Girls Trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne, Indiana, Girls Trip with great restaurants, things to do, attractions, festivals, and places to get a good drink while having an amazing time together.

Fort Wayne, Indiana Girls Trip

I am so excited to be back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for a 10-year reunion girls' trip! I visited Fort Wayne 10 years ago with a fun group of writers and had a blast.

We decided to plan a 10-year reunion trip to see all the updates and changes that have happened in this amazing city. Visit Fort Wayne collaborated with us to craft an epic girlfriends' getaway trip itinerary for Fort Wayne.

Day 1 - Gulf Shores, Alabama to Fort Wayne, Indiana

I flew out of Pensacola Airport early to get to Fort Wayne and have most of the day to explore and have fun.

The Fort Wayne Airport is being renovated and looks amazing. Super modern and comfortable while still being inviting.

I was amazed when I walked around a corner and saw two gentlemen handing out baskets of cookies to passengers before they walked out of the terminal.

The gentlemen told me they want to make sure we leave with a sweet treat and a smile. In all of the airports I have flown through around the world, this is the first time I have been gifted a cookie and a smile before leaving the airport.

I met up with Kristen from Visit Fort Wayne and headed to The Bradley Hotel to check in for the weekend.

From the moment I walked into The Bradley Hotel, I knew I was in for a fantastic stay. The hotel lobby is a mix of unique prints, colors, and designs that somehow all work together in a way my brain would never conceptualize.

The front desk staff is amazing! They are so welcoming and excited to have you check in to the hotel. I could have spent hours talking with them about Fort Wayne and the hotel.

When I walked into my room, I had to stop myself from faceplanting and taking a nap. The bed looked so inviting.

I managed to stop myself from napping, knowing that there was so much fun to be had exploring Fort Wayne and seeing all the updates that have been done.

One of my favorite things about Fort Wayne is the public art that is all over the city. Everywhere you look, there is a fantastic mural or piece of art that grabs your attention.

The city and local developers have done a great job of updating older buildings while maintaining a modern city that draws you in.

We walked from The Bradley over to The Landing, which is a pedestrian-only street lined with amazing Fort Wayne Restaurants.

There are so many great restaurants along The Landing that we are already trying to decide which ones to try over the next few days.

We decided to visit Mercado for lunch, and I am so glad we did. YUM!!!!!!!

Mercado has a fantastic vibe that makes you want to relax with a cold drink and their amazing chips and salsa.

I NEED you to try this Falafel Fajita Bowl. Oh my goodness, I could eat this every day and be so happy. Fried pinto bean falafel with pinto beans, elote, rice, fajita veggies, crema, and guac. Hello YUM!

Mercado makes all of their fruit syrups fresh in-house. They have fruit lemonades, including passion fruit and strawberry, with freshly made syrups, along with epic cocktails.

After an amazing lunch, we walked over to The Riverfront at Promenade Park, which was so cool to see. When we were here 10 years ago, we saw posters showing the vision for Promenade Park and what the city hoped to accomplish.

It felt like a far-off dream to have an amazing riverfront park finished in Fort Wayne. Today, that dream has come true and is a gorgeous family-friendly area that includes a play area, riverfront boat ride, kayak rentals, walking paths, relaxing seating, and so much more.

The city is focused on making sure the park is accessible for everyone. They want Fort Wayne to be open and accessible to everyone to enjoy.

Puffer Belly Ice Cream was a must-visit for a sweet treat. When they say they have the biggest single scoop ice cream in Fort Wayne...believe them!

Puffer Belly Ice Cream has the most amazing ice cream flavors I have seen in a long time. I went with Barking Pretzel and Lemon Bar in a puffy waffle cone, and it was sooooooooooo good.

Barking Pretzel includes brown sugar flavored ice cream swirled with a peanut butter swirl, chocolate-coated pretzel pieces, and salty pretzel bark pieces.

Lemon bar includes lemon-flavored ice cream with graham revel and lemon bar pieces.

I was tempted to get their rich and famous ice cream with famous cookie dough, chunks of brownies, and chocolate cookie revel all in vanilla ice cream, but stopped myself at a single scoop.

Yes, that scoop pictured above is a single scoop! OH MY!

Our next stop was Lumpkin Design Stained Glass Workshop and Gallery! This family-owned business has been in Fort Wayne for over 30 years.

They create stained glass art, along with restoring historical stained glass and other art pieces. One really cool thing we learned is that they are going to start offering glass-blowing events in Fort Wayne!

This would be an amazing addition to a conference or party in Fort Wayne. I think it would be so cool if they started offering date night events in their gallery.

I was utterly in awe of the size and scope of the stained glass projects they work on. The photo above is a drawing of a stained glass window they created.

