Starting your trip at Purdue University Airport in West Lafayette means everything around the region sits within an easy drive, from the Wabash River to the cornfields and small towns of north-central Indiana. West Lafayette is a classic Big Ten college town, home to Purdue University and the Boilermakers, and it faces its sister city, Lafayette, across the river. Expect brick streets, loud game days, and a lot of engineering pride.

Standout experiences around West Lafayette: - Walk the Purdue campus and catch a Boilermakers game at Ross-Ade Stadium or Mackey Arena - Order a burger and a root beer at Triple XXX Family Restaurant, a drive-in open since 1929 - Bike or walk the Wabash Heritage Trail along the river - Explore Prophetstown State Park and its working 1920s farm - Visit the Tippecanoe Battlefield and its monument in nearby Battle Ground - Meet the wolves at Wolf Park, a research and education center in Battle Ground - Browse downtown Lafayette's brick storefronts, breweries, and Saturday farmers market - Time your visit for the Feast of the Hunters' Moon in October, a huge reenactment of 1700s French and Native life at Fort Ouiatenon

West Lafayette sits in the middle of the state, so a lot of Indiana is within reach. Indianapolis, with its museums, the Speedway, and a deep restaurant scene, is about an hour south. Turkey Run and Shades state parks, with sandstone canyons and covered bridges, are about 45 minutes southwest. Order a breaded pork tenderloin that overflows the bun, the state's unofficial sandwich, at a downtown diner. West Lafayette is easygoing, smart, and glad to have you.