Thanks to an early nineteenth-century influx of northward migrants, much of INDIANA still displays vestiges of the easygoing South. Among these early settlers was the family of Abraham Lincoln, who set up home near the present village of Santa Claus in 1816 and stayed for fourteen years before moving to Illinois. Unlike the abolitionist Lincolns, many brought slaves to this new territory; Indiana allowed a system of "voluntary servitude" to operate until 1843. At the outbreak of the Civil War, thousands of ex-Southerners rioted against the draft, in part expressing a concern that Indiana was every bit as subservient to the northeast as Deep South slaves were to their masters. However, since the 1870s, industrialization has integrated Indiana into the regional economy. The sports-happy state is at the forefront of the nation in automobile racing and high school basketball.

Despite some beautiful dunes and beaches, the most lasting memories provided by Indiana's fifty-mile lakeshore (by far the shortest of the Great Lake states) are of the grimy steel mills and poverty-stricken neighborhoods of towns like Gary and East Chicago . In northern Indiana, the area in and around Elkhart and Goshen contains one of the nation's largest Amish settlements . The central plains are characterized by small market towns, except for the sprawling capital, Indianapolis , which has brightened up its downtown in recent years to the point that it's not a bad stopover. Hilly southern Indiana, at its most appealing in the fall, is a welcome contrast to the central cornbelt, boasting several quaint towns such as Nashville, Vincennes, Madison and Corydon . Thriving Columbus exhibits a great array of contemporary architecture for such a small city, and former resort town West Baden Springs is restoring the elegant hotel that made it famous.

Dozens of explanations have been offered as to why residents of the state are called " Hoosiers "; the most believable is that its use spread from the days of the Ohio Falls Canal construction in the 1820s, when a contractor, Samuel Hoosier, gave employment preference to those living on the Indiana side of the Ohio River.  TOP

Northern Indiana
Lying just off I-80/90, halfway along the northern fringe of Indiana, SOUTH BEND briefly rivaled Detroit as the country's leading car manufacturer during the early 1920s, when now-defunct Studebaker was going strong. These days it's better known for the University of Notre Dame , the most famous Roman Catholic college in the US and home of the Fighting Irish team that once dominated college football. Free tours of the campus (tel 219/237-4872, ) take in the gold-domed Administration Building and sights such as a replica of the grotto at Lourdes. If you are in for something more daring, head to the East Race Waterway, where you can kayak or raft the first man-made whitewater course in North America. For $2, navigate the one-third mile course that runs, believe it or not, through downtown South Bend. Once downtown, head to Niles Avenue near the Jefferson Street bridge and the Emporium Restaurant (tel 219/299-4765; June-Aug only).

Budget motels are grouped along US-31 N. The Book Inn B&B , 508 W Washington St (tel 219/288-1990 or 1-877/288-1990, ; $100-130), offers gourmet breakfasts and has a used bookstore in the basement.

Forty miles west, smaller MICHIGAN CITY marks the start of the twenty-mile Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore , intended to prevent further encroachment on the state's shoreline. There's not much to the "city" itself but it is the handiest place to stay near the lake. The Knights Inn , 201 W Kieffer Rd (tel 219/874-9500, ; $50-75), offers the best value. Just west of town, the impressive Mount Baldy is, in fact, a giant sand dune. Good swimming beaches and hiking trails through woods and marshes can be found at Indiana Dunes State Park , twelve miles farther along.

From here it's another fifteen miles west to the industrial mess of GARY , the largest US city founded in the twentieth century and mildly famous as the birthplace of Michael Jackson. Until the US Steel Corporation built a giant foundry here in 1906, this was uninhabited bogland. These days it's basically a depressed suburb of Chicago.  TOP