One of the best examples of how Fort Wayne is utilizing historic buildings in a modern way is Electric Works.

This modern complex is housed in the original GE (General Electric) buildings from World War II. A $300 million renovation was done, creating a modern environment for office space, restaurants, and public events.

Union Street Market is a great space for new restaurants and local favorites with an open seating area. You can pick from a wide variety of food, drinks, and sweet treats to enjoy in the communal dining area.

There is paid parking next to Electric Works, making it really accessible and easy to visit. This is a great stop for a group to visit when everyone likes a different type of food, or you want to sample a bunch of restaurants at one time.

We headed to Proximo for dinner, and it was so good. I have to admit, we were having such a great conversation, catching up after 10 years, that I forgot to take photos of the restaurant interior.

This dinner served as a reminder of the importance of planning getaways with friends, allowing us to enjoy new places and catch up on life's latest developments.

Day 2 - Murals, Boutiques, Art, and Great Food

We kicked off a fun day in Fort Wayne with breakfast at Cindy's Diner. This small Fort Wayne Breakfast Restaurant is iconic and so cute!

You can't miss breakfast at Cindy's. There may be a wait since the restaurant can fit maybe 15 people at a time, but it is so worth it.

This is the 1st time I have ever ordered a plate of garbage at a restaurant and absolutely loved it. I didn't plan on finishing the entire plate, but all of a sudden, I looked down and there was nothing left. It was that good!

Cindy's is more than a breakfast restaurant it is an opportunity to have a fantastic experience with strangers.

Sitting at the counter with strangers who became our dining companions was so much fun. We laughed, talked, and learned about our new breakfast friends, both local and visitors to Fort Wayne.

For an hour, we were a community enjoying a delicious meal and a fantastic waitress who kept us caffeinated and laughing.

After breakfast, we decided to walk to a fun boutique and check our a few of the amazing murals spread around Downtown Fort Wayne.

A funny thing happened once we reached this Panda mural; we noticed another mural down the street and wandered over to it. This pattern continued for a couple of hours, with us wandering through alleys and streets, looking at amazing murals and street art.

The art scene in Fort Wayne is world-class! It is one of the best examples I have seen of a modern city embracing amazing murals and street art to enhance the character and joy in the city.

We realized we were near the Fort Wayne Visitor Center so we wandered in to look at their brochures and gift shop.

While we were in the Visitor Center, we learned they have a Fort Wayne Public Art Trail app that helps you find murals and earn points for visiting them. You can earn rewards for visiting the murals and exploring the city. You know I was all in on this! The opportunity to go on a mural scavenger hunt and earn points towards cute stickers and a keychain. Yes please!

They also have digital trails and apps for Allen County Historic Sites, Fort Wayne Savings Pass, Fort Wayne Outdoor Pass (Hikes, Bikes, & Paddles), Fort Wayne Apple Trail, and Holiday Lights challenge.

Now I want to plan a trip back to find out what is included in the Holiday Lights Challenge.

After the Fort Wayne Visitor Center, we wandered around the corner to the Find Boutique Store. It is filled with cute clothes, fun decor, and so many things I wanted to bring home.

They have a fantastic table of fun stickers! I had to pick up a few snarky stickers for my laptop and suitcase. The snark on the stickers was strong, and I am so here for it.

Just down the block a bit is the Creative Women of the World boutique, which features fair trade and local artists. The store's goal is to equip women with the entrepreneurial resources to develop sustainable businesses through the power of their creativity.

I found these cute monstera leaf earrings I had to get. I could have spent so much time in this boutique looking at the jewelry, art, and unique gift items. If I lived in Fort Wayne, I would be here all the time.

We headed back to The Landing so we could stop into The Urban Hippie Boutique. They have cute clothes and fun hats.

After a quick stop at The Bradley Hotel to drop off all of our fun purchases, we headed over to the O2 Gallery to meet artist John C Kelty.

He gave us a tour of the gallery showcasing the local artists that they work with. I love it when art galleries have a mix of artists and work. The O2 gallery has a bit of everything, including pastel work, glass, ceramics, oil, landscapes, abstracts, ink, and more.

John Kelty was nice enough to give us a private watercolor class, which was amazing. They teach classes at the O2 gallery, so you can sign up for a month of classes or a specific type of drawing class.

I can't believe I painted this watercolor scene in sepia tones. I never would have thought this was possible.

One really cool Fort Wayne hidden gem is the Easy Tiger vintage shop below Kreative Framing, next to the O2 Gallery.

This cute vintage store is filled with so many cute finds. We had so much fun going through the racks looking at clothes that were popular when I was in junior high and high school.

