This Unique Museum In Indiana Is Perfect For A Day Trip Any Time Of Year
By Tori Jane|Published February 12, 2024
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Indiana is an interesting place – no matter what the naysayers, well, say. Several awesome, incredibly unique attractions in the Hoosier State are sure to thrill and fascinate, most of which are excellent options for a day trip (or longer). For the ultimate day trip in Indiana, I strongly suggest you visit Indianapolis and check out the old Indiana Medical History Museum. This is easily one of the best unique things to do in Indiana and it truly makes for the perfect adventure.
Welcome, and I hope you're not squeamish: there's plenty to see while you're here.
Constructed in 1895, this old stone structure was originally known as the Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane, though this crass title was eventually shortened to Central State Hospital.
The place has a very distinct honor: it's the oldest pathology lab in the United States, and to this day, you can still see how things went back then.
Many of the original tools, items and books have been preserved, and although it's been slightly modernized, this incredible museum is something like traveling through time.
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Check out the 150-seat amphitheater, where countless students learned about the ins and outs of the human body and mind.
It's strangely intriguing to sit in the same seats as countless medical students long before us did, with the entire place looking much as it did way back when.
The place continued to be in use even after most "scientific psychiatry" places like it had closed. Finally, eventually, the doors were closed... but not for terribly long.
By the 1960s, many of the buildings on the property were in rough shape.
Nowadays there are more than 15,000 items, relics and things to check out and learn about, all of which are WAY more interesting than you might initially give it all credit for.
Come on out to the Indiana Medical History Museum and learn about our at-times macabre medical history.
To learn more about one of the best unique things to do in Indiana, be sure to visit the official Indiana Medical History and Museum website. Planning to stay in Indianapolis? Check out all the unique places to stay from our friends at VRBO. Do you have a favorite museum in Indiana? Let me know all about it!
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