Best Indiana Gifts: 10 Indiana-Inspired Ideas for Home & Everyday Living
Every Memorial Day weekend, 33 cars line up on a 2.5-mile oval in Speedway, Indiana. The track opened in 1909 on farmland outside Indianapolis, and the fields never really went away. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 53,599 farms across 14.6 million acres of the state. Engines on one side, corn and soybeans on the other, and Hoosiers who wouldn't give up either one.
That pairing is the whole idea behind this collection of Indiana gifts. Seven pieces come from our own Indiana racing-and-farmlands artwork, printed on a mug, a tumbler, a travel mug, and four kinds of wall art. Three more are Amazon favorites we tracked down to round out the room: a state flag, an engraved bamboo board, and a hardcover history of Indianapolis. Between them, they cover the kitchen counter, the front porch, the living room wall, and the coffee table.
Maybe you grew up in Terre Haute and now live a few states away. Maybe you moved to Carmel last spring, and you're still working out which exit is which. Maybe you drove up for a weekend at the Dunes and came home with sand in your car and a new soft spot for the place. Any of those gets you on the list for these Indiana-themed products.
Indiana at a glance
Nickname and motto: The Hoosier State and the Crossroads of America (adopted as the motto in 1937).
Statehood: the 19th state, admitted on December 11, 1816.
State symbols: northern cardinal for the bird, peony for the flower, tulip tree for the tree.
State snack: Indiana-grown popcorn, named in 2021. The state also ranked first in popcorn production in the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
High point: Hoosier Hill, at 1,257 feet.
National park: Indiana Dunes, redesignated in 2019 as the 61st in the country and the first in Indiana.
1. Indiana - Racing Capital of the World & Farmlands Black Glossy Mug
January mornings in Indiana start with a furnace that clicks on before you do. October ones start with a combine working somewhere down the road. Either way, the first thing in your hand is a mug, so it may as well be a good one.
The black glossy finish does the heavy lifting here. Dark ceramic makes the racing-and-farmlands artwork stand out far more than white would, and the gloss catches kitchen light the way a freshly waxed hood does.
Ceramic construction, microwave and dishwasher-safe, so it holds up to a normal week
Standard C-handle for easy one-handed carrying from the counter to the porch
Two sizes: 11oz for a single cup, 15oz for the person who refills before leaving the kitchen
Indiana insider tip: Brown County State Park turns gold and orange in October, with peak color usually landing around mid-month. Go on a weekday if you can. RVs and trailers need the west gate off State Road 46, because the north entrance runs through a covered bridge with a 9-foot clearance.
2. Indiana - Racing Capital of the World & Farmlands Stainless Steel Tumbler
Indiana weather doesn't do subtle. July afternoons in Indianapolis sit in the mid-80s with humidity to match, and January lows hover near 20 degrees. Up along Lake Michigan, South Bend and Valparaiso take lake-effect snow that leaves them with a lot more white stuff than the capital sees. Whatever you're drinking has to survive all of it.
This tumbler has double-wall vacuum insulation, which keeps cold drinks cold for 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 12. The stainless steel body is BPA-free and easy to clean, and the sweat-free exterior means no puddle on the car seat and no slipping out of a gloved hand at a January tailgate. Fill it with ice before the gates open on race day and it'll still be cold when the last car crosses the line.
3. Indiana - Racing Capital of the World & Farmlands Travel Mug
Indiana got its Crossroads of America motto in 1937 because highways kept running through it, and the state has only gotten busier since. A travel mug earns its place in a state like that.
Fits standard vehicle cup holders, so it rides along on any Hoosier commute
The lid seals properly, which matters on gravel county roads
Carries the full Indiana racing-and-farmlands artwork
Keeps your drink at the right temperature through a long drive and holds up in a day pack
Indiana insider tip: Parke County, roughly 90 minutes from Indianapolis, holds 31 covered bridges and runs a ten-day Covered Bridge Festival that begins on the second Friday of October. The roads fill up fast. Start early and pick a handful of bridges instead of chasing all 31.
Quick guide: which Indiana product fits you?