I need someone to go and get this cute needlepoint bag and create a matching outfit for it.

After having way too much fun looking at the vintage clothes and accessories in Easy Tiger, we headed back to The Bradley to drop off our watercolor masterpieces and meet Alex Hall, who took us on a walking tour of the epic murals and public art in the area.

Our first stop was Dana's Cocktail Bar to pick up a delicious drink in a DORA Cup. The cool thing about the DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) is that you can walk around the area with a drink of your choice.

We spent an hour walking through Downtown Fort Wayne, learning about the growth of the mural scene and the different artists who have painted murals.

One really cool program that Fort Wayne does every year is the Only Rain in the Drain mural program. Artists can apply to paint a drain mural of their own design.

A 15-year-old artist painted the mural above. I love that new and experienced artists have the opportunity to participate in the program. A fantastic way for artists to earn a paid stipend and showcase their work in the city.

Alex took us to a mural in progress in a parking garage. The artist had been working on the 2nd section inside of a community parking garage.

I love that the murals are moments of joy spread throughout the city of Fort Wayne.

We wandered back to The Bradley Hotel and decided to have dinner in the hotel at Arbor. The cute vibe of the restaurant drew us in, and we had to check it out.

I had a margherita pizza and it was so good. They had a piano player who took requests, and everyone was loving the music.

We ended up sitting in the restaurant, relaxing and catching up while enjoying our dinner. It is the perfect spot for friends to catch up over great food and a laid-back vibe.

After dinner, we headed up to Birdies, the rooftop restaurant/lounge at The Bradley, for dessert and drinks.

Oh my goodness, you guys, the drink menu is epic! Why did I have to fly to Indiana to get a drink in a flamingo cup? I can't believe we don't have these in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach. The Flamingo drink was delicious, and the cup was epic.

I also had an apple cobbler in a jar with Kilwin's vanilla ice cream, and hello yum! We watched the sunset from the rooftop and savored the gorgeous evening weather.

It was so relaxing and easy to talk and catch up on life. The perfect end to a fun day on our girls' trip to Fort Wayne.

Day 3 - Farmers Market, Art, and Outdoor Fun

We started the morning walking from the Bradley Hotel over to the YNLI Farmers Market, also known as the Barr Street Farmers Market.

I was expecting a small, cute farmers' market with some flowers and fresh vegetables. I was definitely not expecting how big the farmers' market is and how extensive the products offered are.

There were multiple roads closed off for all of the vendors and food trucks lining the street. Everything you can imagine at a large farmers market and so much more.

There was a section with local distilleries, breweries, coffee shops, and kombucha. Fresh vegetables, eggs, milk, meat, an amazing bread bakery, and absolutely gorgeous flowers.

You can easily find everything you need for a picnic in Promenade Park or one of the smaller park areas.

I tried an Italian Mac and Cheese from the Baby Got S'Mac food truck, and it was delicious.

After exploring the farmers' market, we wandered over to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. They have the most amazing glass exhibits that I am still in awe of.

The Contemporary Glass Exhibit had me gasping in awe more than once. I grew up seeing Chihuly Glass in the Pacific Northwest and have always loved it.

Seeing some of the ways people are using glass today is impressive to me. There is a sunflower piece that I am still trying to wrap my brain around.

We met up with our friend Kristen from Visit Fort Wayne to explore the Taste of the Arts Festival.

Fort Wayne knows how to put on a festival! WOAH! There were even more food trucks along with entertainment, local art programs set up, and so many cool art vendors.

We saw Alex who led our art tour the day before and participated in a community art project. They had one of the iconic Fort Wayne Murals sketched onto small canvases that each person could paint.

We painted a portion of the blue birds eye and can't wait to see how the final project turns out.

Lunch at The Deck which is located next to Don Hall's Old Gas House was fantastic. They have an outdoor deck along the river with gorgeous views.

I am slightly jealous of how big their hibiscus and other plants have gotten. I am not sure how plants in Indiana are far exceeding my tropical plants on the Gulf Coast of Alabama.

The Deck was a great place to chat with friends and soak in the gorgeous weather. We walked over to Fiesta Fort Wayne to enjoy the weekend festival.

They had even more food trucks, vendors, and fantastic entertainment on the main stage. We watched a couple of performers, and they were wonderful.

The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Garden is a plant lover's dream. They have three different glass buildings that house unique gardens. The tropical plant garden is my favorite (no surprise).

This is a great family-friendly Fort Wayne Activity perfect for fun photos together and time relaxing with gorgeous plants and flowers.

We might have borrowed a wedding backdrop that was set up for a wedding later in the day to get a cute group photo.

