Visit East Germantown Wayne Indiana and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Discover the historical and cultural diversity of East Germantown, Indiana:* Visit the old courthouse from 1876* Walk through the "Germantown Commons" park with its numerous playgrounds and hiking trails* Enjoy regional specialties in one of the traditional German restaurants* Discover the "Germantown Heritage Museum" to learn more about East Germantown's history and culture.
Honestly, if you're looking for "East Germantown Sights", you're not expecting the usual tourist-kitsch program, but a piece of Indiana history hidden between corn fields and old barns. Founded in 1830 by German immigrants looking for a piece of home, the village has never lost its name – and this is kind of charming, because today there is hardly anyone with a German accent when it passes Main Street.
I usually drive by car over State Road 1, because the bus here is more a myth, and that's okay – the ride through the gentle hills of Jackson Township is almost a taste of what's coming. As soon as you pass the little sign with “East Germantown”, you can feel the slow ticking of a watch that has been on since 19. Century ticks. The old church of 1854, which I visit again and again, is not only a building, but a silent witness of weddings, funerals and the occasional village festival, which is more of a sense of duty than of fun.
A short detour to the nearby Wayne County Courthouse lets you see the official side of history – an impressive brick building that reveals more about the management of the county than any brochure. And yes, I don't quite understand the hype about the annual harvest fair, but the cracking sound of the corn flask you hear there is really great and gives you the feeling of being part of something bigger. So if you're looking for an authentic Indiana experience, the East Germantown sights are just the right thing – a mix of history, rustic landscape and a pinch of local irony that won't disappoint you.
So, next time you drive through the rather inconspicuous heart of Jackson Township, let's first St. Mary’s Catholic Church stop – this is East Germantown’s unofficial “Top Landmark” for me. The brick building from the 1860s has more charm than some hip district bar, and the crumbling wooden benches feel like they whisper stories from the founding period. I once experienced a Sunday chic-chick concert where the organ was more cracked than my old diesel truck, but that was somehow part of the experience.
A short walk down the main road leads you to East Germantown Cemetery. Yes, a cemetery, but not some – the tombstones here are like an open air museum for local genealogy fans. I discovered my great-grand-cousin there, whose name I could only decipher after a few hours with a dusty family book in my hand. Parking is usually easy, except on Saturday night, there will be a real problem because then the whole family comes from the area to clean the graves.
Go on old one-room school house, which today serves as a community center. The crunching door I open every time sounds almost like a loud “welcome back in the past!” Every first Friday of the month there is a “coffee-and-kitchen-slatch” where the older ladies talk about the “good old times” while the younger try to find the WLAN signal. I once tried a homemade apple cake that was better than any gourmet cake I've ever eaten in Indianapolis – no joke.
If you prefer something nature, look at the Little Blue River the one who sneaks just behind the village. The access point on the Riverside-Road is somewhat devastated, but that makes the charm. I caught a couple of trouts there in the late summer, which were so small that I almost kept them in kindergarten. The river is not just a hotspot for anglers, but the quiet plough is perfect to calm the soul while thinking about the next destination.
Another, slightly overlooked treasure is the Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Department Museum. Yes, a museum in a fire station – that sounds like a joke, but the exhibitions with old hose reels and the first engine fire truck from the 1920s are real. I found an old firefighter helmet there, which was almost as big as my head, and that reminded me that everyone here can still be a little “held”.
And because I don't want to neglect everything, I still have to East Germantown mentioning that sounds like a forgotten band from Asphalt through the rural Indiana. The street is lined with old barns who have more stories to tell than some museums. I once saw a tractor that was so old that he was probably still driven by the original settlers – a real eye-catcher for Instagram if you want that.
If you're wondering what's going on here, just look at the East Germantown Attractions an – this is the keyword that leads you to all that I have listed here. And yes, there is no huge amusement park, but there are honest, slightly slanted experiences that you do not find in every guide.
At the end of the day, when you sit on the veranda of your Airbnb with a cool beer and think about the next destination, you will notice that East Germantown is small but has a lot of character – and this is the true travel highlight for me.
The first stop of my little Odyssey was the imposing brick building Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond – a place where the history of Indiana almost whispers too loud that you can hardly hear it. I found an old diary there that belonged to a peasant from the 1880s; that was a real lucky handle because otherwise I would only expect the usual exhibits with dusty photos and dusty uniforms. Parking is usually a Klacks as long as you don't come on Saturday night, then the small parking lot turns into a battlefield of vans and campers.
A short detour to Whitewater River then brought me into the damp reality of the Middle West. For the first time, I tried to paddle over the speeds with a self-built inflatable – an undertaking that I still call today as a “mutual failure”. The shores are lined by local enthusiasts who have more patience than a politician in the election campaign, and the water is clear enough to see the underwater plants if you are not just surprised by a beaver.
The Indian Rail Trail, more precisely, the piece that stretches through the fields of Jackson Township is a paradise for cyclists who like to get away from the modern train. I discovered an old railway station building that now serves as a café – the “Depot Café” where the coffee is strong enough to get a bear out of winter sleep. The trail is well developed, but woe, you drive in rain; then the grass becomes a muddy mud desert, and you feel like you're walking through a moor.
A little further south lies Richmond Raceway, a small but fiery NASCAR temple that attracts a few thousand adrenaline junkies every year. I was there for the first time when a local friend persuaded me to buy a ticket – no joke, the noise of the engines is so loud that you hear your own heart beat in your head. The seats are not exactly luxurious, but the price-performance ratio is unbeatable as long as you do not try to order a gourmet meal; this is more of a fast food event.
The Wayne County Courthouse in downtown Richmond is an architectural relic that reads like a stone poem from the time of reconstruction. I made a tour there with a very enthusiastic historian who seemed to tell more about the roof tiles than about the actual court proceedings. The building is freely accessible, and parking right in front of the town hall is a bit like a gambling – sometimes there are free places, sometimes you have to take a short walk through the cobblestone streets.
Another highlight I didn't want to leave was that Richmond Art Museum. The collection is small, but hand-picked, and I discovered a painting that was supposed to come from a local artist from the 1920s. The museum is free of charge what I consider as a little miracle, because art is usually an expensive pastime. The number of visitors can be overlooked, so you almost feel like welcoming the artwork personally.
When you explore the surroundings of East Germantown, you can quickly see that the region has more to offer than just fields and grain. From museums to rivers to race tracks – each station has its own charm and a few peculiarities that make travelling here an easy cynical pleasure. And that's exactly what makes East Germantown Attractions to a worthwhile destination for those looking for a bit of history, nature and a bit of adrenaline in a package.
Find more vacation destinations near East Germantown Wayne Indiana using our map.
Villages, towns, districts, places and Vacation destinations you should visit.
©copyright by POI-Travel.de
info@poi-travel.de
