Fort Wayne, Indiana: A Great City for Family Fun!

The historic beginnings of Fort Wayne, Indiana, make it an exciting and educational place to visit, as well as offering many attractions that provide family fun and entertainment. The city is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne who built a fort at the convergence of three rivers in 1794. A full scale replica of the fort commemorates the pioneer heritage of Fort Wayne. As railroads emerged, Fort Wayne was a key position on the great Pennsylvania Railroad, and industry flourished as immigrants came to the area seeking employment. Fort Wayne has grown to a population of 230,000, and offers cultural attractions, arts, and theater that rival those of the United States' larger metropolitan cities. The rich heritage of Fort Wayne and the many attractions it offers make the city an excellent vacation destination for families with children.

The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is ranked as one of the top ten zoos in the U.S. by Child Magazine. Located on 306-acre Franke Park, you can enjoy over 1500 animals on your visit. At Sea Lion Beach, you can watch playful sea lions both above and below the water as they splash in a natural setting. The kids will enjoy riding a scaled replica of an 1863 C.P. Huntington locomotive through the grounds of Franke Park. The African Journey sky ride transports you above an enclosure that contains lions and zebras roaming free in a naturalized environment. The African Village lets you visit giraffes, monkeys, leopards and birds. The Australian Adventure takes you on a relaxing river ride through the Outback where you will see dingoes, the wild dogs of Australia, and eastern grey kangaroos.

The Lincoln Museum contains the world's largest private collection of Lincoln artifacts, including a original, signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13^th Amendment, and more than 300 other original Lincoln documents. You can also view many other 19^th century documents, newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and period artifacts including Lincoln family belongings. Opened to the public in 1931, the museum's mission is to preserve the legacy and heritage of Abraham Lincoln.

The African/African American Historical Museum contains exhibits that preserve the black heritage of Fort Wayne. Displays are dedicated to William E. Warfield, the publisher of the first black newspaper in Fort Wayne. His diaries contain accurate accounts of the information of the day from the years 1909 to 1936. Other local black inventors, politicians, sports legends, musicians and 18^th century black heroes are remembered and honored with exhibits.

Science Central is "Indiana's Playground for the Mind." This interactive museum has hands-on exhibits that educate visitors about an enormous variety of science topics, including space exploration, geology, weather observation, physics, optical illusions, ocean life, and technology. Your children can pretend they are real meteorologists, ride a bike on a rail 2 stories in the air (don't worry, they can't fall), experience 1/6 of the earth's gravity in the Moon Jump, lift themselves with block-and-tackle combinations, and many other exciting activities. They'll have so much fun they won't realize they're learning at the same time!

The Three Rivers Festival is held every July. This nine-day event celebrates the heritage of Fort Wayne with an arts fair, children's activities, senior events, a parade, national acts, concessions, a marketplace and other activities which add up to family fun! Most of the events are free to the public. The attendance each year is estimated at 500,000, second only to the Indy 500 Festival in the state of Indiana.

Fort Wayne offers so many other attractions that there's sure to be something that every person in the family will enjoy.

Here are some more interesting facts about the great city of Fort Wayne, Indiana:

Fort Wayne is the birthplace of the NBA Detroit Pistons and the home of the Fort Wayne Daisies, the professional women's baseball team featured in the movie "A League of Their Own."

Smith & Street's Sports Business Journal named Fort Wayne, Indiana, as America's #1 minor sports league city in 2007.

Fort Wayne is home to Vera Bradley bags and Debrand's Fine Chocolates.

The largest public genealogical research library in the U.S. is located in Fort Wayne.

The actual grave of Johnny Appleseed is in Fort Wayne, and he is honored with a yearly festival.

The washing machine, juke box, calculator, baking soda, refrigerator, breathalyzer, and television were all invented in Fort Wayne.

Nicknames for Fort Wayne include the Summit City, City of Churches, City of Restaurants, and the City That Saved Itself. It has been named an All-American City three times!

Once you visit Fort Wayne, you'll find so much to do that you'll want to come back. You might love it so much you want to stay! And you can't afford not to; according to the 3^rd Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Study of 2007, Fort Wayne, Indiana is the city with the most affordable housing market in the United States (and four other countries)!