If You Love... | Pick This | Why It Works |
Slow mornings and a strong cup | Black Glossy Mug (#1) | Dark ceramic makes the artwork stand out |
Ice water at a July ballgame | Stainless Steel Tumbler (#2) | Cold for 24 hours, hot for 12 |
Long drives on county roads | Travel Mug (#3) | Spill-resistant lid, cup-holder friendly |
A budget-friendly wall refresh | Poster (#4) | Ships flat, arrives ready to frame |
A housewarming gift | Framed Poster (#5) | Hanging hardware is already included |
A living room focal point | Canvas (#6) | Gallery-wrapped, no frame to buy |
A bold, modern look | Metal Prints (#7) | High-gloss aluminum with a floating mount |
4. Indiana - Racing Capital of the World & Farmlands Poster
Hoosier Hill, the highest point in Indiana, tops out at 1,257 feet. The state never had to go vertical to make an impression. Its best views run horizontal: a long field under a wide sky, a straightaway that goes on a bit longer than your eye expects.
This poster puts that on your wall. It's printed on premium paper with true-to-life color and ships flat, so it arrives without a crease. Several sizes mean you can fill a gallery wall, brighten a home office, or cover the bare spot next to the bookshelf. It's also the easiest way to start a collection: hang it today, frame it later, and add a mug to the box when it's time to gift it.
5. Indiana - Racing Capital of the World & Farmlands Framed Poster
Some gifts should be finished before anyone wraps them. The framed poster arrives ready to hang, with hardware included, so there's no trip to the frame shop and no debate over mat colors. The frame suits modern rooms and rustic ones, which helps when the gift might land in a farmhouse outside Kokomo or a loft in downtown Indianapolis.
Give it for a housewarming, or mail it to the Hoosier who moved away and needs one corner of home on a new wall. It's the item in this guide that most often travels in a box to somebody's new address.
6. Indiana - Racing Capital of the World & Farmlands Canvas
Canvas softens things. The slight texture of the surface gives farm fields a painted look, closer to a gallery piece than a print, and it's hard to match that warmth on paper.
The canvas is gallery-wrapped, so the image carries around the edges, and there's no frame to buy. It arrives ready to display; it's light enough to hang without a stud finder and a prayer, and it comes in multiple sizes, from a statement piece for the wall above the sofa to a smaller accent for a hallway. Hang it where the light shifts through the afternoon. The colors change with it.
Indiana bucket list: where to see it in person
Indiana Dunes National Park: About 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Next door, Indiana Dunes State Park runs the Three Dune Challenge, a roughly mile-and-a-half climb over Mount Jackson, Mount Holden, and Mount Tom, which tops out at 192 feet.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway: A 36-inch strip of the original 1909 bricks still crosses the start-finish line. The museum on the grounds opened in 1956.
Brown County State Park: Nearly 16,000 acres, nicknamed the "Little Smokies," with close to 20 miles of tree-lined roads for the fall drive.
Parke County covered bridges: Thirty-one of them, many of which you can drive straight through.
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Monument Circle: The glassed-in observation deck sits 231 feet up, and on a clear day you can pick out the Statehouse from there.
7. Indiana - Racing Capital of the World & Farmlands Metal Prints
If the canvas is soft, the metal print is the opposite. The design is printed on aluminum with a high-gloss finish that makes color look lit from behind. It resists moisture and scratches, so it suits rooms that get a little messy: a garage, a basement bar, a mudroom that sees real mud.
A floating mount holds it off the wall for a gallery look, and the whole piece stays lightweight despite the solid build. Pick this one for a home office or a finished basement, or for the person who wants their Indiana pride to read from across the room.
Why Indiana gifts land so well
Nobody knows where the word "Hoosier" came from. Writer Meredith Nicholson, who lived from 1866 to 1947, argued the origin matters less than the people who wear the name. That's about right. Indiana's pride tends to show up in small, specific things: a sugar cream pie that's the unofficial state pie, a flag flying over a front porch, a mug that gets used every morning.
