BY NICOLE THOMAS

Nicknamed the “Queen City of the Wabash,” Terre Haute is the largest city in the Wabash Valley, which spans Indiana and Illinois. The city is best known as the birthplace of the iconic Coca-Cola bottle, which the Root Glass Company designed in 1915.

Indiana’s other state ‘Bird’

Larry Bird, who is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, attended Indiana State University. He led the Sycamores before beginning his NBA career with the Boston Celtics and later coaching the Indiana Pacers. The Larry Bird Museum, which opened in Terre Haute in 2024, celebrates his legacy through rare memorabilia from his high school, college, and professional years, as well as interactive exhibits and interviews with coaches, teammates, and rivals. Admission is free, and the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Terre Haute’s ghostly mascot

Stiffy Green was an English Bulldog known for faithfully guarding his owner, John G. Heinl’s, grave at Highland Lawn Cemetery in the early 1900s. After Stiffy Green’s death, visitors began reporting
seeing his glowing green eyes and hearing his barks inside the cemetery’s mausoleum. Today, Terre Haute celebrates the local legend with the Stiffy Green trail. Visitors can enjoy a Stiffy Green IPA at the Terre Haute Brewing Company, Stiffy Green pickles at Copper Bar, and murals honoring the canine at Charlie’s Pub & Grub and J. Ford’s Black Angus. 

Tap into history

In the late 1800s, the Terre Haute Brewing Company became the seventh-largest brewery in the country. Its flagship lager, Champagne Velvet, grew into one of Indiana’s most popular beers. After closing during the Prohibition Era, the brewery reopened in 1934, and Champagne Velvet became its first canned beer. Ownership changed in the 1950s, and the Champagne Velvet trademark was sold to a Chicago company. The city’s brewing heritage was revived in 1990 when resident Mike Rowe discovered a 1902 Champagne Velvet recipe and founded a new Terre Haute Brewing Company in its original building. While the recipe was eventually sold to Upland Brewing Company, visitors can still explore Terre Haute’s brewing legacy on its Brewery District Walking Tour and Tasting, including a visit to the Prohibition-era tunnels beneath M. Mogger’s Restaurant & Pub. 

City facts

FOUNDED: 1816

NAMED FOR: Named for the French phrase “terre haute,” meaning “highland” 

POPULATION: 58,389