Although Hesston is home
to some wonderful countryside and many u-pick produce farms, it's know best
for The Hesston Steam Museum. At the museum, an unusual outdoor attraction
in rural northern Indiana, nostalgia lovers can explore the bygone era of
the steam engine. Visitors can stroll among the machines that once furnished
power for a growing America or ride behind a genuine coal-fired steam locomotive
through 155 acres of meadows and forests on a two-mile railway line.
Known as an operating
museum of restored vintage equipment, the museum's collection includes trains,
an electric power plant, a 92-ton crane, a sawmill, traction engines and
stationary engines. Easily accessible from I-94 and the Indiana Toll Road,
the museum can be a convenient side trip or a special outing.
The museum opens with
its Whistle Stop Days on Memorial Day weekend. Hours are noon to 5 p.m.
on Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day. Labor Day weekend is the annual
date for Hesston's Steam and Power Show, a favorite of thousands each year
and recently named one of Indiana's Top 10 Festivals by Travel Agent Magazine.
During September and October, the museum is open Sundays from noon to 5
p.m. Train fares are $3 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under.
