By Alex Bradford Cobb | Published: 6/19/26 | Last updated: 6/19/26
Richmond, Indiana doesn’t always show up on the tourist maps, and that’s a shame — because it has a genuinely weird and wonderful mix of things to do, from one of the most important music history sites in America to a gift shop with three dinosaurs out front that have anatomically incorrect wrists. This is an honest list from someone who spends time here, not a roundup scraped from a tourism brochure.
Address for Uranus Richmond: 6400 National Road East, Richmond, IN 47374 Hours: Open daily 9 AM – 8 PM Phone: 1-833-4-URANUS (487-2687)
1. Gennett Walk of Fame & Depot District
If you know anything about the history of recorded music, you know Gennett Records. If you don’t, Richmond is about to blow your mind. Gennett was a pioneering recording label based right here in Richmond, and their studio on the banks of the Whitewater River is where Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, and Jelly Roll Morton — among many others — cut some of the earliest jazz and blues recordings in existence. Richmond calls itself the Birthplace of American Recorded Music, and it’s not a stretch.
The Gennett Walk of Fame is an outdoor exhibit near the old train depot on the north side of town, in what’s now a repurposed industrial area called the Depot District. The plaques are free to visit, the history is staggering, and the Depot District itself has enough coffee shops, boutiques, and local restaurants to make an afternoon of it.
2. Wayne County Historical Museum
One of the more underrated regional museums in Indiana. The Wayne County Historical Museum packs in an impressive range of exhibits — there’s a dollhouse built in 1880 for a ten-year-old girl, complete with period furnishings; a 1922 Pilot Speedster (one of 19 vintage cars on display); and an exhibit on William Wedekind of Hagerstown, Indiana, who won three medals at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition for horseshoeing. That last one is exactly as great as it sounds.
The Gennett Records exhibit here is also worth seeing as a companion to the Walk of Fame — it gives you the full context for why what happened in Richmond mattered so much to American music.
3. Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store
Full disclosure: this is our shop. But we’re putting it at #3 instead of #1 because we’re trying to be honest with you, and because the Gennett Walk of Fame genuinely deserves the top spot.
Uranus is at 6400 National Road East — right on US-40, the Historic National Road, which is Indiana’s answer to Route 66. Walk in and the first thing you’ll notice is a biplane suspended from the ceiling. Walk outside and you’ll meet a brachiosaurus, a spinosaurus, and a T. rex, all of whom have been given erroneously pronated wrists by whoever made them. (Dinosaur wrists don’t work that way. We keep them anyway.) There’s also a new light fixture going in that should be worth seeing once it’s up.
The fudge is made fresh and comes in eighteen flavors. Ask for Zachary if he’s working — he’s been there for almost a year, he’s extremely friendly, and after four months he will still refer to you exclusively as “you,” which is somehow more charming than learning your name would have been.
Open daily 9 AM – 8 PM. Everything in the gift shop also ships from UranusGeneralStore.com.
4. Glen Miller Park & Richmond Rose Garden
A 194-acre park on the east side of Richmond that earns its reputation. The Rose Garden alone is worth the trip in late spring and early summer — it’s been ranked among the top three best in Indiana. Beyond the roses, the park has golf, tennis, fishing, and walking paths, plus a water area that’s popular with families. Glen Miller Park also hosts several community events through the warmer months, so check the calendar before you go.
5. Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History
Tucked inside Earlham College at 801 National Road West, this one surprises people. Joseph Moore was a teacher at what was then the Friends Boarding School — later Earlham College — who spent decades collecting natural history specimens to bring his lessons to life. The result is a genuine natural history museum on a small college campus, and it’s considerably more impressive than you’d expect. Worth an hour easily.
6. Antique Alley
Wayne County is home to one of the largest concentrations of antique dealers in the Midwest, collectively known as Antique Alley. If antiquing is your thing, you could spend an entire day working through the shops along US-40 and the surrounding area. Even if it’s not your thing, it’s the kind of place that has a way of converting people — the density of genuinely interesting old stuff is hard to walk past.
7. Richmond Art Museum
Free admission, housed in a beautiful building in the heart of downtown, and consistently well-curated for a city of Richmond’s size. The permanent collection includes works spanning several centuries, and the rotating exhibitions tend to be more adventurous than you’d expect from a regional museum. If you’re downtown anyway, it’s an easy add.
8. The Depot District
Worth calling out separately from the Gennett Walk of Fame because the neighborhood itself has become a genuine destination. The repurposed industrial buildings along the north side of town now house local restaurants, a brewery, boutiques, a coffee shop, an ice cream parlor, and a paint-and-pottery studio. It’s the kind of walkable local district that mid-size Midwestern cities don’t always manage to pull off — Richmond has.
9. Hayes Arboretum
A 355-acre nature preserve on the west side of Richmond with self-guided trails through old-growth forest, a restored prairie, and a wildlife viewing area. There’s a small nature center at the entrance and a picnic area with a genuinely impressive giant tree stump that’s become something of a photo landmark. Free to visit, underrated, and a good option if you want to get outside without driving far.
10. Indiana Football Hall of Fame
Tucked into downtown Richmond and easy to miss, but worth a stop if you’re a football fan — especially a college football fan. Indiana has produced a disproportionate number of significant football figures, and the Hall of Fame documents that history in a compact, well-organized space. Open 10am-5pm and closed on Sundays.
A Few Practical Notes
Richmond sits right on US-40, the Historic National Road — America’s first federally funded highway, stretching from Baltimore to Vandalia, Illinois. That’s the same road that brought settlers west in the early 1800s, and Richmond was one of its key waypoints. Driving into town from either direction, you’re following the same route they did, which is a decent thing to think about while you’re looking for parking.
Getting here: Richmond is about 70 miles east of Indianapolis on I-70. From Dayton, Ohio, it’s about 35 miles west. The town sits right on the Indiana-Ohio state line.
When to visit: Summer is peak season for Glen Miller Park and the Rose Garden. Fall is excellent for Antique Alley. The Depot District and museums are good year-round.
We’ve had loads of people pouring through here during June for the NCAA Tournament and the Columbus Airshow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Richmond Indiana known for? Richmond is best known as the Birthplace of American Recorded Music — home to Gennett Records, where some of the earliest jazz and blues recordings were made in the 1920s. It’s also known for its antique shopping, Glen Miller Park, and its location on the Historic National Road.
Is Richmond Indiana worth visiting? Yes, especially if you’re passing through on I-70 or US-40. The Gennett Walk of Fame and Depot District alone justify a half-day stop, and there’s enough to do to fill a full day easily.
How far is Richmond Indiana from Indianapolis? About 70 miles east on I-70, roughly an hour’s drive.
How far is Richmond Indiana from Dayton Ohio? About 35 miles west of Dayton, around 40 minutes.
Where is Uranus in Richmond Indiana? Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store is at 6400 National Road East, Richmond, IN 47374 — right on US-40, the Historic National Road. Open daily 9 AM – 8 PM.
Is there good food in Richmond Indiana? Yes — the Depot District has several locally owned restaurants, and there are options along the National Road corridor. Twist India is delightful, as is Gulzar’s and Lulu’s Tacos.
Alex Bradford Cobb is a strapping young man who works for the Mayor in a semi-legal indentured servitude arrangement, similar to how Dubai was built, and possibly the pyramids. What works, works, and there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.