The best road trip stops on the Indianapolis to St Louis drive are the Candles Holocaust Museum, Casey and Greenville. The distance from Indianapolis to St Louis by car is 242 miles, with a 3h40m driving time.
Planning an Indianapolis to St Louis road trip itinerary
The drive from Indianapolis to St Louis takes you from Indiana’s biggest city, across Illinois and into Missouri.
The capital of Indiana marries big city energy with country charm.
Top attractions in Indianapolis include the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Worthwhile Indianapolis experiences include a Fountain Square food tour and a walking tour around the city’s highlights.
5 great St Louis experiences to book
- 🌆 Take a small group tour of the Gateway Arch – including tickets to the top.
- 🚢 Combine a visit to the Gateway Arch with a river cruise.
- 📸 At the Museum of Illusions, get reels of cool social media photos.
- 👻 Discover the dark side of St Louis on an evening ghost tour.
- 🍽️ On a food and history walking tour, learn about the flavours and stories of St Louis.
St Louis is one of America’s great crossroads cities. The major landmark is the 630ft-tall Gateway Arch, which visitors can go to the top of. Other top attractions include Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, plus the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and Old Courthouse in the city.
Good St Louis experiences include highlight-packed trolley tours, true crime walking tours and small group tours that include going to the top of the St Louis Arch and a Mississippi River cruise.
Indianapolis to St Louis distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Indianapolis to St Louis is 242 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and 40 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-70.
The best stops to add to an Indianapolis to St Louis road trip itinerary are the Candles Holocaust Museum, plus Casey and Greenville in Illinois.
Indianapolis to St Louis road trip attractions: Candles Holocaust Museum
The Candles Holocaust Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, aims to keep the horrors of the Holocaust fresh in the memory, and give voice to the survivors.
The key exhibit is the Dimensions In Testimony Interactive Theater, where survivors answer hundreds of questions about their experience. The innovation here is that it feels conversational and viewers can ask their own questions.
Best stops between Indianapolis and St Louis: Casey, Illinois
Casey, Illinois, is possibly the silliest town in the US. It has decided that its niche is going to be making Big Things, and displaying them by the side of the road. That means you can see the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, the World’s Largest Pitchfork, the World’s Largest Golf Tee and several other record-breakers.
Not all are officially the biggest on the planet, but you can also see the Big Rocking Horse, the Big Taco and the Big Anvil.
Indianapolis to St Louis drive: Greenville, Illinois
There are a few half-decent attractions in Greenville, Illinois. The Bond County Museum does the local history thing, while the Richard W Bock Sculpture Museum covers artistic leanings.
Perhaps most enjoyable, however, is the American Farm Heritage Museum. It celebrates rural life, but also has a mile of train track and a reconstructed fort amongst all the tractors.
