South Bend offers an unusual range of tangible experiences: hilly woodlands, riverside trails, whitewater rapids, and museums featuring vehicles, art and regional history. When planning a stay, it helps to first decide whether to focus on nature, outdoor activities or culture. The following places offer different highlights; no trip needs to include them all.
Nature, Trails and Water
Rum Village offers hiking trails, biking trails and picnic areas. The Rum Village Nature Center adds a larger woodland landscape: its hilly forests cover 160 hectares and provide habitat for deer, foxes, reptiles, amphibians and numerous bird species. Recreation at Rum Village ranges from hiking and biking to taking a break outdoors.
The East Race Waterway is located in downtown South Bend and features Class 2 whitewater rapids. More than five miles of paved, lighted trails run along its banks beside the scenic St. Joseph River, making them suitable for walking and running. The rapids and trails offer different kinds of activity: whitewater here, exercise on foot or at a run along the river there.
Howard Park offers another seasonal activity: a 16,000-square-foot ice-skating trail and an ice rink for skating and broomball. Since this activity is seasonal, check when it is available before your visit.
Museums: From Automotive History to Art
The Studebaker National Museum houses around 120 vehicles spanning 150 years of automotive history, all of which took place in South Bend, Indiana. The museum also has one of the largest collections of presidential carriages in the United States. It includes the carriage that took President Lincoln to Ford’s Theatre on the evening of his assassination. South Bend’s automotive history is thus connected to a specific detail of U.S. history.
The South Bend Museum of Art presents more than 15 exhibitions each year and maintains a permanent collection of over 1,200 works of art. The History Museum offers a different way to explore the past: seven rooms with dioramas and interactive displays trace the development of the St. Joseph River Valley—from dense forest to French exploration and then to a major industrial center of the Midwest. The two museums have different focuses: artworks and exhibitions at one, a chronological account of regional development at the other.
Animals at Potawatomi Zoo
Potawatomi Zoo is Indiana’s first zoo and is home to more than 400 animals. Visitors can see animals up close and talk with zookeepers. This sets the zoo apart from the Rum Village Nature Center: there, the focus is on the forest as a habitat for different groups of animals, while the zoo offers opportunities to encounter animals and their keepers.
Discover More Destinations
Mishawaka, Granger, Indian Village
For the broader travel overview: St. Joseph.
