Is Corydon Safe for Travel RIGHT NOW? (2024 Safety Rating)

Safety Index:

* Based on Research & Crime Data

User Sentiment:

100

* Rated 100 / 100 based on 3 user reviews.

Corydon, Indiana, is a small town that was once a big deal for this state.

The constitution for the state was debated and decided here.

It’s also the site of a Civil War battle.

Corydon sits on the southern side of the state in Harrison County and Little Indian Creek flows through the city, while the Ohio River is nearby too.

It’s also just 30 minutes from Louisville, Kentucky.

For those of you who remember the original Dukes of Hazzard television show, this is the hometown of the actor who played Roscoe P. Coltrane.

Corydon is also the final place where actress Erin Moran, who played Joanie in Happy Days, was last seen alive.

She died in 2017 in Corydon.

The history of this city, combined with the outdoor amenities, has made Corydon and Harrison County a tourist destination.

There’s even an enshrined tree stump that is part of the state’s history.

One note on safety numbers – Corydon was founded in 1808 and it has been that long since the police have released crime data.

Ok, that’s a huge exaggeration on my part, but this is not a city or a county that is remotely transparent with its crime data.

The latest data released comes from the early 2010s and there is no way of knowing if that data holds true in the 2020s.

I spent hours digging into every data source I know as an investigative journalist, and there is nothing that comes up recently, aside from the reports of crimes reported on social media or in the news (which I did for you, of course).

If you see any data on any website about the crime rates here, it’s most likely very outdated data.

Because of this, and the importance of being safe when traveling, I’m giving every “Warning & Danger” a medium risk to err on the side of caution.

Warnings & Dangers in Corydon

OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM

There's a medium risk in the town, again, because of a lack of transparency in the real crime numbers. We do know that Indiana as a whole has seen an increase in gun and drug crimes, like much of the country, in the 2020s. This is a small town that might seem safe, but since the people responsible for releasing that information have chosen not to, you're at a slight disadvantage when planning a trip here.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW

There is no public transportation and I can't find any taxi service outside of charter bus services. Uber and Lyft do report availability in Corydon, but the wait times might be longer in a city of 3,200 people. You should definitely have a car while visiting here.

PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM

There's a medium risk because there is no hard data to suggest there's a low risk. The last data given was in 2014, when there was a 1 in 156 risks of being a theft victim. From late 2021 through mid-2022, there were several reports of thefts of landscaping equipment, farming tools, and car break-ins.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM

Corydon faces risks in every season, from tornado season in the spring to severe thunderstorms from spring through fall, and flooding from Little Indian Creek that runs through the city. Winters bring a risk of snowstorms and ice storms. There's a medium risk because these dangers exist throughout the year.

MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM

There's a medium risk, again, because of a lack of data to suggest otherwise. There have been recent reports of a bank and convenience store being robbed. There were some drug-related robberies, but I can't find any news reports that a tourist was mugged. Still, you should use caution when visiting here.

TERRORISM RISK: LOW

There's a low risk of it happening and if it did the police probably wouldn't even tell us about it. If you can't tell, I'm a little salty about the lack of transparency for important data here. But in all seriousness, the biggest hard target near Corydon would be Louisville, and it's far enough away to avoid having a direct impact of chemical, cyber, or physical attack.

SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM

The police department does have scam information, but it sends you to a national page for basic scam safety. You should assume there's a medium risk here and report any suspected scam or fraudulent attempts to the police.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

Women should be cautious here since there's not any information about recent crime numbers. This is a small town with not a lot of nightlife, and some very safe areas for tourists to visit. As with any city, don't walk around at night and stay on the main roads.

TAP WATER RISK: LOW

There is a water quality report available for viewing from 2020 and there were no violations reported. All water meets or exceeds the required standards of the state and Environmental Protection Agency.

Safest Places to Visit in Corydon

The Battle of Corydon Memorial Park is a great stop for Civil War buffs.

Only the Battle of Corydon and the Battle of Gettysburg happened in the north, so this is a rare sight indeed.

Every July the battle is reenacted.

There’s a log cabin on the property, too, which is still in its original form.

Time-appropriate furniture was added in 2017.

The park is just five acres but has a lot of history.

You can take a walking tour of the historic downtown area.

Maps are available at the Visitor’s Center, which is a great place to ask about new attractions in the city too.

You can tour the original state capital building before the capital was moved to Indianapolis.

The trunk of the Constitution Elm Tree is protected by brick walls and provides a great Instagram moment.

Under this tree, the constitution of the state was planned.

There’s an herb garden here, which might make you wonder “What does an herb garden have to do with history?”

Long before we had aspirin, cough medicine, or bandages, these herbs served as the only medicine available.

The governor at the time wanted a garden with all the best herbs close by.

Indiana Caverns is just four miles away from Corydon and it’s open year-round, even on rainy or snowy days.

