The Best of Fort Wayne
Midwest hospitality, affordable cost of living, and a growing community of small business owners are putting Fort Wayne, Indiana on the map as an ideal place to live — you might even call it the Midwest’s best kept secret.
Whether you’re visiting for the day, the weekend, relocating there, or are already a proud resident of Fort Wayne looking to explore your own city, we’ve rounded up a list of our favorite just-for-fun destinations for days off, as well as day-to-day necessities.
Where to Get Your Coffee or Matcha Fix:
Utopian Coffee
A local coffee roaster with sustainable, regenerative practices, Utopian is in the process of opening a coffee lab at their new location on Calhoun. They'll be hosting coffee tastings by appointment, and giving tours of their roasting process.
Mocha Lounge
With locations both southwest and north, Mocha Lounge has become a local favorite for your morning caffeine. They carry and use Tinker Coffee beans, and all of us outside of Indianapolis are so grateful that they do.
The Hive
Southwest on Homestead Road, this family-friendly coffee shop is a great spot for drinks to-go, or to hang out for a while.
Where You'll Become a Regular:
Mercado, on The Landing
This local latin spot has tacos that keep us coming back, time and time again. The staff is always friendly — you’ll be on a first-name basis with everyone before you know it.
Bravas
A local joint that takes burgers and hot dogs to a whole new level. Burgers and hot dogs not your thing? While they started as a food truck, their physical restaurant now serves a whole menu of tapas, perfect for sharing.
Dreaming Tree Cafe
A newer cafe to Southwest Fort Wayne, we love their proximity to all the best neighborhoods in Aboite Township, and their fresh-pressed juice.
Where to go for Date Night:
Catablu
One of the few restaurants located in Aboite Township, this local favorite is a Fort Wayne go-to. Don’t miss those cool Summer evenings when they open the glass doors and bring the outdoors, in.
Bistro Nota
A small bistro located around the corner from The Landing, this is a great, quiet spot for great food with a great date.
Rune
A cozy spot in the ‘07, we love the neighborhood vibe, and the beautiful plating.
Where to spend an evening with friends:
Ducky's
Like a grown-up bowling alley with actually amazing food. We love their tiki cocktails and casual atmosphere, and the fact that there’s a shared activity for everyone to enjoy together.
Spoke & Ivy
Located in the Main Street corridor, we love this spot when you’re looking for an evening to sit and talk over a long dinner. They also do a great Sunday brunch.
Urban Golf
The Fairfield is home to a variety of restaurants, event venues, and evening activities, including this great virtual golf simulator. A great spot to work on your swing.
Where to Find the Best Gifts & Musings:
Fancy & Staple
Carrying all your favorite national and local brands, Fancy & Staple is the go-to for unique, thoughtful gifts. Not only is their store completely beautiful, they also offer personalization, gift wrapping, and local delivery. You won't find a better shop than this one in Fort Wayne, or the surrounding area.
Hopscotch House
Carrying the cutest children's toys and apparel, this is a shop you'll want to come back to time, and time again. Children's shops are few and far between, so this is one you'll definitely want to support.
The Hedge
A local fine art printshop, this local letterpress shop has their own line(s) of stationery, jewelry, and artistic wares. Not only do they have a completely giftable product line, they also do custom wedding invitations.
Where to gather ingredients for that new Athena Calderone recipe you’re dying to try:
Antonuccio's Italian Market
An authentic Italian market that we're so lucky to have in our hometown. Not only do they carry imported Italian meats, cheeses, breads, cookies, and wines, they also have a deli that makes sandwiches and charcuterie boards to order, or to have in-store with a glass of wine.
Barr Street Market
Fort Wayne has a huge supply of local farms producing everything from meat and cheese to produce and local honey. Seriously, don't sleep on this perk of living here. The best place to meet them all? The Barr Street Market. A Fort Wayne favorite, the market happens outdoors on Barr Street from May to October, and moves indoors in the colder months.
Kuehnert Dairy
This local dairy farm is bringing back the tradition of having milk delivered to your home in old-school, glass bottles. They also deliver their butter and cheese curds, right to your door.
Where to take the whole family for some fun:
The Fort Wayne Zoo
Ranked one of the best zoos in the nation, this is a must when you are in Fort Wayne. They’re always adding new exhibits and rides, offer a slew of kid-friendly activities, and even participate in global and national conservation efforts for animal habitats.
Cook's Orchard
There are few more picturesque activitis than apple-picking in Indiana. We love that this orchard tells you what varieties they have ready, and they offer both u-pick and pre-picked fruit.
Where to get your nature fix and smell the roses — literally:
Lakeside Rose Gardens
A Fort Wayne landmark for over 100 years, this park has an incredible rose garden, home to rare varieties of roses, sourced from around the globe.
Foster Park
A very large park next to the St. Mary’s river, this is a great spot to go for a dog park, pickleball courts, a golf course, park pavilions, or just a beautiful walk.
The Botanical Conservatory
This lush, botanical garden is a beautiful place to view all varieties of rare horticulture. They also do lots of kid-friendly and family-friendly activities, making it a go-to for all ages.
Clearly there’s no shortage of things to do and see in Fort Wayne, making it — in our humble opinion — one of the best places to live, raise a family, and build a beautiful community.