Affordable Family Fun in Wabash

By: Rosalyn Knauer – Manchester University Summer intern for Visit Wabash County

Are you in the Wabash County area looking for affordable family fun this summer? Wabash County boasts a wide variety of budget-friendly family fun! Here is a comprehensive guide for a full summer of fun that is not only good for the family, but easy on the wallet too!

 The Wabash County Museum is a great place to explore hands-on, learn about the history of Wabash County, and burn off some energy in the incredible interactive kids’ spaces. (Adults love it too!) All-day passes for the museum are very affordable; youth ages 2 to 12 cost $5 and ages 13+ cost $8.

 Wabash County’s Courthouse & Abraham Lincoln Monument is a short walk from the museum and displays one of the original Brush Arc Lights that hung from the cupola in 1880. How cool to see and learn about Wabash being the world’s first electrically lighted city! (This was once a question on Jeopardy.)

Another engaging and memorable activity for families is catching a flick at the Eagles Theatre located in Downtown Wabash. Movie tickets are never more than $7 and throughout the summer they offer FREE Movie Mondays!

Want to take some family fun home?   Braspy’s Trinkets is thee perfect shop with the coolest toys. From dolls to knights and dragons to puzzles, the store offers a variety of toys and games. Attached to Brasply’s is Volt! Family Fun right next door; chase the squares on the interactive pixel floor, try your hand at the vintage arcade games, or create some goodhearted competition with a 20-minute laser tag session.  Laser tag for up to 16 guests is $10 per 20 minutes of play – great for adults too!

On super hot summer days or when you just want to put your feet in the water, the Mark C. Honeywell Pool is the perfect spot. Public swimming is daily from 1 PM to 7 PM with daily fees of $1.50 for kids 13 & under and $2.00 for ages 13 & up. Enjoy the 50 meter competition pool or slide down the 120’ single flume water slide! A smaller zero-entry pool with a splash area is available for smaller children!

Wabash County is the home of several different communities that offer free and affordable family-friendly activities. Drive 15 minutes north of Wabash to North Manchester, IN.  Frantz Park, Warvel Park, Town Life Center, NM Barks & Rec Dog Park, and Glenn Ruppel Sports Complex are all public parks that can be enjoyed at no cost. Stretch your legs, toss the frisbee, and dust off the picnic basket! 

If you prefer inside fun or need something to do on a rainy day, North Manchester has you covered. The Strauss-Peabody Aquatic Center offers a full-size competitive swimming pool, a warm therapy pool, an indoor water slide, whirlpool, steam room, and sauna. In addition, they have a fully loaded fitness center if you want to get some exercise while your kids are enjoying the pool. No membership is needed; a daily pass is available for just $6!

While in North Manchester, the FREE FUN continues. There is ZERO cost to visit The Center for History and Thomas Riley Marshall Home. The Center of History, located in downtown North Manchester, is a museum that features 10,000 square feet of exhibits focusing on local history and culture. Thomas Marshall was the 28th Vice President of the United States, and his home is open for FREE public tours. What a great way to show kiddos what it was like in days gone by!

While in North Manchester, the FREE FUN continues. There is ZERO cost to visit The Center for History and Thomas Riley Marshall Home. The Center of History, located in downtown North Manchester, is a museum that features 10,000 square feet of exhibits focusing on local history and culture. Thomas Marshall was the 28th Vice President of the United States, and his home is open for FREE public tours. What a great way to show kiddos what it was like in days gone by!

Just 15 minutes southeast of North Manchester is the little river town of Largo. With hiking trails and areas to fish and swim, there is a variety of outdoor activities to enjoy. Kissing Falls at Kokiwanee is a 1.7-mile loop that winds through the forest to a beautiful waterfall that is just the right size for families with little ones. Salamonie River State Forest Hiking Trails offers four different public hiking and horse trails throughout 950 acres. The Blue Trail (8 miles), Red Trail (3.3 miles), Green Trail (1.8 miles), and Yellow Trail (2 miles) take hikers through several different experiences where Indiana wildlife, waterfalls, and topography can be seen.

Don’t miss two historic landmarks in Lagro. Kerr Lock and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church tell the story of a time when Irish immigrants shaped the town’s vitality. There were four locks near Lagro, and the Kerr Lock is the only one that can still be seen today. Designed in a Victorian’s Gothic style, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church was built in the 1870s, and Mass is still held monthly from April through December each year. 

Slide west to robust Roann for some summer family fun as well. From beautiful parks to u-pick berry farms, there is tons about the community for families to love! Cordes Berry Farm is a family-owned and operated farm that offers pickable strawberries and blackberries throughout the summer. The new Jimmy Turner Jr. Memorial Park has playgrounds, ball fields, and picnic shelters, making it perfect for families with kids of all ages! If you’re in search of some history in Roann, check out the  Roann Covered Bridge. There were once 29 covered bridges in Wabash County. The Roann Covered Bridge is one of the only two remaining covered bridges in the county. If you enjoy it, come back in September to a weekend-long festival that is held in and around the bridge.

From north to south, from east to west, Wabash County overflows with budget-friendly family fun. Load up the strollers, get out your backpacks, and wander through Wabash County all summer long!