A gift with a state's name on it says you noticed. These suit a lot of people:
Hoosiers who moved away and want a piece of home on a new wall
New Indiana homeowners turning a house into a place that feels local
Racing fans who host the same watch party every Memorial Day weekend
Students at Bloomington, West Lafayette, or Muncie missing the fields back home
Retirees and grandparents on a farm outside Lafayette, who've seen it all and still like being reminded
8. DMSE Indiana State Flag, 3ft x 5ft - Vivid Colors & Crisp Seal Details - Lightweight 100D Polyester with Quad-Stitched Edges (3ft x 5ft)
The Indiana flag fits a lot into one field of blue. Mooresville artist Paul Hadley won a statewide contest with the design, and the legislature adopted it on May 31, 1917. A gold torch sits at the center, ringed by 13 stars for the original colonies. Five more stars curve beneath the flame for the states admitted before Indiana, and the large star above the torch is Indiana itself, the 19th.
This one comes from DMSE Wholesale. It measures 3ft x 5ft and uses lightweight 100D polyester that lifts in a light breeze. Quad-stitched edges mean four rows of stitching along the fly side, which keeps the outer end from fraying in hard wind, and two metal grommets make it simple to mount on a porch bracket or a garage pole. The listing describes the colors as fade-resistant, which counts for a lot on a flag that lives outdoors through four seasons. Fine gold detail is the point of this design, so crisp printing matters.
⚡ Grab this Indiana State Flag now
9. Totally Bamboo A Slice of Life Indiana Engraved Map Cutting Board
Before this board holds any food, it's already a small map of the state. Laser-engraved artwork marks towns and sights from Evansville in the southwest to Gary on the lakeshore, with Fort Wayne, Terre Haute, South Bend, and Hoosier National Forest along the way. As the cheese and crackers disappear, more of the map shows through.
The board measures 11 inches by 8.75 inches by half an inch and is made from Moso bamboo, a renewable material that grows back quickly after harvest. Flip it over, and the blank side is a smooth, knife-friendly cutting surface. It's hand-wash only, and it comes with a postcard-style state tag. Set a bowl of Indiana popcorn next to it, and you've covered the state snack and the serving board in one spot. It's a sensible add-on to the Black Glossy Mug (#1) for a housewarming basket.
⚡ Grab this Indiana Engraved Map Cutting Board now
10. Indianapolis Then and Now®: An Illustrated History of the Circle City from Naptown to the Motor Speedway
The Circle City nickname goes back to the 1821 plan for Indianapolis, which put a circle at the center of a mile-square grid. This hardcover from author Nelson Price follows that story through paired photographs: archive images set beside modern ones of the same spots, so you can see what stayed, what changed, and what got rebuilt.
Price is a journalist and historian who lives in a historic downtown neighborhood and teaches journalism. The pages cover the Indiana Statehouse, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Lockerbie Square, and the Federal Building, then move to newer places like the Monon Trail and Circle Centre. The city picked up the nicknames Naptown and "India-NO-place" between the 1950s and the 1970s, and the book tracks the rebound that followed in the 1990s, when downtown got its spark back. Put it on a coffee table beside the framed poster, and the corner is done.
⚡ Grab this Indianapolis Then and Now Hardcover now
Indiana doesn't ask for attention. It idles at the line, then it goes. The fields get planted on schedule, the cars get lined up, and Sunday dinner still happens at the same table. These ten gifts follow that same steadiness: a mug you'll reach for at 6 a.m., a flag that flies through every season, a board that sits out at every gathering, and a book that makes the capital feel a little more like a hometown.
Pick one for yourself or send one to somebody who misses the place. The state has a way of staying with people, and a good gift helps it stay in view.
How Hoosier are you? A quick quiz
You've spent a Memorial Day weekend with the 500 on the radio or TV
You've eaten a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich that hung well past the bun
You can explain sugar cream pie without looking it up
You've gotten sand in your shoes at the Indiana Dunes
You've driven through a covered bridge in Parke or Brown County
You've heard three theories about where "Hoosier" came from and believed at least two
Results:
6/6: Hoosier through and through.
4-5: Native-level, even if you've been gone a while.
2-3: Transplant with one foot in the cornfield already.
0-1: You need more Indiana in your life. Start with a mug.
Got a back road, diner, or fall drive you'd never give up? Tell us in the comments, because we're collecting favorites.
Best Indiana-Inspired Gifts
Best Indiana-Inspired Gifts
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