How to Spend 48 Hours in Fort Wayne, Indiana

From a Vera Bradley-themed hotel to a vibrant art museum, the Hoosier State’s second-largest city offers a fun place for a fall weekend getaway.

Bata Shoe Museum

From Elton John’s platform boots to Queen Victoria’s slippers, this quirky museum in Toronto, Ontario, offers a unique perspective on culture and fashion.

Carmel Christkindlmarkt

Modeled after traditional German Christmas markets, this holiday market in Carmel, Indiana, offers an immersive and fun way to shop for gifts.

Aerial view of Carmel Christkindlmarket in Carmel, Indiana (photo by Roben Bellomo, Bellomo Studios, Carmel Christkindlmarket)

Richard H. Driehaus Museum

This historic home turned museum in Chicago, Illinois, provides an opportunity to explore the rich architectural details of the Nickerson Mansion, which was completed in 1883.

Period-appropriate table at Richard D. Driehaus Museum in Chicago, lllinois (photo by Steve Hall))

Bob Ross Experience at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens

Visitors to this artistic experience in Muncie, Indiana, can explore how “The Joy of Painting” came to life.

Man painting at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens’ Bob Ross Experience in Muncie, Indiana (photo courtesy of the Bob Ross Experience))

The Buffalo History Museum

Housed in a structure built for the 1901 Pan American Exhibition, this museum in Buffalo, New York, shares the story of the city.

Greenfield Village

Opened by Henry and Clara Ford in 1929, this destination in Dearborn, Michigan, preserves history and highlights innovations that changed the world.

Frank Lloyd Wright Field Office Museum at the Hagen History Center

The famed architect’s West Coast workspace found a second life at this public history museum in Erie, Pennsylvania.

People looking at blueprints at re-creation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s San Fransisco office in Erie, Pennsylvania (photo courtesy of Hagen History Center)

Harris Hill Soaring

For those who want to fly like a bird, this club in Elmira, New York, offers scenic and serence flights on professionally piloted, motorless two-seat gliders.

The Sock Monkey Museum

This quirky museum in Long Grove, Illinois, celebrates the stuffed animals that generations of mothers created for their children using a pair of easy-to-acquire socks.

Pumpkinvine Nature Trail

Ride this trail in Elkhart County, Indiana, during the fall for a flavor of life in these rural communities located within the third-largest Amish settlement in the United States.