What is a must do in Indy? (Indianapolis, Bloomington: vacation, job)

[kattygirl27]

My husband and I have bought a home and will be moving to Indy around the end of April. I have saved up so that I can take a good month or so off before needing to find a job and I wondered what I should do with the time? What do you think is a must see or something that will better acquaint me with the city?

[Armyofafew]

Honestly? Take that month and vacation outside of indy.


If I had to stay in indy for a month...

1. Connor prarie is awesome. I am pretty sure its the largest pioneer village in the US.
2. The childrens science museum of indy is the WORLDS largest. Its a must see for the oldest child. I'm 28 and I love it. The kids love it too, but its somewhere I'd go without the kids for some of the exibits.
3. The slippery noodle is a blues bar experience and a must do.
4.... leave town.

Indianapolis, although large, is limited on things to do. The economy is great for my profession, so I stay. But, activitywise, theres nothing spectacular about it.

[domergurl]

I wouldn't say it's limited. It's not knock your socks off with different things to do than other cities of it's size. Indy doesn't have a whole lot of "only in Indy things" ... car races a couple times a year, I like the soldiers and sailors monument. The Children's Museum is a one of a kind too. It's a nice town, heavy on the nice.

[julrey]

I would kind of agree with the "limited" comment, but what there is to do is primarily centered around downtown and you can probably take in the lion's share of it in one afternoon. Aside from the monuments/memorials, there is the canal and the Eiteljorg Museum. Also the NCAA Hall of Champions if college sports is your bag. If shopping is more your thing there is a prominent mall downtown. I don't know why, but that mall seems to draw a lot of tourist traffic. It's decent enough but there's nothing unusual about it, except for the fact that it's a full blown mall in a downtown area, which I guess in and of itself is pretty rare. I agree with the Slippery Noodle suggestion but only if you're into the nightlife. Every time I've been during the day it's been pretty dead and you might as well be nursing a beer at any of a number of different establishments. If you're downtown for lunch you might try grabbing a bite at the City Market, but aside from the ambiance it's essentially just a giant mall-style food court with a few shops thrown in here and there (ie. if you're already at the mall I don't know that it's worth a separate trip... the mall has a number of similar alternatives).

[Purdue1906]

I know you asked about Indy, but if you don't find anything/do everything in Indy, check out Bloomington and West Lafayette. A walk around IU's campus and downtown Bloomington is a lot more scenic than Purdue and West Lafayette/Lafayette, but both are worth checking out. West Lafayette/Purdue will take up maybe a half a day, Bloomington/IU probably a day, and maybe a day in a half if you take a trip down to Lake Monroe (2nd best body of water in Indiana after Michigan, IMO).

[ImGibby]

Originally Posted by Armyofafew

1. Connor prarie is awesome. I am pretty sure its the largest pioneer village in the US.

Im pretty sure Colonial Williamsburg in VA is much larger than Connor Prarie...but still quite large and worth checking out, if your into that sort of thing (History)

Among those already mentioned, the Indy 500 (IMS) has a nice museum if your into auto racing.

[bookworm2768]

Originally Posted by kattygirl27

My husband and I have bought a home and will be moving to Indy around the end of April. I have saved up so that I can take a good month or so off before needing to find a job and I wondered what I should do with the time? What do you think is a must see or something that will better acquaint me with the city?

Any kids? if so, the Children's museum, Connor Prairie, Eiteljorg, and a nice walk around the downtown area.

If no kids : Check out Broad Ripple, Clay terrace mall up in Carmel (its actually called a lifestyle mall and they ocassionally have street concerts and activities) Find a nice walking tour online and take a walk around downtown.

And, if you only have a month, the rest of the time will be taken up by unpacking and finding out what's wrong with the new house

[smoking357]

Depends where you're coming from. If you're coming from a big city, Indy closes in on you fast.

Your first three months may be fine. After that, you're in for a long haul of monotony.

[hapaleeretired]

Check out this older thread on this same website: big cat refuge