Visit Mount Auburn Wayne Indiana and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Discover the small village of Mount Auburn in Indiana! Enjoy the beautiful landscape and the historic cemetery and tomb museum at Highland Lake Park. A must for lovers of nature and history!
Honestly, if you think Indiana is just corn fields and endless highways, you haven't seen Mount Auburn yet. This tiny village, founded in 1836 as “Auburn” and later renamed to honor the nearby Mount‐Auburn Church, is located in the heart of Jackson Township, Wayne County. The story here is not exactly Hollywood-worthy, but that's exactly what makes the charm: a few old wooden houses, a cemetery from the founding period and the steady noise of the nearby White River, which reminds you that life here is slower.
I don't understand the hype about the “small cities with heart”, but the honest hospitality of the locals is really great. When you arrive by car – and this is the most convenient option because the next train hasn't stopped for decades – you can roll over the State Road 1 and find yourself in a world where the word “Rushhour” is just a myth. And yes, the word “Mount Auburn Sights” appears here more often because I want to show you not only the street, but the whole feeling of life that pulsates between the fields.
A short detour to the old municipal house, which still serves as a meeting point for bingo nights, gives you the feeling of being part of a story that has not yet been completed. And while you're sitting there, you can ask yourself if you shouldn't stay here instead of rushing back to the hectic city.
I have to admit that I was never a real tourist type – but if I were in Mount Auburn land, then there’s a place I’m always stuck in because it’s just too good to overlook it: the old town hall, which today serves as a mini-museum of city history. The building is a bright red relic from the 1910s, which somehow still exudes the scent of freshly mowed grass and old wood. I once saw an exhibition about the first railroads that went past here, and I swear, that was the only time I really enjoyed the sight of rusty rails. Parking is usually a Klacks – a small parking lot behind the town hall is enough, as long as you don't show up with the rest of the city on Saturday night, then this becomes a real crowd.
A short walk further (I mean, you can jog, if you want to feel athletic) leads you to Mount Auburn Community Park. This is not some field with a few benches, but a real heart for families, dog owners and everyone who likes to catch some fresh air. There’s a playground that looks like he survived a 90-year-old children’s toy store, and a baseball field that is racked by local teams every weekend. I once made a picnic with my neighbor, and while we complained about the weather, an older gentleman came by and told us that he hit his first home rounds here – no joke, he was 78 and still proud as Oskar.
If you have enough of lawns and swings, look at them Mount Auburn Historic District on. This is what you get when you have a little time travel appetit, but don't want expensive tickets. The street is lined by well-preserved half-timbered houses, which look like they had just entered a film of 1905. I took a walk there while thinking why people are still posting Instagram photos of rusted lanterns – until I realized that the light just tastes better here. The area is walking well to explore, and parking is usually not a problem because the houses are on narrow alleys that leave hardly any space for cars.
A bit off the center, but still a real secret tip, is the Burris Creek Trail. The path stretches through fields and small forests, and you can almost feel that you are in real Indiana. I have unpacked my old mountain bike equipment there and I am one piece straightened until suddenly I was overtaken by a group of ducks who stared at me with a look like they stole my tourist map. The trail is freely accessible and you don’t need a ticket – just a bit of stamina if you want to experience not only the view, but also the one or other steep slope.
Another little jewel I mention is the Mount Auburn Library, part of the Boone County Public Library. This is not only a place to borrow books (although this is of course a reason), but a real meeting place for local lectures, readings and occasional karaoke evenings, which you should not miss if you want to test your voice. I took part in a workshop where an older gentleman from the neighborhood explained how to make marmelade from local apples – and that was actually better than any food festival station I have ever visited. Parking is a bit tricky here, because the building is located in the middle of the village, but a few free places you can always find when you look around the corner.
And because I don't want to neglect everything, here is a short hint for those who really want to see everything: Mount Auburn Attractions can be explored on foot or by bike. The city is small enough that you will come from one end to another in an hour, but big enough that you will always discover something new between the individual points – be it an old sign that proclaims “Welcome to Mount Auburn”, or a small store that sells handmade soaps. I bought a piece of soap there that smelled like fresh hay, and that was the only time that I associate the word “heu” with a smile.
Finally, a personal tip: if you're next in Mount Auburn, just take your time to put yourself in a café (there's a nice little corner café on the main street) and watch people. Most of them are friendly, a bit smeared and always have a story that you will not find in the guide. And when you go home sometime, you'll realize that you didn't just catch a few sights, but you took a little bit of Indiana in your heart.
The first stop I never miss is Brookville Lake – a huge piece of water that lays like a mirror over the gentle hills of Jackson Township. I once tried to paddle over the “waves” with an old inflatable boat, just to see that the water smells more like a quiet bathing lake than after the wild adventure that the brochures promise. Parking is usually a children's play as long as you don't come on Saturday night, then the small parking lot turns into a battlefield of crowded picnic blankets and loudly strong families. The fishing area at the Westende is a real secret tip; the trouts bite better than most people in the town of Smalltalk.
A short detour to the south leads you to Versailles State Park, where the trees are so dense that you feel like walking in an old movie. I spent an hour climbing the “Himmelspfad” at the top, only to see that the panorama is almost completely covered by the trees – a small comfort is the small but fine visitor centre, which offers surprisingly well-sorted snacks. Entrance is free, and parking is almost always easy thanks to the wide asphalted area, even if the weather suddenly changes and you suddenly get in the rain.
If you have enough of nature, it is worth a trip to Richmond, where the historic city centre, with its brick buildings and the old courthouse, is almost a living museum. I drank a cappuccino in a small café next to the Richmond Art Museum, while I enjoyed the view of the restored façades – a picture that you only know from postcards. A walk through Main Street is especially recommended in the early evening when the lights of the old lanterns throw a warm light on the cobblestones and the city suddenly looks less touristic, more authentic.
Only a few blocks away is the Wayne County Historical Museum, a place I visit again and again because the exhibitions show more than just dusty artefacts. Last year I have a special exhibition on the 19th railway lines. The century, which surprisingly well explains why the region is still so strongly influenced by agricultural transport routes. Parking is possible right in front of the museum, and the staff is so friendly that they give a few insider tips for the best local food trucks – a real plus when you are hungry after a museum visit.
A little further west, almost on the border to Ohio, lies Whitewater Memorial State Park. There are not only hiking trails, but also a small lake, which invites you to canoeing. I remember a rainy afternoon when I rented an old canoe with a friend and we almost missed the whole lake, because the weather suddenly slipped around – fortunately there is a covered boat house that offers protection, and parking is never a problem thanks to the spacious complex.
Another, often overlooked jewel is the old Wabash & Erie Canal Lock at Brookville. The place is a forgotten story that can only be reached on foot, because parking there is more of a field to share with a tractor. I once made a picnic there while I heard the sound of the water flowing through the old sluices – a soothing sound that can almost be forgotten that you are in the middle of Indiana.
Whether you’re looking for the tranquil promenades of Brookville Lake, the dense forests of Versailles State Park, the historic flair of Richmond, the educational Wayne County Historical Museum, the water adventures at Whitewater Memorial State Park or the nostalgic flair of Wabash & Erie Canal Locks – the surroundings of Mount Auburn offer more than enough material for curious travelers. Only disadvantage is perhaps that most of these places do not lie directly in the place, but that is what makes the discovery even more satisfying. It can be said that Mount Auburn Attractions are a mix of nature, history and local authenticity that makes everyone who wants to wander a bit off the beaten paths happy.
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