Above ground, you can ride a zip line.

Underground, you can take a boat tour of the longest cave in the state with a tour guide telling you about the unique finds in this cave.

There’s also a “Deep Darkness” experience where you walk through a cave with nothing but a headlamp leading the way while wading through waist-deep water at times.

Back on the ground, I’m watching a video of an interesting ride called the “Bat Chaser.”

It’s like a rollercoaster and zip line mix, where you hang from handles and go around a roller coaster track.

There’s also a place to mine for gold or gemstones.

Several pricing levels are depending on how many attractions you want to experience.

There’s a restaurant that I found in my research, but it’s a little off the beaten path and there’s nothing more than a Facebook page to prove it’s legit.

It’s called Buckin’ Good Chow Wagon and offers delicious-looking meat portions.

Ask about it at the visitor’s center, because it looks like a new business with a website in progress.

Places to Avoid in Corydon

Corydon is a mystery again here, with very little information that isn’t grossly outdated.

It’s best to stay on the main roads in the city and surrounding areas, and don’t try to take shortcuts through neighborhoods.

Most of the neighborhoods don’t have sidewalks, and even Google Maps street view stops on many streets because it’s too rural or private property.

There is a place where Little Indiana Creek splits on the southeast side of town, and Rice Island is in the center.

As of mid-2022, the island was being redeveloped as a tourist area, but there was no projected completion date.

If you visit or live there, can you comment below on the status of the construction for your fellow travelers?

Even though it’s a small town, you shouldn’t let your guard down.

One of the most recent crime sprees involved a man going through cars and stealing things from the ones that were unlocked.

He even stole a car that had the keys in it.

There is no community safe enough to let this happen.

Safety Tips for Traveling to Corydon

The non-emergency number of the police department is (812)738-3959. You can try calling closer to your visit to see if they’ll tell you about any crime trends happening at that time. If you have a non-emergency issue after hours (4:30 pm), you can call dispatch at (812)738-3911.
There is a form on the police department’s website where you can offer an anonymous crime tip. In the spirit of simplicity, you can also just email info.cpd@corydon-in.gov.
Hunting morel mushrooms is a popular activity in Indiana, but you can be fined if you hunt in the wrong spots. Never go on private property, no matter how rural the area is. It’s legal to hunt mushrooms on state lands and the closest locations to Corydon are Harrison-Crawford State Forest and O’Banon Woods State Park. If you are at an official nature preserve, you should check with park rangers about the rules.
Once you’ve picked the mushrooms, you need to make sure you handle and prepare them safely. You can’t sell them unless you are a certified mushroom identifier, and there’s a course you can take for that. The Hoosier Mushroom Society is a great resource to find out more about mushrooms and their safety for cooking. Never eat a morel mushroom raw.
The state park areas southwest of Corydon hold some great outdoor adventures, but I’ve checked with all the major mobile providers, and there are a lot of places where there is no mobile service or limited service. Be sure you let someone know where you’ll be going and when you’ll be back. Turn off your phone so the roaming process doesn’t drain your battery. You can also put it in Airplane Mode if you want to use it to take photos and save battery.
In April of 2020, a couple of friends got really drunk and went to Narrows Road along the Ohio River, about 30 minutes from Corydon. In case you can’t guess what happens next, one of the men slipped and fell off a cliff overlooking the river. You can see pictures of this rescue on the Indiana DNR Law Enforcement Facebook page. Use extreme caution if you’re down near the Ohio River. The steep cliffs in some parts are slippery and then the Ohio River itself is rather unforgiving with a strong current. Luckily, the man survived with some serious injuries.
Distracted driving is illegal in Indiana, and in this part of the state, there are a lot of wide empty spaces where roads are only two lanes. You want to keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road for your own safety, and to be able to react to other bad drivers on the roads. Several recent reports of deadly or mass-injury accidents involved drivers crossing the center line and hitting vehicles head-on.
511in.org is a great website for road conditions and construction information across the state. It’s especially important in this part of Indiana, where even Google Maps doesn’t always have street-view renderings. You’ll even be able to see snow plow cameras in the winter during a storm. The state I live in has these and I use them all the time to see how clear the road is for travel.
You should always be weather aware when visiting a remote area like this. Forecasted storms can build quickly. Study the best practices for being safe if a sudden storm approaches. Don’t hide under a tree, as it can be hit by lightning. If a tornado is in the area, don’t park under an overpass for safety – it’s a dangerous myth that it’s a safe place. In a worst-case scenario, get out of your car, crawl into the nearest ditch or lowest ground you can find, and curl into a ball protecting your head with your arms.
After spending any time outside in the wilderness, you should do a full head-to-toe body check for ticks. These annoying critters like to embed into parts of your body you don’t always look at, like armpits, genitals, and back. You should even check your hairline. Pull the tick out by its head with tweezers and then clean the area where it was stuck.
You need a fishing license from the state of Indiana for any fishing in any body of water here. There are several options for non-residents on the Indiana Department of Fish & Wildlife website. You can also find information there about what kind of fish are in your preferred fishing hole.

