Instead of Palm Springs, This Indiana Town is Where You Should Take Your Next Trip

Are you thinking about planning a trip to Palm Springs, California, this summer, but finding it both too expensive and too crowded? I get it. Palm Springs has a magnetic pull. The desert light. The mountains. The swimming pools. Most of all, the architecture. Few places capture the optimism of the Mid-Century Modern movement quite like Palm Springs, where sharp rooflines, walls of glass, and daring geometric shapes turned a desert resort town into a design icon. Looking for an Indiana town like Palm Springs? Let me point you toward a place that makes a surprisingly strong case.

I’ll give you a second to remove your jaw from the floor, and then I’m going to give you a little lesson on what I call the Mid-Century Modern capital of the Midwest: Columbus, Indiana. Located about 40 miles south of Indianapolis, Columbus delivers something Palm Springs lovers crave: world-class modernist architecture around nearly every corner, without the resort prices, traffic jams, and competition for brunch reservations.

Why This Town Feels Like Palm Springs

When it comes to art and architecture, Columbus, Indiana, and Palm Springs, California, are unexpectedly cut from the exact same cloth. Though separated by thousands of miles and dramatically different landscapes, both communities built their identities around the bold ideas of the Mid-Century Modern era. Flat rooflines. Clean geometric forms. Massive expanses of glass. Minimal ornamentation. Both towns embraced these ideas so completely that they became living museums of twentieth-century design.

The list of architectural talent reads like a hall of fame. Columbus, Indiana, features works by Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Robert Venturi, César Pelli, Richard Meier, and Harry Weese. Palm Springs became famous through the work of Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, and Donald Wexler. The difference is fascinating. Palm Springs built architectural masterpieces for leisure. Columbus built them for everyday life.

In Columbus, a bank by Eero Saarinen became a National Historic Landmark. A library by I.M. Pei anchors downtown. Churches, schools, and public buildings received the same level of architectural attention that luxury homes received in Palm Springs.

What You Can Do Here

Architecture drives the experience (big surprise). The Miller House and Garden ranks among the most celebrated residential designs in America. First Christian Church, designed by Eliel Saarinen, helped introduce modern religious architecture to the country in 1942. North Christian Church features a dramatic 192-foot spire that still turns heads decades later.

Public art appears throughout the city. You can stand beneath Henry Moore's Large Arch, admire works by Dale Chihuly, or watch Jean Tinguely's kinetic sculpture Chaos I spring into motion.

Columbus also offers a pleasant outdoor side. The People Trails network includes more than 30 miles of paved pathways weaving through the city. Mill Race Park provides riverside scenery where the Driftwood and Flatrock Rivers join to form the White River.

Food leans heavily into Midwestern comfort and local tradition. Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor has operated since 1900 and still features marble counters and a magnificent orchestrion, which is an automatic musical instrument that sounds like an entire orchestra. For dinner, Upland Pump House serves local craft beer and elevated pub fare inside a restored brick pumping station overlooking the river.

Why It's an Even Better Choice

Palm Springs excels at glamour. Columbus excels at accessibility. You won't spend your vacation searching for parking or navigating crowds. Hotel rates are generally lower, attractions cluster close together, and the downtown area is easy to explore on foot.

Among the many underrated and best small towns in Indiana, Columbus stands apart because it offers something genuinely rare. Few communities can claim seven National Historic Landmarks and dozens of architecturally significant buildings.

The city also feels remarkably authentic. These buildings were not created as tourist attractions. They were built for residents, students, churchgoers, and workers, which gives Columbus a lived-in character that many destination cities struggle to maintain.

Plan Your Visit

Spring and fall offer the best weather for architecture tours and outdoor exploration, though summer works well too.

Architecture enthusiasts should schedule a guided architecture tour and bring comfortable walking shoes. Many of the city's most famous landmarks stand within a compact area, making it easy to explore several in a single day. Columbus is truly one of the most surprising hidden gem towns in Indiana.

If you're looking for towns similar to Palm Springs, California, consider looking east instead of west. Visit Indiana. Spend time touring the Miller House and Garden, one of the great masterpieces of American residential design. Wander through downtown, admire buildings created by some of the world's most influential architects, and make your Midwest Palm Springs dreams come true. After all, if what drew you to Palm Springs was the magic of Mid-Century Modern architecture, Columbus may be the surprise destination you've been searching for all along.