The Greater Lafayette Area
Cultural Events and Attractions
There is more than just economics in the Greater Lafayette area. It is also home to over 100 arts organizations of all sorts - from well-known groups like the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra to lesser well known groups like the 42nd Royal Highlanders, a Scottish bag pipe group. Whether it's visiting a museum, attending a performance, or joining an arts organization, Lafayette provides many opportunities to get involved with the arts. For information, please visit the Tippecanoe Arts Federation website for more wonderful activities.
In addition, there are many opportunities to explore music and performing arts in the community. Purdue University features many concerts, plays, art galleries, cultural centers, activities, and the Elliot Hall of Music often presents well know concerts and traveling troups. For more than 60 years, the Civic Theatre has been part of Lafayette's social life. The Long Center for the Performing Arts in Lafayette also hosts special events. You'll also find special events at the Historic Reihle Plaza. One of the growing activities is the Riverfront Jazz & Blues Festival. Though area sponsors and volunteers, this festivial raises valuable money for the organizations that benefit the community. For more information on the Lafayette music scene, check out the Lafayette Citizens Band.
At various times of the year you'll find festivals and feasts. Fort Ouiatenon, a park in West Lafayette, was the site of the first European settlement in Indiana.
The fort is the setting of Lafayette's yearly Feast of the Hunter's Moon, a recreation of an 18th Century French and Indian encampment on the banks of the Wabash River. Two drum and fife groups make annual appearances at the Feast, the Voyageur Ancient Fife and Drum Corps and the Tippecanoe Ancient Fife and Drum Corps.
Another special event is the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering held in July. This regional festival at the Tippecanoe Battlefield attracts traditional, folk, and country musicians from across the United States. For more information on what's available in the Lafayette area, visit the Greater Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Visit Wolf Park in Battle Ground, a unique wildlife park where wolf behavior is observed, is also an area open to the public.
Other animals can be seen at the Columbian Park and Zoo. This park is 63 acres of fun featuring zoo (with over 430 animals), tennis and horseshoe courts, recreational stadium, shelter houses, many picnic areas, and a newly constructed (1999) multi-million dollar swimming complex and waterslide area - Tropicanoe Cove.
The Greater Lafayette Museum of Art shows a permanent collection and also features major national traveling exhibits in the East Gallery.
Just a short drive away outside Battleground you'll find the Museums At Prophetstown. Currently under development and planned to open in 2000, you'll be able to take a look at Native American environmental and agricultural history, art and traditions of the mid-Wabash River Valley region. For updates and information, check out their website at Museums At Prophetstown.
The Tippecanoe County Historical Association operates the Tippecanoe County Historical Museum which displays artifacts depicting the county's history from prehistoric times to the present, including Indian, pioneer, Victorian and 20th Century exhibits.
You'll also find a wonderful county parks facility at the Tippecanoe Outdoor Amphitheater. The facility seats 1,500 and offers varied summer entertainment, including concerts, storytellers and theatre.
The Tippecanoe Battlefield Historical Museum traces the cause and effects of the Battle of Tippecanoe.
Lafayette and the surrounding areas offer a wonderful selection of dining and entertainment options. From formal to casual dining and from nearly every culture, you'll find it somewhere in the area.
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