Promised Land as Proving Ground

Promised Land as Proving Ground will open in summer 2023. Because the immersive experience will be interwoven throughout Prairietown and other areas of Conner Prairie, guests will see and get to experience a few elements — including the Origins Cabin and an immersive, augmented reality experience.

As a free state, Indiana represented a Promised Land for some African American families, filled with economic opportunities, independence, and freedom from racism, racial violence, and other forms of oppression. It also served as a Proving Ground for this freedom, a place to develop African American faith and challenge American democracy.

Promised Land as Proving Ground is the beginning of an intentional evolution to achieve Conner Prairie’s mission of inspiring curiosity and fostering learning through engaging and individualized experiences for everyone. We are committed to telling the stories of all Hoosiers in a way that is historically accurate, comprehensive, and inclusive.

This is the first time Conner Prairie has created an experience that tells the whole story of Indiana’s history. It moves away from a first-person narrative to encourage present-day dialogue and conversations about the impact of the African American community on Indiana’s past and its present.

When fully open in 2023, the exhibit will incorporate audio-visual components, experiential, hands-on and augmented reality in order to deliver an immersive experience where guests are encouraged to interact and ask questions about African American history and culture in Indiana.

Guests will experience an audio-visual theatrical presentation. For those with sensory sensitivities, moderate noises and lights from the video will occur during this presentation.

The paths leading into the Origins Cabin and the exit path from the cabin are both wheelchair accessible.