Indiana

As of the time I headed back to Texas wrapping up my 2023 Mid-Atlantic and New England states road trip, there were two capitols I still had not visited, and both were in states I drive through with some frequency.

One of them was the Indiana Statehouse, located in downtown Indianapolis, IN. For those not familiar with Indiana, this state is largely cornfields, with Indianapolis serving as the big-city respite in the middle. Learn more about the Indiana Statehouse history or plan your visit.

I left earlier that morning from Akron, OH with the goal of packing a lot into this day’s drive. Since Indianapolis was not much of a deviation from my normal drive home through Kentucky, I figured this would be a good time to pay the Indiana Statehouse a visit before achieving my goals of eating my annual Kentucky Hot Brown in Louisville, KY and arriving at my usual hotel in downtown Nashville, TN by nightfall.

For such a large city, getting around Indianapolis to the capitol wasn’t that difficult for me. I had no problem finding parking at a meter on Washington Street—though I’m sure that’s different during session.

The Indiana Statehouse is a large building. It was designed to house all three branches of government, which it still does to this day. I admire the efficiency. Allow some time to walk through it.

The Indiana General Assembly meets here; both the House of Representatives and Senate chambers were closed to the public. Fortunately, there are windows at the front of each chamber (an unusual feature) which provide a glimpse so I was able to grab photos.

The Indiana Supreme Court chambers are in the north wing of the Statehouse and the Indiana Governor’s office is on the second floor.

This building is grand in size and design with a unique octagonal dome interior. They were preparing for an event in the rotunda that afternoon, so this is why you see chairs lined up in my gallery photos below.

For my postcard and souvenirs, I went to the Nook Gift Shop at the Indiana State Library around the corner on Ohio Street.

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