An Accessible 48 Hours in Fort Wayne, Indiana

If somebody instructed me a yr in the past that Fort Wayne, Indiana, can be one of the vital accessible journey experiences I might ever come throughout as a wheelchair consumer, I might have instructed them they had been loopy. Fort Wayne was by no means on my radar as a journey vacation spot. Nonetheless, town utilized for the Good Housekeeping Household Journey Awards in 2024, and I used to be one of many panelists despatched to judge the vacation spot for its accessibility and household friendliness. Even higher? I received to carry alongside my two teenage sons to make the expertise as genuine as doable. What adopted was one of many best, most nice, and most enjoyable accessible journey experiences I’ve had within the U.S.  

Positioned on the confluence of three rivers in northeastern Indiana, Fort Wayne isn’t an enormous metropolis — the second largest within the state — and isn’t actually thought of a serious trip vacation spot regardless of all of the family-friendly actions which can be out there through the hotter elements of the yr. 

One in all my largest worries when touring, particularly with my boys, is the supply of accessible transportation. A lot of Fort Wayne’s central metropolis is rollable, however we did want transportation for sights that had been farther out. The town has a public bus system, and we had been capable of make the most of the Neighborhood Transportation Community (CTN) for wheelchair accessible vans and drivers to assist us get round. After we weren’t utilizing a automobile, downtown was very straightforward to navigate, with extensive and well-maintained sidewalks and, in some circumstances, no curbs in any respect. Right here’s a good way to spend 48 hours in Fort Wayne as a wheelchair consumer. 

Day 1 

Begin your first day in Fort Wayne with a scrumptious breakfast at The Bradley Lodge, a classy lynchpin of the downtown’s revitalization. Then you may both take the bus or ebook an accessible CTN van to take you to Fort Wayne Zoo. It’s persistently named one of many nation’s high 10 zoos for youths, cares for greater than 1,400 animals, and participates in 63 cooperative species survival plans. It’s simply as enjoyable for adults as it’s for kids. I totally loved feeding a giraffe from my wheelchair. It’s located on a hill, so handbook chair customers might need to work a bit bit, however the walkways are extensive and simple to maneuver. 

Maintain that household and inner-child vibe going by heading over to Science Central, Fort Wayne’s science museum. Positioned inside Fort Wayne’s first publicly run energy plant, the museum accommodates over 200 hands-on displays and dwell science demonstrations. You’ll be able to even get a tour of the photo voltaic system within the “Science on a Sphere” theater. Many of the interactive displays could be loved from a wheelchair. For planning functions, the ability has a spacious accessible lavatory with an grownup altering desk on the second ground. 

You should utilize CTN or roll for about quarter-hour to Promenade Park for some downtime. This stunning park is located proper on the St. Marys River and has an accessible treetop walkway, multilevel accessible ramps for its terraced river overlook, a splash pad, playground and picnic areas. Two of our favourite meals spots from the journey — The Hoppy Gnome and Mercado on the Touchdown — are each inside rolling distance of the waterfront and the Bradley. We visited The Hoppy Gnome twice for its do-it-yourself s’mores — full with miniature tabletop roasting pit.  

As sundown approaches, at Promenade Park you may board the Candy Breeze reproduction canal boat for a pleasant river cruise. The boat is wheelchair accessible, and through your hourlong cruise, you’ll be taught all about Fort Wayne’s historical past from the pleasant guides, maybe see some native wildlife, and revel in among the native structure. You can too cross the historic bridge and get scrumptious ice cream or regionally made chocolate subsequent to an previous rail automobile on the alternative aspect of the river. 

Day 2 

After breakfast, it’s time to roll by stunning downtown Fort Wayne and discover its gorgeous murals. The town is house to a whole lot of sensible murals, sculptures and items of public artwork, and the gathering is rising every single day. The murals span alley partitions and create a tapestry of story and shade — positively Instagram worthy! Lots of the sculptures even function purposeful bike racks. You’ll find a information to stroll with you, or obtain details about the artwork to assessment as you go. 

To proceed exploring town’s artwork, roll just some blocks to the Fort Wayne Museum of Artwork. The gathering is devoted to American artists, with an excellent steadiness between fashionable and modern artwork items from its everlasting assortment and rotating displays. Verify the museum’s web site to see what’s on show, however be sure you go to their gorgeous Glass Wing. 

Once you’re prepared to modify from artwork to music, it’s time to go out to Sweetwater Sound, the biggest retailer of audio devices and gear within the U.S. They solely promote on-line, however at their headquarters in Fort Wayne, you may see and play with all kinds of guitars, drums, pianos and keyboards, even horns and wind devices. In addition they have each piece of sound and recording gear you may probably think about.  

If time permits, you may head again to downtown for a quick go to to the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory. It accommodates three indoor gardens that encourage experiential studying and supply 4 annual displays that mix a enjoyable and interactive go to with seasonal vegetation and wonder. The place else will you discover a chocolate tree, cacti and palms below the identical roof? 

In the event you’re visiting Fort Wayne throughout baseball season, it’s a must to catch a TinCaps sport. Named for people legend Johnny Appleseed, who had ties to the realm and was stated to put on a tin pot as a hat, the workforce performs at Parkview Stadium, thought of among the finest minor league venues within the nation. It has loads of inexpensive wheelchair seating and a pleasant indoor air-conditioned VIP space for premium ticket holders.  

Fort Wayne additionally hosts a number of extremely standard festivals all year long, and we had been fortunate sufficient to be on the town for the Three Rivers Competition, town’s annual nine-day summer season celebration. It consists of dwell music all day every day, a giant arts and crafts space, and loads of meals distributors. The entire pageant wraps up with a implausible fireworks show off the highest of a downtown skyscraper.