Thinking about vacation spots (Indianapolis, South Bend: rent, hotels, home)

[MovingOn2010]

I've done NY and FL as vacation spots before and looking to try moving west. More than likely going to Chicago but if I did try Indy what is there to do out there for a 20 something single black girl around Sept?

[MissingIndiana]

What kind of things do you like to do? Clubs, museums, music, outdoors, sightseeing? Also, are you going to have a friend with you? Some things aren't as much fun to do alone as they are with someone else.

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Lots and lots to do in Indy in September. As MissingIndiana said, it will depend on what you like to do. This gives you an idea of some of the things going on last September (I'm sure there will be similar events on the calendar for this year).

[MovingOn2010]

Thanks ladies! As of right now I'll have a friend with me (female) but September is a while away so who knows. I know I want to be at as many sporting events as possible, shopping, check out a club or 2, and just looking around.
Also hotel recommendations for hotels ranking 3 and above. Oh and the best transportation to get around Indy? Is parking a pain? Is public transportation great? Are cabs a good way to go?

[MissingIndiana]

Originally Posted by MovingOn2010

Thanks ladies! As of right now I'll have a friend with me (female) but September is a while away so who knows. I know I want to be at as many sporting events as possible, shopping, check out a club or 2, and just looking around.
Also hotel recommendations for hotels ranking 3 and above. Oh and the best transportation to get around Indy? Is parking a pain? Is public transportation great? Are cabs a good way to go?

Just for the record, I am a dude not a lady. MISSINGindiana, not MISSindiana .

Parking:
Parking downtown is pretty easy. My favorite spot is under Circle Center Mall. It only costs a couple bucks normally and is very convenient since you are right at the mall and only a block or so from Monument Circle. There is more parking I know of on Meridian St south of the circle that is also not too expensive, and it is closer to the clubs that are on south Meridian St. Of course, if you stay at a downtown hotel, you should be able to park there.

Clubs/bars:
If you are going to check out clubs/bars, however, I would recommend heading up to Broad Ripple. BR is a very walkable area and there are some stores/shopping and restaurants in addition to the bars. I would recommend the Upper Room in Broad Ripple for a lower key bar without as many of the raucous drunken types. Oh, and if you see a middle eastern guy cooking lamb kabobs in an alley, they're great.

Sports:
The Indianapolis Indians (AAA baseball team) should be playing in September. I love Victory field, and the tickets are pretty cheap for a sporting event. The Colts might also be having preseason games at that point. You'll be a little too early for basketball, but Indy is definitely a sporting mecca and there is always some sort of activity going on. You might look into the minor league hockey team or visiting the NCAA Hall of Champions as well.

Just looking around:
Monument Circle(get some ice cream at the South Bend Chocolate company on the south side of the circle and chill by the monument), Indiana War Memorial(go inside, it's free), the canal(nice to walk around or rent a paddle boat. also runs by some memorials and museums), Indiana State House. All of these are very walkable from Monument Circle

Hotels/transportation:
Indy is not generally friendly to those without a car. For this reason, I would recommend staying downtown and taking a cab out to Broad Ripple or wherever else you want to go on sidetrips. Although there are places to stay and plenty of things to do and see in these outlying areas, you would end up needing to take a cab basically everywhere you went. Downtown is much more walkable and has more to do/see in a more concentrated area. If this is your first time in Indy you could definitely spend more than an entire weekend just exploring downtown. I normally stay with friends, but when I have stayed downtown it has been in the Sheraton City Center on Ohio St, just west of Meridian. It's one of the most centrally located hotels downtown and is close to Monument Circle, the canal, and all the stuff on Massachusetts Ave, in addtion to some of the other monuments to the north. They have rooms starting around $110/night which may seem a little expensive, but it may be cheaper than staying on the outskirts and taking a cab everywhere. Of course, you were also asking about parking so you may have a vehicle?

Other:
The link that Grandma(in waiting) posted is a great resource. Also Things to do in Indianapolis on AroundIndy.comâ„¢ has a lot of info.

Fountain Square is really neat and has more than just the duckpin bowling
Pricing and Schedule: Action & Atomic Duckpin Bowling

I really like the Rathskeller restaurant
The Rathskeller

Okay, I'm going to stop typing now. Good luck to you, and I hope you enjoy Indy if you make it down that way. I know I always do.

[Grandma(in waiting)]

You're welcome.

If you're going to be staying downtown, the Omni and Hyatt are both very nice. You'll also be within walking distance of many attractions (shopping, clubs, restaurants). Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts games) is a little over a mile away from each place. The only downside to staying downtown is that you'll be paying extra for parking (varies with the hotel but around $25/night for valet parking, around $20 for self park). Cabs are expensive. It would definitely be cheaper to take IndyGo (bus) to get from point A to point B, or rent a car and pay extra for parking than to get around in a cab.

If you don't mind not being downtown, there are nice hotels are over the city. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Hampton Inn (we've stayed at the one on the NE side near Castleton Mall and it was very nice) or Drury Inn. The Hyatt Place hotels (one near the airport and one near the Keystone Mall) are also nice places. Indy is sort of all over the place though, and you'd have to contend with changing buses or driving in an unfamiliar city.

I hope you enjoy your visit.

[MissingIndiana]

As a side note, if you do decide on Chicago but want to see some of Indiana I would suggest the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan if you like the outdoors. Pictures here: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32838849@N08/sets/72157622804358138/ - broken link)

[Grandma(in waiting)]

I second that. Indiana Dunes is lovely.

[MovingOn2010]

Sorry about that MissingIndiana. You're right I miss read your name. I'm thinking I'll be downtown and renting a car. I definitly want to attend a Colts at home game. I checked their website so I can plan my dates better but this year's dates haven't been posted yet. Does anyone know when this update usually happens? I want tickets as soon as possible. Same goes for baseball. That's right 2 games 1 week if possible. Indy's a nascar city right? Do you have test tracks or whatever it is that the fans drive on? Other than that its clubs, day spas and just riding around for me...I think. Thanks guys.

[MissingIndiana]

No problem. Six more months and I'll be back in Indiana, so I may have to change the screen name anyway. I never felt Indy was as big a NASCAR town as some of the southern cities, partially because of the prominence of the Indy 500, but they do also have the Brickyard 400 there. I don't know of any test tracks, but you can check out the schedule at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway here: http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/ I think you can also drive an IndyCar 3 laps around the track for $500 or something like that too.

The Indy Indians (baseball) have their 2010 schedule up. It looks like their last two games of the season are Friday 9/3 and Saturday 9/4, both against Louisville. After that their season should be done, so you will have to come early in Sept if you want to go to Victory Field. Indianapolis Indians: Schedule: Home

I'm guessing the Colts schedule will be up sometime after this season is over. Just so you know, the preseason games aren't that competitive and the Colts usually lose most of them because they're using it as a testing period for non-starters. I doubt you'd see too many big stars for too long at one of these games. Regular season games are of course much better. Just keep an eye out here for further updates: The Official Website of the Indianapolis Colts (http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=schedule - broken link)

If you're thinking about just looking around, you might also consider stopping by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and seeing the Lilly Mansion and Gardens. It's all free: Indianapolis Museum of Art: Modern, African & Fine Art, Gardens
Also, the other larger shopping area outside of downtown is on the Northeast side on 86th/82nd street (86th curves south and turns into 82nd).

Have fun, and if I hear of any other sporting things going on I'll let you know.