Fort Wayne, IN
A 1952 Valentine diner, built in Wichita and wandering Fort Wayne corners ever since; it has been Noah's Ark, Paul's, and Marge's, and since 1990 it is Cindy's, restored and parked downtown on West Berry. Fifteen stools, and the slogan owns it: we serve the whole world, 15 at a time. Order the Garbage, the house specialty of hash browns, ham, eggs, onions, and cheese fried together on the flattop, and take a donut from the Murphy's Dime Store machine that has run since 1997. Featured in Travel and Leisure in February 2026. The catch that matters: open Monday through Friday only, 6 am to 2 pm, closed weekends entirely, so this is a weekday run. Smith Field itself has been flying since 1925, one of Indiana's oldest fields.
One of America's oldest surviving airports — listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Commissioned in 1925 as Paul Baer Municipal Airport, it was Fort Wayne's first municipal airport. In 1941, when the Army Air Corps built a new airfield south of town, the names swapped: the new military field became Baer Field (now KFWA) and the old field was renamed Smith Field after Fort Wayne airmail pioneer Art Smith. During WWII, Hangar 2 became a production center for the TDR-1 Assault Drone — an early unmanned cruise missile. Famous visitors over the decades include Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, Jimmy Doolittle, Eddie Rickenbacker, "Wrong Way" Corrigan, and Wiley Post in his Lockheed Vega "Winnie Mae." The historic Hangar 2 features rare Truscon Steel doors and is the future home of the National Airmail Museum. The Carousel Hangar is the only example of Clark W. Smith's patented rotating-door design ever built. Sweet Aviation operates the FBO with full services, flight training, and aircraft rental.
One of America's rarest surviving early-20th-century airport hangars. Built in 1930 with massive Truscon Steel Company doors — the only example of their kind in the country at the time. During WWII, the hangar produced TDR-1 Assault Drones, an early version of the cruise missile. Famous visitors over the decades included Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, Jimmy Doolittle, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Wiley Post. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The future home of the National Airmail Museum, which signed an MOU in 2024 to lease and restore the hangar — they need to raise $5M+ to complete the project. Tour the field by ground after landing — the Carousel Hangar is the only example of Clark W. Smith's patented rotating-door design ever built.
The St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers join to form the Maumee River right in downtown Fort Wayne — a striking three-rivers confluence visible on approach to either KSMD or KFWA. The historic Old Fort site (a reconstructed 1815 fort) marks Fort Wayne's namesake. Promenade Park along the river has reinvented the downtown waterfront. Fort Wayne — Indiana's second-largest city — has the most extensive park system per capita of any major Midwest city, much of it along the rivers and visible from above.
One of the world's great automotive museums, housed in the original 1929 Auburn Automobile Company headquarters — a stunning Art Deco landmark, itself a National Historic Landmark. Over 130 vehicles spanning the Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg legacy: cars so beautiful and powerful they were the choice of Hollywood (Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Mae West) and royalty in the 1930s. The Cord 810 is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Every Labor Day weekend, the Auburn Auction draws 100,000+ collector car enthusiasts to town. The museum sits less than a mile from KGWB — easy crew car distance.
The only museum in the world dedicated to the office of Vice President of the United States. Located in former VP Dan Quayle's hometown of Huntington, IN, the museum covers all 49 (and counting) Vice Presidents — from John Adams to the present. Quirky, unexpected, and surprisingly thorough — most visitors leave knowing more about the second-most-important office than they ever expected. A worthwhile detour for political and history fans.