A root beer float sounds simple until you taste one made with root beer brewed right there at the counter. Across Indiana, a handful of old-school drive-ins still do it the honest way, with frosty mugs, carhops, and menus that have barely changed in decades.
These are the kinds of stops where you can eat in your car, grab a picnic table, or slide into a booth inside. Here are eight Indiana drive-ins where a real float is still part of the deal.
1. Mug-n-Bun, Speedway, IN
Racing fans headed away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been pulling into this spot on West 10th Street for generations. It is a genuine old-fashioned drive-in where you can stay parked and let carhops bring the food to your window.
The house root beer is the reason to come, and the floats made with it have a well-earned reputation. The menu leans into classic comfort food, with pork tenderloin sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries, hand-dipped onion rings, double cheeseburgers, and funnel cake fries.
There is a large indoor dining area too, so this works year-round, not just on warm evenings. It stays open until 9 PM most nights and a bit later on Fridays and Saturdays.
Prices land in the ten to twenty dollar range per person, and parking is rarely a problem. If you want a quieter visit, weekday mornings and early afternoons are calm, while Sunday and weekend evenings pull the biggest crowds.
2. Simonton Lake Drive-In, Elkhart, IN
Up in Elkhart, near Simonton Lake, this family-run drive-in keeps the carhop tradition alive with a menu built for summer cravings. The root beer is homemade, and the floats made from it are the kind people plan a trip around.
Beyond the floats, the kitchen turns out onion rings, pork tenderloin sandwiches, and burgers, including a 50th Anniversary Burger and a half-pound Big Burger. Funnel cakes and elephant ears round out the treats.
One useful tip: food service wraps up at 9 PM, and after that the window switches to ice cream and root beer treats only. Plan accordingly if you want a full meal.
The vibe here is seasonal and old-school, with fast service and plenty of parking. It is open daily from 11 AM to 9 PM, and weekends draw families and travelers passing through the area.
3. Gene’s Root Beer and Hot Dogs, Anderson, IN
Anderson holds onto a real piece of the 1960s at this drive-up hot dog stand on South Scatterfield Road. The window service and picnic tables keep things simple, and the atmosphere feels frozen in a friendlier decade.
Root beer is brewed in-house here, and the floats built from Gene’s own root beer are a standout. The hot dogs are the other half of the story, with cheese dogs, slaw dogs, chili cheese dogs, and Spanish dogs anchoring the menu.
Dessert lovers should note the butterscotch sundae, which shares the spotlight with those floats. Nachos and other classic American bites fill out the order board.
Prices are easy on the wallet, mostly in the one to ten dollar range. There is no indoor seating or restroom, so this is best treated as a warm-weather stop where you eat in the car or at a table outside.
4. Bummie’s Drive-In, Bluffton, IN
Grab a coney dog, fries, and a root beer float in Bluffton and you can still walk away with change from a ten-dollar bill. That kind of value is a big part of the charm at this seasonal drive-in on South Main Street.
Carhops bring made-to-order food right to your car window, including cold root beer served in a glass mug. The homemade root beer is the headliner, and the floats poured from it are the reason regulars keep coming back.
The menu is straightforward and reliable, with corn dogs, onion rings, burgers, and Spanish hot dogs that have a loyal following. Nothing is fussy, and everything is priced fairly.
It runs Monday through Saturday, 11 AM to just before 9 PM, and closes on Sundays. There is no indoor seating, so picnic tables and your own car are the seating plan.
It is a friendly, no-frills spot for a quick classic meal.
5. Graham’s Drive In, Monticello, IN
Only about ten minutes from Indiana Beach, this Monticello drive-in gives you a retro pit stop before or after a day at the lake. You eat in your car or grab one of the couple of picnic tables out front.
The root beer and the floats built on it are the calling card here, along with hand-spun shakes. Spanish dogs and cheese fries keep the savory side interesting, and the pickle fries have their own fan base.
Hours shift with the day. It stays open until 4 PM Monday through Thursday and on Sundays, then stretches to 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, so weekends are your best bet for an evening float.
Parking is free and easy, and the whole setup leans into old-fashioned drive-up service. If you are road-tripping toward the lake, it makes an easy and inexpensive detour worth building into the plan.
6. Bonnie Doon Drive-In, Mishawaka, IN
Open since 1941, this Mishawaka institution blends a 50s ice cream parlor feel with true drive-in service. There is also a cozy indoor section, which makes it a rare year-round option on this list.
Root beer runs deep in the menu here, from old-fashioned floats to root beer shakes and malts. The dessert case does not stop there, with strawberry shortcake earning plenty of attention alongside those frosty floats.
The savory side keeps things playful too. Mushroom and Swiss burgers, double cheeseburgers, and even grilled peanut butter banana sandwiches show up on the board, with prices in the ten to twenty dollar range.
Service is quick and friendly, and the setting has that unmistakable retro character. It is open daily, closing at 8 PM most nights and 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.
High chairs, a kids’ menu, and indoor seating make it a comfortable stop for families.
7. B&K Root Beer, Huntington, IN
Root beer is right there in the name at this Huntington drive-in, and the frosty mugs back it up. Refills on that root beer are part of the appeal, and the floats poured from it keep the line moving.
Coney-style hot dogs and burgers are the main event, and the coney dogs in particular have earned a strong local following. Fries and onion rings round out an order that stays firmly in classic drive-in territory.
Service moves fast and stays friendly, which suits a menu built for quick, satisfying meals. Prices sit in the ten to twenty dollar range per person.
It is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 AM to 8 PM and closed on Sundays. There is no restroom here, so treat it as a grab-and-go or eat-in-the-car stop.
Parking is free and usually plentiful.
8. Dog n Suds West Lafayette, West Lafayette, IN
Boilermaker country gets its float fix at this Dog n Suds on Sagamore Parkway West. The drive-in style service comes with a covered picnic area, so there is shade whether you dine in the car or at a table.
Frosty mugs of draft root beer are the foundation here, and the floats make an easy dessert. The savory menu leans hard into hot dogs, with a World Famous Coney Dog, crispy corn dogs, a grilled tenderloin, and the Texas Burger.
Servers are known for being generous with sauce and napkins, which comes in handy with chili dogs. Prices sit in the ten to twenty dollar range, and there is a kids’ menu, high chairs, and a restroom on site.
It is open daily from 11 AM to 9 PM, with weekends drawing the busiest crowds. As a chain with deep roots in the Lafayette area, it keeps the frosty-mug tradition rolling for a new set of college students each year.
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