What is Metamora? Metamora is a historic town in itself with over 50 shops, eateries and B&B's but also is home of the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site. The state of Indiana assumed management of a 14-mile section of the canal in 1946 and today operates a horse-drawn canal boat and the grist mill. The grist mill is still in operation, producing meal and flour, much as it has for more than 100 years.
Visitors can step back in time while taking a leisurely 25-minute cruise on the Ben Franklin III. Along the route they pass the Duck Creek Aqueduct, a covered bridge that carries the canal 16 feet over Duck Creek. It is believed to be the only structure of its kind in the nation.
With the charm of all the historical buildings, the appearance of days gone by, the shopping and the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site you are sure to experience a fun filled day or weekend discovering life as it was in the past. This is truly a one-of-a-kind town.
The most asked question about Metamora - When is Metamora open? People don't think of Metamora as a town but that is what it is. It is not an amusement park or a museum that opens and closes it's doors at a certain time. You can visit Metamora anytime just like you can visit any town. The State Historic Site operates on a schedule but the shop are all private owned properties and they determine their own schedule. There is no overseeing force that tells the shop owners when they must have their shops open.
The information below is provided to help you plan your amazing visit to Historic Metamora.
We have tried to provide you with everything you would need to know on this website but if you have questions or need more travel and tourist information about Metamora contact:
When you arrive in Metamora look for the flag. If any flag is flying in front of a building, you'll know that inside is a friendly shopkeeper ready to great you. A building not flying a flag is not open for business or it could be one of our town's private residences. Please respect the privacy of these shop owners and Metamora residents. Please see shop hours below for details on business hours.
Shops: Metamora is an actual town, not an amusement park or museum. It is not an incorporated town and cannot enforce any rules or requirements to shop owner as to the hours of availability. Because the Metamora Shops are owned and operated by individual shopkeepers the hours for the shops vary according to each individual shopkeepers preference. Because of this, we can't provide an exact number of shops open on a daily basis or the exact hours of business. Typically, you'll find more shops and eateries open May through Dec on the weekends but some are also open Tue - Friday. Almost all shops are closed on Mondays. If you want to know if a particular shop is open please contact them for their hours. The state facilities are open Wed - Sunday. You can get information for each individual shop by going to Shopping/Dining
Hours
Gristmill: Open April 3rd through mid-December, Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday, Tuesday, Easter, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, Primary Election Day, Election Day and Columbus Day. (765) 647-6512.
Boat Rides: Open May 1st through October 31st for rides. Wednesday through Sunday starting at noon and run on the hour. The last ride begins at 4 p.m. Every Saturday in June, July and August will have an additional 5 p.m ride. $5.00 Adults; $4.00 Sr. Citizens (60+); $2.00 Youth (4-11); Free to 3 and under. (765) 647-6512.
Shops: see info above in the Business section. We cannot provide hours for businesses.
During Christmas Walk you'll find many of the shops are closed during the week to prepare for the weekend.
Bus Tours
Personalized Tours
There is no central organization that must be contacted to arrange a tour to Metamora. However, the wise tour planner might consider the following:
To verify current visitor hours for the Grist Mill, and for the Canal boat rides, you should call the Department of Natural Resources office that operates these facilities at (765) 647-6512.
To determine current dates and times for special events please see our events page.
If you would like to schedule a personalized tour for your group please see the information page on tours.
Parking
Free parking is available along Main Street and in Duck Creek Plaza except during Canal Days. Paid parking is available right off Highway 52 at the entrance to Historic Metamora on Columbia Street and one west of Columbia at Wynn Street, and adjacent to the Metamora Volunteer Fire Department. Pay Parking fees vary according to the parking lot.
Free parking for cars as well as for Tour Buses and RV's and large vehicles is available in the State Museum office parking lot which is located at the top of the hill on Clayborn Street.
Post Office
During Christmas Walk the Post Office will be open extended hours.
State Historic Site Special Activities
K-12 School Tours May through October Cost is $1.50 per activity per person.
Students, in grades k- 12, will take a canal ride aboard the Ben Franklin III, visit our grist mill. Students also may participate in a horse hitching or rope making demonstration.
Preschool ProgramThe name of this program is “How the Little Red Hen May Have Taken Her Corn Meal to Market.” It is offered on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings during the months of May, June, July, August, September, and October from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m Cost is $5.00 per person
Preschool children (ages 3 to 6) will learn about different modes of transportation, learn about the past, present and future, explore simple machines, count objects up to three, and watch and listen to a story. The program consists of the following:
A canal boat ride and a tour of the grist mill
Learn and sing a canal song on the boat ride (give to the teachers beforehand to teach to their students before they arrive for tour.)
Interpreter will tell grist mill story and give demonstration. Children will watch the grinding of the corn.
Each child will be given corn to plant
Each child will complete a craft that they may take home.
Operations
The Historic site is operated by:
Whitewater Canal State Historic Site
19083 Clayborn St.
Metamora, IN 47030
765-647-6512
www.indianamuseum.org
Metamora shops and eateries are owned and operated by individual shopkeepers. There are no set business times. Please contact individual shop owners for hours.
Canal Days
There are 2 ways to rent space at Canal Days. One is from Historic Metamora and the other is from individual property owners.
Historic Metamora rents all the State property. This consist of the property along the canal and the Park. To rent these spaces you must sell handmade items or antiques. To rent these spaces all products have to be approved. You can download the vendor application at www.historicmetamora.pbworks.com. You can also Contact Historic Metamora via email.
Individual property owners. You must contact the property owner to rent space. If you are looking for space and do not know who to contact you can come to Metamora and talk to property owners or click here to send an email requesting information on space. The email will be sent to many of the property owners so you may be contacted by more than one.
