Indianapolis, colloquially known as Indy, was founded in 1821 as a planned city for the new seat of Indiana's state government. It is home to the largest collection of monuments dedicated to veterans and war casualties in the U.S. outside of Washington, D.C.

A Christmas Story (1983) is set in Hammond, Indiana, the hometown of Jean Shepherd, who wrote the book on which it was based. There are several references to the town and surrounding areas, but Hoosiers have to travel east to Cleveland, Ohio to visit Ralphie's iconic home, which is now a museum.

Vincennes was founded in 1732 by French fur traders. It is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in Indiana and one of the oldest settlements west of the Appalachians.

In 1856, the new town of Santa Fe, Indiana tried to establish a post office, but their application was denied due to the fact that there was already a Santa Fe, Indiana with an established post office. Several town meetings were held, during which the town name was changed to Santa Claus. Because of this popular name, the post office receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world each year. A group of volunteers known as Santa's Elves make sure that each child receives a reply from Santa Claus himself.

In August 1816, Jonathan Jennings was elected to serve as the first governor of Indiana at age 32. He pressed for the construction of roads and schools, and negotiated the Treaty of St. Mary's to open up central Indiana to American settlement. His opponents attacked his participation in the treaty negotiations as unconstitutional and brought impeachment proceedings against him, a measure that was narrowly defeated by a vote of 15 to 13 after a month-long investigation and the resignation of the lieutenant governor.

The International Circus Hall of Fame is located in Peru, Indiana, which was formerly the winter headquarters for several famous circuses, including Ringling Brothers, Hagenbeck-Wallace, and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

Although its shoreline with Lake Michigan is only 45 miles long, Indiana is still considered a Great Lakes State.

In the years before the civil war, Fountain City was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. The Levi Coffin House, home of Quaker abolitionist Levi Coffin and his wife Catherine, is estimated to have provided overnight lodging for more than 2,000 runaway slaves who were making their way north to Canada and freedom.

In 1679, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was the first European to cross into Indiana after reaching present-day South Bend at the Saint Joseph River. He returned the following year to further explore the region.

Hoosier Hill is the highest natural point in the state of Indiana at 1,257 feet (383 m) above sea level. The location is on private property, but features a trail, sign and picnic area for visitors at the high point, thanks to the work of an Eagle Scout candidate (Kyle Cummings) in 2005.