An Accessible 48 Hours in Fort Wayne, Indiana

If someone told me a year ago that Fort Wayne, Indiana, would be one of the most accessible travel experiences I would ever come across as a wheelchair user, I would have told them they were crazy. Fort Wayne was never on my radar as a travel destination. However, the city applied for the Good Housekeeping Family Travel Awards in 2024, and I was one of the panelists sent to evaluate the destination for its accessibility and family friendliness. Even better? I got to bring along my two teenage sons to make the experience as authentic as possible. What followed was one of the easiest, most pleasant, and most fun accessible travel experiences I’ve had in the U.S.  

Located at the confluence of three rivers in northeastern Indiana, Fort Wayne isn’t a huge city — the second largest in the state — and is not really considered a major vacation destination despite all the family-friendly activities that are available during the warmer parts of the year. 

One of my biggest worries when traveling, especially with my boys, is the availability of accessible transportation. Much of Fort Wayne’s central city is rollable, but we did need transportation for attractions that were farther out. The city has a public bus system, and we were able to take advantage of the Community Transportation Network (CTN) for wheelchair accessible vans and drivers to help us get around. When we weren’t using a vehicle, downtown was very easy to navigate, with wide and well-maintained sidewalks and, in some cases, no curbs at all. Here’s a great way to spend 48 hours in Fort Wayne as a wheelchair user. 

Day 1 

Start your first day in Fort Wayne with a delicious breakfast at The Bradley Hotel, a stylish lynchpin of the downtown’s revitalization. Then you can either take the bus or book an accessible CTN van to take you to Fort Wayne Zoo. It’s consistently named one of the nation’s top 10 zoos for kids, cares for more than 1,400 animals, and participates in 63 cooperative species survival plans. It’s just as fun for adults as it is for children. I thoroughly enjoyed feeding a giraffe from my wheelchair. It is situated on a hill, so manual chair users might have to work a little bit, but the walkways are wide and easy to maneuver. 

Keep that family and inner-child vibe going by heading over to Science Central, Fort Wayne’s science museum. Located inside Fort Wayne’s first publicly run power plant, the museum contains over 200 hands-on exhibits and live science demonstrations. You can even get a tour of the solar system in the “Science on a Sphere” theater. Most of the interactive exhibits can be enjoyed from a wheelchair. For planning purposes, the facility has a spacious accessible bathroom with an adult changing table on the second floor. 

You can use CTN or roll for about 15 minutes to Promenade Park for some downtime. This beautiful park is situated right on the St. Marys River and has an accessible treetop walkway, multilevel accessible ramps for its terraced river overlook, a splash pad, playground and picnic areas. Two of our favorite food spots from the trip — The Hoppy Gnome and Mercado on the Landing — are both within rolling distance of the waterfront and the Bradley. We visited The Hoppy Gnome twice for its do-it-yourself s’mores — complete with miniature tabletop roasting pit.  

As sunset approaches, at Promenade Park you can board the Sweet Breeze replica canal boat for a delightful river cruise. The boat is wheelchair accessible, and during your hourlong cruise, you’ll learn all about Fort Wayne’s history from the friendly guides, perhaps see some local wildlife, and enjoy some of the local architecture. You can also cross the historic bridge and get delicious ice cream or locally made chocolate next to an old rail car on the opposite side of the river. 

Day 2 

After breakfast, it’s time to roll through beautiful downtown Fort Wayne and explore its stunning murals. The city is home to hundreds of brilliant murals, sculptures and pieces of public art, and the collection is growing every day. The murals span alley walls and create a tapestry of story and color — definitely Instagram worthy! Many of the sculptures even serve as functional bike racks. You can find a guide to walk with you, or download information about the art to review as you go. 

To continue exploring the city’s art, roll just a few blocks to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. The collection is dedicated to American artists, with a good balance between modern and contemporary art pieces from its permanent collection and rotating exhibits. Check the museum’s website to see what’s on display, but make sure you visit their stunning Glass Wing. 

When you’re ready to switch from art to music, it’s time to head out to Sweetwater Sound, the largest retailer of audio instruments and equipment in the U.S. They only sell online, but at their headquarters in Fort Wayne, you can see and play with a wide variety of guitars, drums, pianos and keyboards, even horns and wind instruments. They also have every piece of sound and recording equipment you can possibly imagine.  

If time permits, you can head back to downtown for a brief visit to the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory. It contains three indoor gardens that encourage experiential learning and offer four annual exhibits that combine a fun and interactive visit with seasonal plants and beauty. Where else will you find a chocolate tree, cacti and palms under the same roof? 

If you’re visiting Fort Wayne during baseball season, you have to catch a TinCaps game. Named for folk legend Johnny Appleseed, who had ties to the area and was said to wear a tin pot as a hat, the team plays at Parkview Stadium, considered one of the best minor league venues in the country. It has plenty of affordable wheelchair seating and a nice indoor air-conditioned VIP area for premium ticket holders.  

Fort Wayne also hosts several incredibly popular festivals throughout the year, and we were lucky enough to be in town for the Three Rivers Festival, the city’s annual nine-day summer celebration. It includes live music all day each day, a big arts and crafts area, and plenty of food vendors. The whole festival wraps up with a fantastic fireworks display off the top of a downtown skyscraper.