Fortville Things to Do: Ride the Rails
Fortville, Indiana is a small town located a short drive to the northeast of Indiana state capital Indianapolis. Officially incorporated in 1865, the town has been around for over 150 years, meaning that there’s a lot of history going on in downtown Fortville and beyond. Fortville isn’t exactly a tourist destination for crazy nightlife, loud music, or breath taking performance art; it’s just a good place to settle down, raise some children, and take it easy. However, that doesn’t mean that there are no things to do in Fortville. Residents and visitors alike can take in the scenic beauty of the Indiana countryside and see some cool transportation themed displays at Fortville’s popular By Air, By Rail Festival.
Fortville has been a Tree City USA for the past four years for a reason. This small city has two Fortville parks to its name: Landmark Park and Memorial Park. Landmark Park is at Staat Street and Veteran’s Court, within a short distance of downtown Fortville. This park features a monument to United States veterans, not unlike the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis, a beautiful gazebo, a winding network of walking paths, and some grassy open spaces where Fortville children can play sports. Memorial Park is bigger than Landmark Park and has plenty of Fortville things to do for every type of person. Featuring a skate park, several shelter houses, tennis courts, basketball courts, a sledding hill, and more, Memorial Park is perfect for whatever outdoor activity you have planned.
One of the coolest things to do in Fortville is attend the By Air, By Rail Festival that takes place in the small town every summer. This unique Fortville event is a celebration of all things transportation, featuring LEGO models, accurate model trains, powered parachutes, model airplanes, hot air balloons, and more is the biggest spectacle in this area. Everybody in the region comes out to participate in the By Air, By Rail Festival. Fortville businesses set up booths all through the festival area, members of the Fortville art scene are out and painting, live Indianapolis music can be heard all throughout the day, and Fortville children will be delighted to take part in the virtual reality tours, flight simulators, virtual Indiana Transportation Museum exhibit, and much more. The By Air, By Rail Festival can’t be compared to any Indianapolis festival; you have to see it for yourself.
For a quieter evening on the town, Fortville is also home to a number of locally owned and operated restaurants that allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy some good food. For such a small town, Fortville restaurants cover a surprising range of styles and cuisines. There’s the traditional diner at Robbie’s or the Broadway Diner, you can get some authentic lasagna or spaghetti at Dadio’s Italian Cafe, you can chill out with a beer and some wings at Hambonz Pub, or you can get some Kung Pao chicken at Chinese Restaurant, the creatively named Fortville restaurant on Main Street. An evening at a downtown restaurant is a favorite thing to do in Fortville.
And, of course, if you get tired of all the standard Fortville things to do, there’s always the hustle and bustle of downtown Indianapolis just about fifteen minutes away by car. There are plenty of things to do in Indianapolis, from the never ending party of Indianapolis nightlife to the drama and pageantry of Indianapolis performing arts. Hit up one of the six Indianapolis cultural districts to catch some live Indianapolis bands, grab a gourmet bite to eat at one of the upper class Indianapolis restaurants, or catch an Indianapolis sports game on one of the big screens at an Indianapolis bar: the Circle City is an easy jaunt away for residents of Fortville.
Fortville may be small, but it’s an excellent destination for relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the natural world. The two Fortville parks, Memorial Park and Landmark Park, provide a bevy of outdoor things to do in Fortville; visitors also come to town for the huge By Air, By Rail Festival every year in July, and Fortville restaurants are fantastic for a casual night out on the town. There are plenty of things to do in Fortville; you just have to look.
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