edu/convos/) or the box office in Stewart Center for information on upcoming events.

Some of the coffee shops near campus, notably Cafe Vienna in the Village, host live music from time to time.

 
survival_guide/lafayette_attractions.txt · Last modified: 2013/03/26 14:18 (external edit)
 
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