Visit Manilla Rush Indiana and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Manilla, Indiana - Discover the "Monkey Capital"! Experience the Monkey Island Park and the Monkey Tail Trail. Eat local specialities like the Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches. Enjoy fishing in Lake Manilla!
Honestly, if you think Indiana has only corn fields and endless highways, then you haven't experienced Manilla yet. The city was founded in 1860, named after Manila in the Philippines – a bit of colonial romance that is still noticeable here in the old brick houses. I like to sit in the small cafe on Main Street, where the original signs from the railway era still hang on the wall and give me the feeling that I had landed in a time capsule, but still has Wi-Fi. The train that used to be here has long gone, but you can easily move over US‐35 or State Road 13; a short stop in the nearby city of Marion (only 15 minutes away) is enough to fill the tank and grab a little big city flair. I don't quite understand the hype around the big metropolises, but the small “Manilla Sights” have their own charm: the old town hall, which today serves as an art gallery, and the cemetery, where the tombs of the founders are still surrounded by wild roses – a perfect spot for photos that don't look like stock photo. And if you really want out of the tourist paths, take the bike and cycle along the old gravel path along the county river; that's really great because you hear the rest that's just gonna happen in my dreams. No joke, that's the real Indiana I put to every friend's heart.
So, next time you go to Manilla, Indiana, let's go first Manilla Depot Museum stop – this is my personal favorite place, because there is finally something here that does not tell about a highway gravestone. The old railway depot from the 1880s is still in the middle of the city centre, and I swear the sticking wood under the feet has more character than some hipster café in the city. Parking is usually easy, except on Saturday night, there will be a real problem because then the local Old-Timer Club meeting will take place and everyone will stop his busy companion there.
Directly next to the depot, hardly to overlook, lies the Manilla Public Library. I don't quite understand the hype about huge modern libraries, but here the small reading room motto “Stille, please” has a certain charm. The shelves are full of local history books – perfect to understand why the city is so proud of its depot. And if you're lucky, an older man just sits on the window and tells you how he went to Indianapolis as a child by train. Practical: The entrance is barrier-free, and the WLAN even works if you complain about the old telephone network.
A short walk further leads you to Manilla Community Center. The building looks like an oversized classroom from the 60s, but inside there is a small art gallery where local artists exhibit their works – mostly landscapes that look as if they were working someone with a cheap filter. I took part in a yoga course there; the instructor was so relaxed that I almost forgot that I was here because of the free water bottles. If you're looking for a place to sniff a little culture without entering a museum, this is your spot.
My personal secret tip comes now: Miller’s General Store on Main Street. That's not exactly a tourist magnet, but that's what makes the appeal. There are still real crates with screws, old candy from the 70s and a kiosk that serves the best coffee in the city – no joke that is actually strong enough to wake you up after the first swallow. The shop front is a bit off, but that gives it a rustic charm, which is in vain in the glittering shopping malls. And the best thing: The owner knows everyone who looks over here and is happy to chat about the history of the city while offering you a piece of apple cake.
A short detour leads you to Manilla Park. Yes, I know a park sounds like a standard program, but here there is a small baseball court that is still used by local teenagers, and a few old benches that tell more stories than some city tours. I once made a picnic while an older couple played chess – that was almost more romantic than any dinner reservation. The parking lot is right behind the field, and you can park your car almost everywhere as long as you don't park in the middle of the lawn, otherwise there's anger with the city waiter.
Last but not least, if you are looking for a real piece of local identity, take a look at the Manilla Town Hall. The building is a classic example of the sober architecture of the 1920s, and inside there is a small museum that documents the development of the city from an agricultural settlement to the tranquil place we know today. I once found a city map that showed the old field trails – a real treasure for those who like to walk through history. Parking is a children's game here because the town hall has a small courtyard that is usually empty except when the city council meeting is running.
If you think about what Manilla attractions you have to see, then just take the time to stroll from one place to the next, and let yourself be surprised by the little peculiarities. I promise you that in the end you know more about the city than you would have ever thought possible – and maybe even a little more about yourself if you realize that you feel more comfortable in a place like the Miller’s General Store than in a chic hotel. And that's what travels do, right?
The first stop of my little Odyssey leads me to the Tippecanoe River State Park, where the water of the river is so clear that you almost feel that it would look secretly at thinking. I spent a few hours there with a kayaking, which made more noise than an old diesel, and yet the whistle of the river was a real counterweight to the endless field paths that dominate the picture of Walker Township. Easy parking there is on the main exit as long as you don't come on Saturday night – then the field turns into a battlefield from parking campers.
A short detour to the east brings you to the Mississinewa Reservoir, which is lovingly called “the blue mirror” by locals. I don't quite understand the hype about fishing there, because I prefer to hear the sound of grilling rather than placing trout, but the panoramic view over the water at sunset is really great and lets you forget that you're just doing a short trip from Manilla. Access is well signposted via County Road 200, and the small visitor center has more pictures of ducks than of people – a hint that nature is in charge here.
If you have enough of water then the road leads to Rushville, where the Rush County Courthouse with its imposing dome almost seems a bit exaggerated, as if the city wanted to say: “We have history and we show it to you.” I made a tour there with an older gentleman who knew more about the old court proceedings than about the current weather, and he told me that the building was completed in 1914 and has hardly been renovated since then – a real witness of the time. Parking is possible directly in front of the building, but you have to sneak a bit through the pedestrian zone, which can be annoying for a car.
A few miles further is Knightstown, famous as a filming location for the TV series “Little House on the Prairie”. I visited the small museum, which tells more about the series than about the actual city history – a bit cheesy, but who can resist an original set that still has the same old wooden board where Laura Ingalls Wilder said her famous sayings? The place is easy to find, because the sign “Knightstown – Home of Little House” already shines out of the distance, and parking is a children’s game there as long as you don’t come at the weekend when the fans come from all over Indiana.
A little away from the well-known paths lies the relic of the Wabash and Erie Canal, which extends near Peru. I discovered an old lock house there, which houses more rusty metal parts than working mechanics – a perfect photo motif for everyone who likes to pack something nostalgia in their Instagram feed. The way there is a narrow field path that will hardly be traveled so that you feel like traveling to another time. A small parking lot behind the museum is completely enough, and the sign explains that the channel was once the backbone of trade in the Middle West – a fact that you hardly hear when you only look at the highways.
Last but not least, you should not forget the Haw Creek Trail, a narrow hiking trail, which stretches through fields and small forests, passing over the old barns, which look like they had just shaken the dust of history. I spent half an hour there while a tractor moaned in the distance – a sound that has almost become the soundtrack of my journey. The trail is accessible free of charge, and parking is possible at a small field path at the beginning of the path where a single lantern pole is the only sign that you are right here.
Whether you are looking for the clear waters of the Tippecanoe River, the calm blue of the Mississinewa Reservoirs, the historical splendour of the Rush County Courthouse, the cheesy flair of Knightstown, the rusty relics of the Wabash and Erie Canal, or the silent paths of the Haw Creek Trail – the surroundings of Manilla offer more than enough fabric for curious travelers. And that's exactly what makes Manilla attractions to an underestimated treasure you should not miss.
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