While I’m in Indiana, see if you can tell which of these places from t.v. and movies really exist. Even if you’re not familiar with the shows or the state, take your best shot!

Answers to each question are after the photos (which are from other places, so they won’t give anything away).

1. Hoosiers

Let’s start with some facts about a quintessential Indiana classic: the film Hoosiers. Yes, people from Indiana do call themselves Hoosiers for reasons that are unclear. Yes, basketball is huge in the state.

Question: Was Hoosiers based on the actual basketball team of Hickory High School?

A: No. The Hoosiers story was based on Milan High School in Milan, Indiana. There’s a Hickory Creek, Hickory Ridge, and even a Hickory Elementary School, but no town of Hickory or Hickory High School.

2. Parks and Recreation

The recently-concluded sitcom took place in the quirky Parks Department of a small town.

Q: Is there a Pawnee, Indiana?

A: Knope. While there is a Pawnee Drive in Jefferson, Indiana, you’d have to cross into neighboring state Illinois to find a town named Pawnee.

Hopefully, the rampant raccoon problem and polluted river are also fictional.

3. The Music Man

This is a musical about a small town visited by the traveling Harold Hill, who (spoiler alert!) never attended the Gary Conservatory.

Q: What about his supposed home sweet home? Is there even a place called Gary, Indiana (Gary INdiana, Gary Indiana…)?

A: Yes! There’s also a New Paris, York, and Rome! And a Louisiana Street in Gary.

4. The Middle

This show is about a family in the middle of the country with a middle income and especially about their middle child.

Q: Is there a town of Orson somewhere in the middle of Indiana?

A: Once again, Orson Only exists in Illinois.

I’m also starting to suspect there are no Thundering Hens.

5. Bridges of Madison County

This was a book and then a movie. I haven’t read/seen either. Any good?

Q: Is there a Madison County, Indiana?

A: Yes. But, as it turns out, Bridges of Madison County is actually referring to Madison County, Iowa.

While Indiana’s Polke County claims to be the covered bridge capital of the world, there may not be any in Madison County, Indiana. Most of our trip itinerary is within that county, so we’ll have more on what you actually can find there soon.

How’d you do on the quiz?