Indiana's RV Museum Is A Surreal Romp Through An Indoor Campground

Indiana is one of those midwestern states that often gets overlooked. However, with a plethora of travel-worthy destinations tucked inside, it's one that should be on your radar. Home to secret dreamy lakeside towns like Winona Lake, and small cities with internationally acclaimed modern architecture like Columbus, the Hoosier State also boasts the "RV Capital of the World," Elkhart County.

In the heart of Elkhart, you'll find the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum. The immersive museum takes you on a journey through the decades-long evolution of RVs and manufactured homes, from covered wagons to modern-day campers. Along the way, you'll see custom-built housecars for movie stars, the oldest RV, and fleets of dazzling vintage trailers as far as the eye can see. If you BYOT (bring your own trailer), you can even spend the night. Next time you're road tripping through Indiana, park in Elkhart, and visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum.

Since Elkhart County is the country's leading manufacturer of RVs, it only makes sense that it would have a museum dedicated to the vehicular marvels. Twenty dollars will buy you a ticket to travel on a road trip through time, winding chronologically through the history of RVs and motorhomes. For an authentic road trip feel, the pathway in the RV Founders Hall replicates a blacktop two-lane highway lined with artfully displayed travel trailers. On the route, you'll see the oldest-surviving RV, a 1913 Earl travel trailer, as well an aluminum-covered trailer custom-made for Charles Lindbergh in 1939. You can also peep Mae West's 1931 Chevy housecar, designed by Paramount Studios to lure the vaudevillian star to the silver screen.

In the MH Museum portion, you'll find placards detailing the evolution of RVs, along with informational videos, and three furnished manufactured homes. While you can't step inside every trailer, you can check out the interiors of five modern campers located in the Go RVing exhibition hall. If you want to dig a little deeper, the second floor features the Kindlund Library, a vast archive housing thousands of pages on RVs and manufactured homes.

Indiana is full of unique places to stay, like the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Union Station, where you can sleep in your very own historic train car. Maybe staying at a trailer museum never crossed your mind, but fittingly, the museum offers overnight accommodations if you have your own set of RV wheels. Free with a museum visit, you can boondock on the museum's west side, or pay $40 for parking hookups on the east side. The spots are first come, first served, and may be harder to come by if there's an event happening. Make sure to check the event calendar before planning an overnight stay.

If you're looking for wheel-less lodgings for the night, Elkhart offers a plethora of options like the stunning and historic Hotel Elkhart downtown, or one of the museum's recommended hotels, Tru by Hilton. Whether you're sleeping in a brick and mortar building, or a metal motorhome, be sure to stop at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum, where a trailer paradise awaits.