As summer travel heats up, motorists entering Indiana will notice newly constructed tourist attractions from an unusual source: interstate welcome centers.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) recently opened two sparkling newly constructed welcome centers that are impressing travelers passing through and even drawing tourists as main travel destinations. One could call these welcome centers “the front porch to Indiana.”
The Abraham Lincoln-themed welcome center on eastbound I-64 and auto racing-themed welcome center on eastbound I-70, both in western Indiana just over the Illinois border, are the latest showcases of INDOT’s statewide improvement plan for 21 rest areas, welcome centers, and truck parking facilities to be completed by the end of Fiscal Year 2034.
INDOT’s strategy with all the improved welcome centers is place-based storytelling; the theme of each newly constructed welcome center relates to what the nearby proximity is known for.
I-64 Black River Welcome Center
In late March, the I-64 Black River Welcome Center in southwest Indiana reopened as a one-of-a-kind destination that deserves much more than a quick in and out.
This log cabin-themed facility, which pays tribute to former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, is special. The rustic log-cabin ambiance emanates from not only the exterior, but also the tall-ceilinged interior. The welcome center pays homage to the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Ind.
The log cabin building of the Black River Welcome Center is very attractive. A centerpiece is an Abraham Lincoln hologram where visitors can walk up to Lincoln, shown in a picture frame, and hear Honest Abe talk to them. The figure in the painting even gestures while talking.
The nearly three-minute video features Lincoln talking about how he lived in southern Indiana from ages 7-21 and provides details of his youthful adventures, including maneuvering a flatboat of mixed cargo down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The experience would shape his outlook on slavery.
The Black River Welcome Center is much more than just the animated Lincoln exhibit or wood logs. The facility showcases the spirit and history of southern Indiana through design elements and displays.
Outdoor amenities include:
A small settler’s cabin with placards on how to make a log cabin- Large sculptures of a bison and bald eagle
- A children’s playground that incorporates huge wooden owl- and frog-shaped components with slides
- Two picnic pavilions with designated seating for wheelchair users and two separate covered swings
- Cardio workout machines
- A spacious dog park with a self-closing, double-gated entryway
- A 0.3-mile walking loop
- 75 trucking spaces (the previous facility, demolished in 2023, had only 15 such spots)
- Truckers’ restrooms
- Designated parking for food-truck vendors
Indoor attractions besides the animated Lincoln painting include:
- A see-through, crackling fireplace with impressive stone masonry and buffalo trophy mount next to a relaxing seating area
Historical placards and photos of nearby New Harmony, Ind.; women’s suffrage; Indian mounds; and, of course, Lincoln- A touchscreen with the choice to watch any of three videos: “Grouseland: Home of President William Henry Harrison,” “Benjamin Harrison: A President at the Crossroads,” and “Highlights in the Heartland”
- An oversized version of the 16-page children’s book “Old Whiskers Escapes! A Grandpa President Adventure” featuring former President Benjamin Harrison’s pets, specifically his goat, Old Whiskers
- Hanging lantern-style lighting
- Restroom hallways adorned with striking mosaics of the state bird (cardinal) and tree (tulip)
- Restrooms with sleek terrazzo flooring and timber ceiling
The Black River Welcome Center has become an immediate hit with travelers. Mike Matzker of Missouri stopped there in early June 2026 and commented that “it’s one of the nicest facilities that I’ve ever seen.”
Matzker continued: “I’m a retired fireman, and I think that this is nicer than any of the station houses I’ve worked at across 41 years of service. I am happy to see that Indiana is investing in nice facilities for travelers like me.”
See a video about the Black River Welcome Center here.
I-70 Clear Creek Welcome Center
In November 2025, the reimagined I-70 Clear Creek Welcome Center in western Indiana reopened as an auto racing fan’s dream.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS)-themed facility is chock-full of amenities.
The grounds feature an eye-catching 50-foot-tall IMS scoring pylon; 18-foot-tall Borg-Warner Trophy replica; through-the-decades Indy 500 exhibits; and the representation of a checkered flag drapes the north side of the building, elegantly capturing the essence of motion and victory in the Indy 500. Prismatic glass on the building, which features a slanted exterior wall, changes color in the sun in relation to where one stands. It pays homage to the colors of the balloons that used to be released at the Indy 500.
Indoor amenities feature an immersive exhibit hall with an actual IndyCar, racing helmets, interactive racing trivia, and more IMS exhibits. These exhibits offer a firsthand experience of the advanced technology and design incorporated into these high-performance cars. The space also features an interactive model of the Indianapolis 500 grounds, providing a deeper understanding of the track’s scale.
Like the Black River Welcome Center, the Clear Creek Welcome Center boasts outdoor amenities of a children’s playground, picnic pavilions, cardio workout machines, dog park, walking path, 128 trucking spaces (the previous facility, since demolished, had only 50 such spots) and truckers’ restrooms. The interior features at the I-70 welcome center includes terrazzo flooring in the restrooms.
Two Previously Reopened Welcome Centers
INDOT previously opened two other state-of-the-art welcome centers.
In 2020, the southbound I-69 Pigeon Creek Welcome Center opened in northeast Indiana, just south of the Michigan border. Capturing the theme of Indiana’s recreational and agricultural resources, the welcome center resembles a modern red barn and includes interactive exhibits and indigenous artifacts, including an 8-foot dock, wooden rowboat, and miniature interactive corn-crib.
In 2023, the southbound I-65 Kankakee Welcome Center opened in northwest Indiana, just south of Illinois. Capturing the theme of Indiana’s landscapes and wind-power industry, the welcome center resembles a wind turbine and blades. A rolling roof and brick textures
on the lower building section represent Indiana Dunes National Park, the upper blue glass is an homage to Lake Michigan, and the blue terrazzo flooring and custom restroom wall tile honors the Kankakee River. Commissioned art is represented by seven wind-turbine blade tips displayed vertically in a pond and a 219-foot-long full-size wind-turbine blade displayed horizontally along the parking lot. A dog park, children’s play area, adult recreation area, and walking trails help set this welcome center apart. Inside, interactive exhibits feature the Meadow Lakes Wind Farm, Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands bison herd, Indiana Dunes, Purdue University astronauts, northwest Indiana’s steel industry, Grand Kankakee Marsh, Fair Oaks Farms exhibit, and monarch butterflies.
More to Come
As outlined in INDOT’s statewide improvement plan, six more themed welcome centers are coming as well as one new rest area and truck-parking conversion of several rest areas.