Photo tour: Beautiful Indiana

Brown County State Park, the largest state park in Indiana, boasts some of the most spectacular fall color in the region. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Indianapolis, the most populous city in Indiana, strikes a perfect balance between its sports-loving culture and an appreciation for the arts. Its outdoor spaces, particularly the Urban White River State Park (pictured), make it one of the Midwest's most vibrant cities.

Indiana's Amish Country in the northern part of the state is delightfully relaxed, perfect for a weekend getaway from the city filled with quilt tours, antique sales and comfort food. ECCVB

The Indiana State Capitol, located in Indianapolis, is one of only a handful of state government buildings in the nation where all three branches of the government operate. The building, completed in 1888, features a stunning stained glass rotunda window made from German glass. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Indiana, the 19th state of the Union, is a little bit of everything: rural (Amish country) and cosmopolitan (Indianapolis), serene (Tibetan temples) and fast-paced (the Indy 500). No one knows for sure why it's called the Hoosier State, but it's inarguably a unique and often surprising destination. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Young (and young-at-heart) visitors to Indiana will find the world's largest children's museum in the state capital. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis features five floors of interactive exhibits, including a sizable collection of dinosaur fossils. Lavengood Photography

Located in the harbor of Michigan City on Lake Michigan, the Michigan City East Light is one of the area's most recognizable landmarks and one of the few Great Lakes lighthouses with an iron walkway above the pier. Indiana Office of Tourism Developmen

Lively Bloomington, located 53 miles south of Indianapolis, is home to Indiana University and a very walkable (or bike-able) town center packed with restaurants, boutiques, college bars and bookstores. Visit Bloomington

On Lake Michigan's southern shore, Indiana Dunes State Park protects more than three miles of sandy beach and rolling dunes, which attract swimmers, hikers, cyclers and campers throughout the warmer months. Joseph Lax-Salinas, Getty Images/iStockphoto

Mount Baldy is the tallest moving sand dune in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and a perfect spot to watch the sunset. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Funky and eclectic Fountain Square, a neighborhood located just southeast of downtown Indy, is a one-stop destination for antique shopping, art galleries, live music and one-of-a-kind shopping. The historic Fountain Square Theatre, built in 1928, got its start as a vaudeville and motion picture theater. Lavengood Photography

Indiana is most certainly a sports-loving state, but no event here is more iconic than the annual Indy 500. The Greatest Spectacle in Racing takes place each year at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has become the largest single-day spectator sporting event in the world.

The Midwestern United States might not be the first place you'd think to look for Tibetan Buddhist culture, but Bloomington is actually home to a Kalachakra Stupa, a monument dedicated to the Dalai Lama in 1999 as a symbol of world peace. Visit Bloomington

At the 26-acre Lilly House & Gardens, visitors can tour the former mansion of J.K. Lilly Jr., an Indianapolis philanthropist and businessman. The home, restored to how it looked in its 1930s glory days, now functions as a historic house museum. Indianapolis Museum of Art

The University of Notre Dame in South Bend is dotted with worthwhile attractions and beautiful architecture, including the famous (if dully named) Main Building with its Golden Dome.

Park County is known as Indiana's Covered Bridge Capital. Pictured here is Philips Covered Bridge, a single-span King Post bridge built in 1909. Indiana Office of Tourism Development

Golfers who vacation in Indiana will find nearly 470 courses to choose from throughout the state. The Pete Dye-designed Plum Creek Golf Club (pictured) features a par 72 layout. VisitIndy.com

The Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres, housed within a round barn from 1911, is home to a professional theater company who perform musicals from Broadway's golden age. They've put on over 100 productions to date. Indiana Office of Tourism Development

The stunning sandstone gorges found within Turkey Run State Park represent hundreds of millions of years of Indiana's natural history. Indiana Office of Tourism Development

Cataract Falls in Owen County includes the largest waterfall by volume in the state of Indiana. The Upper Falls (pictured) drop 20 feet, while the Lower Falls further downstream plummet 18 feet. Kenneth Keifer, Getty Images/iStockphoto