Spring into Fun in Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne now has more than 150 pieces of public art on their Public Art Trail. The murals, sculptures, and multi-purpose pieces of art help share the community’s history, along with their hopes and dreams for the future. Learn about the artists and remember to take a selfie with your favorite pieces and use #PublicArtFW. Check in at each art piece’s designated location to redeem prizes!

Of course, a springtime favorite sporting event is a TinCaps baseball game. It’s the perfect choice for fun family entertainment from April through September. Parkview Field is a family destination in downtown Fort Wayne, and with tickets starting at just $7, TinCaps games are fun and affordable.

Built on three rivers, Fort Wayne offers a unique connectivity between its thriving city and outdoor recreation. Via a connected trail network, you can enjoy destinations like the Old Fort, Headwaters Park, and outdoor recreation on eight miles of riverfront in the city center where you can kayak, canoe, paddle board, or take a boat ride. There’s also Promenade Park, a oneof-a-kind park that features a kids’ canal, permanent ping pong, corn hole games, a tree canopy trail, porch swings, river access, and more.

Once a hub for business, today The Landing has a new purpose as a gathering spot for friends; a gallery for public art; and a home for festivities including winter festivals, performances, block parties, and more. Within this walkable block, you can dine around the world at 15 locally-owned restaurants. Foodies flock to The Landing for the flavors of Mercado’s Cali-Mex, Tolon’s farmfresh favorites, Nawa’s Asian fare and creative cocktails, and more.

Within easy walking to The Landing and Promenade Park is The Bradley, a boutique hotel designed by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, co-founder of Vera Bradley. From the signature scent in the lobby, to the various Fort Wayne touches, The Bradley emulates the unique design style that is reminiscent of the Vera Bradley you know through pattern play and bright colors.

For more information go to visitfortwayne.com

story by GLENDA WINDERS

Michigan might get the credit for building the most automobiles in the United States, but Indiana comes in third, just behind Ohio. At one point some 40 Hoosier cities were home to plants that manufactured 36 brands, such as Cole, Duesenberg, Marmon and Stutz. The state’s rich automotive history lives on in museums and monuments throughout Indiana, as well as in factories that continue to produce some of today’s most popular brands.

In fact, it was in Indiana that Elwood Haynes invented the first commercially successful gasolinepowered automobile in the United States. After conceiving of the ideas of what he called a “horseless carriage” while he lived in Portland, he moved to Kokomo, completed the blueprints and hired machinist brothers Elmer and Edgar Apperson to build it. On July 4, 1894, he took his first ride in an automobile that had come to be called “The Pioneer.” Today his story comes to life at Kokomo’s Elwood Haynes Museum, which is located in the home where he lived and where some of his automobiles are on display.

It’s extremely fitting that the National Auto and Truck Museum is located in the original production facility of the Auburn Automobile Co. in DeKalb County. One of the buildings in the complex is a National Historic Landmark, and the museum as a whole covers some 130 years of automobile history. Look for galleries that display trucks, family cars, pedal cars, toy cars and more. Among the museum’s proudest accomplishments, however, is the NATMUS Youth Education Program, an immersive experience for teenagers who are paired with a mentor who will lead them in car-restoration projects.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum houses one of the world’s premier collections of automotive and motor racing vehicles and artifacts. PHOTO: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

“These young people learn such basics as learning to use proper hand and shaping tools, welding skills, maintenance, driving a manual transmission and the privilege of being the first to drive the vehicles they have a hand in restoring,” said Dave Yarde, NATMUS executive director. “We are training our next generation to take care of the cars we love so much.”

Cass County played a pivotal role in the automobile industry. Logansport produced two models, the Bendix and the ReVere, and while the Bendix only made a few vehicles, the Revere operated here from 1917-1926 making more than 2600 automobiles. In fact, at the Cass County Historical Society, you’ll find one of the original ReVere touring cars.

Another significant spot to explore automotive history is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, located right inside the legendary 2.5-mile track. A stroll through the museum leads to vintage cars, exhibits about winning drivers and the Borg-Warner Trophy. Then take the “Kiss the Bricks” tour that includes a ride around the track and a stop at a piece of the original “brickyard” track.

Nearby Carmel has commissioned four new automobile-themed roundabout sculptures along 96th Street. Designed by Arlon Bayliss, the pieces are artistic interpretations of classic cars designed and built in Indiana during the first half of the 20th century, when Indiana was home to some 100 auto manufacturers. Each different from the others, they celebrate the Marmon, Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg, Stutz and Studebaker.

And speaking of Studebaker, founded in 1901 and the largest producer in the state, a tour of the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend might be in order. In addition to a collection of vehicles donated by the Studebaker Corp. to the city, visitors can see the largest exhibit of presidential carriages in the world and defense vehicles created by the company up until the Vietnam War.

“The museum preserves the history of Studebakers, along with the many industries that fostered the growth of South Bend,” said Pat Billey, former president of the board of trustees. “Additionally, the museum is supportive of education, preservation and innovation with displays that include the first 200 MPH Avanti and the carriage that delivered Abraham Lincoln to the Ford Theater the night he was assassinated.”

Cars and trucks aren’t the only vehicles manufactured in Indiana, either. The RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum displays every kind of recreational vehicle made by Airstream, Winnebago and others that date back to Mae West’s Chevrolet Housecar, a Gilkie Tent Trailer and

Kokomo’s Elwood Haynes Museum celebrates the inventor of first commercially successful gas-powered automobile. PHOTO: Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau

The City of Carmel’s homage to Indiana’s automotive history will include four new sculptures, including the Stutz “Ra” Art Deco hood ornament, which will stand 16 feet tall in the roundabout at 96th and Gray Road. PHOTO: City of Carmel

Visitors to the Toyota plant in Princeton can take a tour where they’ll learn about the history of Toyota and southwest Indiana’s industrial heritage. PHOTO: Toyota Motor North America The Studebaker National Museum in South Bend showcases the local and global influence of the Studebaker Corporation. PHOTO: Studebaker National Museum

a Tennessee Traveler Motorhome, all from the 1930s. Notice how technological advances have changed the industry as you walk along the “Road Back Into Time,” and see today’s newest offerings in the “Go RVing” exhibit. A new space, scheduled

to be open in August, will feature manufactured homes.

While there is rich automotive history in the state, the present and future of auto manufacturing is here, too. At the Toyota plant in Princeton take an hourlong tram ride behind the scenes to see how their cars are made. When you’re finished, visit the Experience Center, where you’ll see how the iconic Toyota Production System was created along with historical displays and interactive exhibits. Those who have been say the suspended Toyota Tundra mustn’t be missed.

Subaru of Indiana in Lafayette offers a similar tour where you’ll start by watching as steel is pressed into the shape of the vehicle then go on to see robots weld the panels together, real people assemble the 2,000 necessary parts and finally the finished product as it rolls off the line.

NATMUS Youth Education Program is an immersive experience for teenagers who are paired with a mentor who will lead them in car-restoration projects. PHOTO: DeKalb County Visitors Bureau