LAFAYETTE — School’s out for summer.
That means cities with college campuses across the country are typically more laid back and quiet.
Two cities in Tippecanoe County, Lafayette and West Lafayette, are known as the Home of Purdue.
“They’re two cities. Two mayors. Separated by the Wabash River," Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette President Jo Wade said.
Wade says summer is a great time to check out Greater Lafayette's three districts — Chauncey Village, Arts and Market and Wabash Riverfront.
“You could explore the campus, and the buildings at your own ease. You don’t have to worry about that changing of classes and tons of students trying to get to their next class," Wade said. “Our downtown has galleries, local restaurants and theaters and then we have a lot of festivals that go on in our downtown.”
Some of those summer festivals include Downtown Blues and Jazz Festival, Beers Across the Wabash and OUTfest.
Over at Sacred Grounds Reclaimed, business is a family affair.
“We raised all of our kids in here. In the coffee shop," Manager Trent O'Brien said.
They’re known for nontraditional flavors like Boozy gingerbread or strawberry lychee.
And O'Brien says now’s a good time to try them out because things are more laid back.
“Right now, it’s slower because college kids are gone," O'Brien said.
Once you have your cup of joe in hand, another cool thing to check out is Lafayette's public art scene.
CEO of The Arts Federation Tetia Lee says Indiana’s first mural festival, Wabash Walls was established in 2018.
“With all the mural projects that we do, we want it to be reflective of the neighborhood and the residents that live in the area. So it’s a community based project," Lee said.
Wabash Walls is a public art initiative to rebuild and beautify the Wabash Avenue neighborhood.
There are over 100 murals across 14 counties in north central Indiana, but almost half of them are located in Lafayette.
Lee encourages visitors to go on a self-guided tour.
“This is very much a porch community and because of that personal relationship that these residents had with the artist, they have people come and tour this area. If they see someone out, the residents will tell them their personal story that they had with the artist," Lee said.
