Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Indianola (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Summerset Trail, Buxton Park, and National Balloon Museum. Also, be sure to include Warren County Courthouse in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Indianola (Iowa).
Table of Contents
Summerset Trail
The Summerset Trail is a rail trail in Warren County in south-central Iowa in the United States.
The trail is 11.1 miles long and is paved with asphalt. It follows the route of an abandoned rail line between the cities of Carlisle at its northeastern end and Indianola at the southwest. The trail passes remnants of prairie, wetlands along the Middle River southwest of Carlisle, and woodlands north of Indianola.[1]
Address: 503 N 5th St, 50125 Indianola
Buxton Park
Park in Indianola, Iowa. Buxton Park Arboretum 5.4 acres is an arboretum and botanical garden located at the intersection of North Buxton Street and West Girard Avenue, Indianola, Iowa. It is open to the public without charge.
The Arboretum was donated to the town in 1906 by William and Francis Buxton. It now contains formal botanical gardens with twelve flowerbeds, an arboretum, a fountain, and a gazebo.[2]
Address: 705 N Buxton St, Indianola
National Balloon Museum
Top attraction, Specialty museum, History museum, Museum
Address: 1601 N Jefferson Way, 50125-1484 Indianola
Warren County Courthouse
Courthouse. The Warren County Courthouse is located in Indianola, Iowa, United States. The courthouse that was built in 1939 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. It was the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. The building was demolished in the summer of 2019 and removed from the NRHP in September of the same year. A new courthouse and justice center is expected to be completed in 2021.[3]
Address: Indianola, 115 N. Howard Ave.
Warren County Administration Building
High school in Indianola, Iowa. The Warren County Administration Building, formerly Indianola High School, is located in Indianola, Iowa, United States. The first high school in town was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird. It was completed in 1904 and an annex was added in 1917 because of increased enrollment. Irving School, housed grades 1-8 and was condemned by the city council in 1924. The Independent School District of Indianola decided to build a new building to house the high school and elementary grades. The Minneapolis architectural firm of Grahn & Rathurst was chosen the design the $180,000 building. Completed in 1925, the first floor housed grades 1-6 and the second floor housed grades 10–12. The old high school building, no longer extant, became the junior high school building. The interior of the brick, Late Gothic Revival structure has a U-shaped hallway with a gymnasium/auditorium in the middle and classrooms on the outer perimeter. After a new high school was built in Indianola, this building was renovated between 1997 and 1999 for the Warren County Administration Building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[4]
Simpson College
Liberal arts college in Indianola, Iowa. Simpson College is a private Methodist liberal arts college in Indianola, Iowa. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has about 1,250 full-time and 300 part-time students. In addition to the Indianola residential campus, Simpson has a facility in West Des Moines.
Simpson is known for its commitment to civic engagement and non-partisan education on public issues, exemplified by the John C. Culver Public Policy Center and by its two Pi Kappa Delta debate national championships from 2016 and 2018.[5]
Address: 701 N C St, Indianola