Lafayette (Indiana)

Lafayette is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Central Indiana. It is located 2 hours southeast of Chicago and 1 hour northwest of Indianapolis. The Greater Lafayette metropolitan area consists of the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette. The combined population is 97,000. Neighboring West Lafayette is home to Purdue University, a large, prestigious public university.



By train

 * Route stopping in Lafayette:
 * Cardinal operating three trips weekly between Chicago and New York City with stops in Dyer, Rensselaer, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Hinton, White Sulphur Springs, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.
 * Cardinal operating three trips weekly between Chicago and New York City with stops in Dyer, Rensselaer, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Hinton, White Sulphur Springs, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.

By bus

 * Greyhound. From Chicago, 3.5 hours.
 * ExpressAirCoach shuttle bus from Chicago O'Hare International Airport, 3 hours, $50.
 * Lafayette Limo shuttle from Lafayette to the Indianapolis Airport, $27 one way, $50 round trip, around 1.5 hours.
 * Reindeer Shuttle shuttle from Lafayette to the Indianapolis and Chicago Airports, Indianapolis: $27 one way, $50 round trip, around 1.5 hours, free wi-fi on shuttle.
 * Suburban Express bus service between Purdue and the Chicago suburbs. Goes Purdue->Chicago on Friday, Chicago->Purdue on Sunday. $25 each way.

Get around


The area is divided by the Wabash River. To the east of the river is Lafayette and to the west is West Lafayette. Lafayette is broken down into several neighborhoods. Starting at the river and heading east is downtown. Here you will find numerous shops and restaurants as well as most of the museums and theaters. North of downtown is the Historical Centennial Neighborhood. South of downtown is the Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood. Most of the shopping and hotels are either downtown or along one of the main arteries. State Rd 26 runs east and west bisecting both cities. State Rd 52 curves around the East side of town and crosses the river into the Northern side of West Lafayette. On State Rd 52 near the Southeast side of town you will find the Tippecanoe Mall. Interstate 65 marks the eastern edge of Lafayette. From South to North there are 4 exits for Lafayette, St Rd 38, St Rd 26, St Rd 25, and St Rd 43 (for West Lafayette).

The John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge connects downtown Lafayette with West Lafayette. Starting at the river and heading west into West Lafayette is the Levee area and Wabash Landing. This area is fairly new with several shops, a multiplex theater, a park, and an outdoor ice skating rink. Continue west up the hill on State Rd. 26 to the Chauncey Hill and Village area. There you will find most of the college bars and several restaurants. Continue west on Hwy. 26 to pass through the main campus of Purdue University. To the north and east of Purdue is the main residential area of West Lafayette.


 * Bus, There are 15 bus routes around the cities. Tickets are $1, 10 tokens for $7.50 (you can ask for one free transfer ticket), $28 for a calendar month pass, free for students and staff at Purdue. There is a free trolley bus going from downtown Lafayette to West Lafayette/Purdue and back every 15 minutes. Some bus lines do not run on weekends, in the summer, or anytime when classes are not in session; check schedules for details.  Lafayette and the surroundings areas are suburban and relatively spread out; a private automobile is recommended.

See

 * Go for a walk in the historic downtown, Main St. from 2nd to 9th St.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.
 * The Standard Oil station, 627 South St, one of only seven left, is a walk-by museum.

Do

 * Ice skating in the winter at Riverside Skating Center, 100 Tapawingo Dr, just east of Wabash Landing.
 * Go to a Purdue football game or other major sporting event.
 * Feast of the Hunter's Moon every fall
 * Colt World Series every August
 * Taste of Tippecanoe every June.

West Lafayette

 * Silver Dipper, River Market (corner of River Rd and State St). Hand-dipped ice cream and ice cream treats. Locally owned with a loyal customer base.
 * Silver Dipper, River Market (corner of River Rd and State St). Hand-dipped ice cream and ice cream treats. Locally owned with a loyal customer base.

Lafayette

 * Ben Hur Tavern, 1002 S 4th.
 * Biltmore Tap Room, 1202 S 4th.
 * 6th Street Dive, 827 N 6th. Craft beers, everybody just sort of seems to find room for another one.
 * Filling Station, 2603 Greenbush.
 * Linwood Tavern, 1244 N 14th.
 * Filling Station, 2603 Greenbush.
 * Linwood Tavern, 1244 N 14th.
 * Filling Station, 2603 Greenbush.
 * Linwood Tavern, 1244 N 14th.
 * Linwood Tavern, 1244 N 14th.
 * Linwood Tavern, 1244 N 14th.
 * Linwood Tavern, 1244 N 14th.
 * Linwood Tavern, 1244 N 14th.

Hotels

 * Tons of hotels on Route 26 near Interstate 65, budget-moderate priced: Holiday Inn Express, Best Western, Comfort Inn, Day's Inn, Red Roof Inn, etc.—pick your favorite chain. These are outside of comfortable walking distance from West Lafayette (and therefore Purdue University), but only about a 20-minute drive from the heart of campus. If you're driving into town anyway and don't need pedestrian access to campus or downtown West Lafayette, these are a good (and often cheaper) choice.



Internet access
All the public libraries have wired Internet computers available for use by anyone for limited time periods. Other locations offering Internet access include:


 * Vienna Espresso Bar & Bakery. Offers open wireless Internet access.
 * Union Building, (at Purdue). Requires a free temporary account.
 * Buffalo Wild Wings, (at Levee Plaza). Offers open wireless Internet access.
 * Panera Bread. Offers wired and splash wireless Internet access.
 * Barnes and Noble, (at Tippecanoe Mall). (note: there are only two power outlets in the whole building for your laptop. They are directly adjacent to the handicap access ramp. If you attempt to move a table there to use the outlets, they will ask you to leave.)
 * West Lafayette Public Library.
 * Tippecanoe County Public Library: all branches, login with a valid or guest library card.
 * Ivy Tech Branch of Tippecanoe County Public Library.

Cope

 * Tan and Laundry at Levee Plaza, just north of Wabash Landing

Go next

 * Turkey Run State Park
 * Shades State Park
 * Indiana Dunes National Park