As a bonus, there are multiple sculptures and murals on the Fort Wayne Art Trail close to the Conservatory that you can mark off for points.

After relaxing at the Bradley Hotel for a little bit, we headed out on the Sweet Breeze Canal Boat Tour in Promenade Park.

We took a 45-minute Sweet Breeze Canal Boat Tour on all three rivers, and it was really relaxing. There is a docent on board who shares the history of the area.

We can now say that we have boated all three rivers that converge in Fort Wayne. After the boat tour, we headed to Pinhouse Social.

Our initial plan was to have dinner and give duck bowling a try, since none of us had ever played it. This turned out to be the goal for a lot of people, and the lanes were already packed.

We had dinner and watched all of the activity happening around us. Pinhouse Social has tons of flat-screen TVs, duckpin bowling, arcade games, golf simulators on the 2nd floor, and an event space on the 3rd floor.

I have to admit that we drove through a few neighborhoods in Fort Wayne to see more murals on our way back to The Bradley. The Fort Wayne Public Art Trail app lets you sort by distance, and we realized there were murals and sculptures we hadn't seen yet.

So far, we have checked in 57 murals and sculptures during our girlfriends' getaway to Fort Wayne. The fantastic thing is, I don't think we are even halfway through all of the murals and sculptures on the Public Art Trail, especially with the addition of new drain murals being painted this weekend.

I think we should plan a winter getaway to explore more murals and the Holiday Lights Challenge digital trail. We heard that the holiday lights are unbelievable in Fort Wayne.

Kim and I decided to head up to Birdie's Rooftop Bar at The Bradley for a final night drink and to enjoy the vibes.

It is the perfect spot to unwind with a good drink and chat about life. The perfect way to end our final full day in Fort Wayne.

Day 4 - Fort Wayne to Gulf Shores, Alabama

I can't believe it is our final morning in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This long weekend girls' trip has been absolutely amazing, and I am so sad to see it end.

We met up for our final breakfast at Arbor in The Bradley Hotel. The hotel restaurant has such a chill vibe it was perfect for a relaxing breakfast.

The food was delicious, the coffee and caffeine flowing, and the conversation amazing.

It was so hard to hug Kim and see her off to the airport. We need to make sure it isn't 10 years before we do another trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

This city is perfectly set up for a safe girls' getaway where you feel like you can walk the streets, wander into boutiques, and enjoy fantastic food and drinks together.

We wandered the streets of Fort Wayne and never felt uncomfortable. The Midwestern hospitality you hear about is real and showcased here in Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne, Indiana Girlfriends' Getaway Itinerary

Airport - Fort Wayne International Airport

Hotel - The Bradley Hotel

Book your hotel stay at The Bradley Hotel here

Fort Wayne Restaurants

Mercado - 111 W Columbia St, Suite 103, Fort Wayne, IN

Puffer Belly Ice Cream - 1022 Cass St, Fort Wayne

Proximo - 898 S Harrison St, Fort Wayne

Cindy's Diner - 230 Berry St., Fort Wayne

Kanela Coffee Shop - 618 S Harrison St., Fort Wayne

Arbor Restaurant (The Bradley Hotel) - 204 W Main St., Fort Wayne

Birdies Rooftop Bar (The Bradley Hotel) - 204 W. Main St., Fort Wayne

Dana's - 135 W Columbia St., Fort Wayne

Coney Island - 131 W Main Street, Fort Wayne

The Deck - Located at Don Hall's Old Gas House, 305 East Superior Street, Fort Wayne

Pinhouse Social - 1510 Fairfield Ave Suite 101, Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne Things To Do/Attractions

Murals and Public Art - Spread throughout Fort Wayne

Promenade Park Riverfront - 202 W Superior St., Fort Wayne

Electric Works - 1690 Broadway Bldg 19, Fort Wayne

Lumpkin Design Stained Glass/Glass Blowing - 1012 Broadway, Fort Wayne

Find Boutique - 133 W Wayne St., Fort Wayne

Visit Fort Wayne Visitor Center - 927 S Harrison St., Fort Wayne

Creative Women of the World Boutique - 125 W Wayne St., Fort Wayne

Gallery O2 - 1115 Broadway, Fort Wayne

YNLI Farmers Market - Barr Street Market is spread over multiple streets. 301 E Wayne Street, Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne Museum of Art - 311 E Main St., Fort Wayne

Taste of the Arts - Annual Festival

Fiesta Fort Wayne - Annual Festival

Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory - 1100 S. Calhoun St., Fort Wayne

Sweet Breeze Canal Boat Tour - Located in Promenade Park at 202 W Superior Street, Fort Wayne

We visited Fort Wayne during a hosted press trip. All opinions expressed are our own.