So... How Safe Is Corydon Really?

Well, I don’t know. In 2014, it was a fairly safe place but did have crime rates above the national and state averages, but just slightly.

From the in-depth research I’ve done on social media and the local paper, it appears the biggest crime trends right now are car thefts, break-ins, and other stolen vehicles like farm equipment and motorcycles.

This is mostly driven by people leaving keys in vehicles or doors unlocked.

There was recently an incident where a Corydon man stopped to help a stranded motorist.

A Palmyra Police Officer stopped to help when, suddenly, the man whose vehicle was stranded pulled out a gun.

He shot and killed the 24-year-old good Samaritan and fired at the police officer.

The officer fired back, killing the suspect.

This is one of the biggest stories in this region in the past year.

This is small-town Indiana and if there wasn’t so much history here to be toured, it might never get any visitors.

People here are going to be set in their ways, take pride in their gun ownership, and be unwavering in their politics.

Be respectful of the community and its way of life.

We could all use a little slower pace every now and again, right?

How Does Corydon Compare?

City	Safety Index
Corydon	55
New Orleans	57
Baltimore	56
Boston	67
Washington DC	56
New York City	67
Detroit	56
Niagara Falls (Canada)	87
Calgary (Canada)	82
Buenos Aires (Argentina)	60
Vancouver (Canada)	82
Cordoba (Argentina)	61
Toronto (Canada)	81

Useful Information

Visas

Getting a Visa isn't a one-step process. There are more than 20 versions of visas available for travelers to the United States. Be sure you know which one is right for you by using the "Visa Wizard" tool on the State Department's website. You'll need to schedule an interview and give over personal information, including a list of all your social media accounts from the past five years. Be sure to start this at least four months before your trip.

Currency

You can only use the U.S. Dollar (USD) here. There aren't going to be currency exchange locations in Corydon, so take care of that at the airport. There are several events and places here that only take cash, so it's a good idea to bring only what you need when you are visiting and keep the rest locked in a safe.

Weather

You'll want several layers of thick winter clothing, as it can get very cold here in the winter. Hiking boots are a must. Spring and fall can have varying temperatures, so pack layers of clothing from tank tops to sweatshirts. Summer will be very humid and you'll need bug spray.

Airports

Louisville International Airport in Kentucky is the closest and biggest airport. You can cross the state lines without needing your visa, but you will need it at the airport. The airport is about 35 minutes away from Corydon.

Travel Insurance

You should definitely plan to get travel insurance for a place with so much unknown safety information.

Click here to get an offer for travel insurance

Corydon Weather Averages (Temperatures)

Jan 1° C

Feb 2° C

Mar 8° C

Apr 14° C

May 19° C

Jun 23° C

Jul 24° C

Aug 24° C

Sep 21° C

Oct 14° C

Nov 8° C

Dec 3° C

Average High/Low Temperature

Temperature / Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °C	6	8	14	21	25	29	30	30	27	21	14	8
Low °C	-5	-4	1	6	12	16	18	18	14	7	1	-3
High °F	43	46	57	70	77	84	86	86	81	70	57	46
Low °F	23	25	34	43	54	61	64	64	57	45	34	27

Indiana - Safety by City

City	Safety Index
Carmel	88
Cedar Lake	86
Chesterton	86
Corydon	55
Crown Point	91
Elkhart	55
Evansville	54
Fishers	92
Fort Wayne	68
Gary	52
Goshen	43
Granger	82
Greenwood	84
Hammond	57
Huntingburg	88
Indianapolis	44
Jeffersonville	81
Kokomo	47
Logansport	85
Marion	68
Martinsville	51
Michigan City	48
Mishawaka	45
Muncie	52
Noblesville	78
Portage	87
Rushville	86
Santa Claus	84
South Bend	47
Terre Haute	51
Valparaiso	76
Vincennes	76
Winona Lake	87

3 Reviews on Corydon

P
Priscilla Gutierrez says:
at
I’ve been living in Corydon for over a decade, and I can say it’s generally safe. Like any place, there are areas to avoid, but overall, it’s a tight-knit community where neighbors look out for each other.
L
Linda Gonzales says:
at
I recently moved to Corydon and did a lot of research on safety beforehand. From what I found, the crime rates are lower compared to neighboring towns.
J
Joey Montgomery says:
at
I visited Corydon last summer, and as a solo traveler, safety was my top priority. I felt comfortable exploring the town during the day and even walking around at night.

Corydon Rated 5 / 5 based on 3 user reviews.

Is Corydon Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

Indiana : Safety by City