Planning in advance for trip to Indianapolis

[IndyCons]

For beer, I'd head to City Market and Tomlinson Tap Room specifically. They only have IN beers on tap (wine as well) and you can bring food from the vendors up if it's lunch, or grab dinner from Circle City Soups. Brad Gates in CM is my favorite - he catered our wedding and only uses local produce/meats with some of the best sandwiches in the city. Three Carrots has great seitan if you want to try the vegan thing.

As far as bikes go, be sure to check the fine print on the Pacers bikeshare bikes. You will be charged out the a$$ if you take it longer than a 1/2 hour without docking it in a station and the stations are concentrated to the Cultural Trail area. I'd check into renting a bike from BGI at the Bike Hub (on the other side of City Market). They rent road, mtn and hybrids for really reasonable fees. They come with a lock and helmet as well. You won't be able to make it to Broad Ripple/Butler without paying a lot on a bikeshare bike.

I'd also try to hit Milktooth for brunch - one of the best new places in town. Bluebeard is phenomenal as well as Black Market. All 3 do a lot of farm to table type cuisine. Libertine has a great bar menu plus it's a great location.

If you want to Airbnb, I'd look in Chatham Arch/Mass Ave. You'll be on the Cultural Trail and able to ride/walk/run the mile or so back to the Wholesale District (what I'll consider "downtown.")

[theurbanfiles]

Thanks! So glad all these suggestions are continuing to come in and aid the planning of my trip! Hope spring is starting to "spring" for you guys!

[lotr1967]

Born and raised in Indiana. Lived there for 39 years. I became a history major at U Indy because of my love for Indiana History. I worked in the marketing department at the Indiana State Museum immediately after the grand opening at the new site. If you spend any money at all on site seeing, let me please suggest spending on a ticket to the Indiana State Museum. Absolutely worth every penny you will spend. It isn't your normal state history museum. Trust me on this. And if you get a combo ticket for IMAX, it is truly one of the best IMAX theaters in the country. Everyone had great suggestions. I back them all up. There's more than corn in Indiana. Have a fantastic trip!

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by lotr1967

There's more than corn in Indiana.

Thanks! That sounds pretty fantastic! So many options, such little time (may have to take a full day of the four day conference off, not like they're taking attendance LOL). I agree with this completely, and it bothers me SOOOO much when people try to stereotype Indianapolis or Midwest cities in general like they don't have anything to offer when the reality is that in many cases they have just as much to offer and in many cases more than many of their more talked about Sun Belt or Northeast counterparts, and with a fraction of the cost/traffic, and also with a genuine sense of community (not that those places don't have that, but it really seems present here). At some point I could definitely see myself moving back to the midwest to mid sized city to work at a university, and especially after hearing all your suggestions, Indianapolis is definitely on my short list. If nothing else, it should be a fantastic visit.

[lotr1967]

I love your enthusiasm. Yes, Indianapolis is a great little city. If you ever have time to take a week or even longer, check out the entire state. DM if you have questions about that as well. Go to the Indiana State Museum and then from there you can learn about the various historic sites around the state and plan a trip to come back and see it all. From Madison to French Lick to Brown County all the way North to South Bend, there is a lot to do. And I'm not even including the Eastern and Western part of the state. Enjoy!

[ischyros]

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

Thanks! That sounds pretty fantastic! So many options, such little time (may have to take a full day of the four day conference off, not like they're taking attendance LOL). I agree with this completely, and it bothers me SOOOO much when people try to stereotype Indianapolis or Midwest cities in general like they don't have anything to offer when the reality is that in many cases they have just as much to offer and in many cases more than many of their more talked about Sun Belt or Northeast counterparts, and with a fraction of the cost/traffic, and also with a genuine sense of community (not that those places don't have that, but it really seems present here). At some point I could definitely see myself moving back to the midwest to mid sized city to work at a university, and especially after hearing all your suggestions, Indianapolis is definitely on my short list. If nothing else, it should be a fantastic visit.

Outside of Chicago and Detroit, people outside the Midwest hear very little about the cities here other than things they catch on the news, which usually means they aren't good things. I lived in California for a while and people that I worked with that grew up in California knew NOTHING about Indiana. The guy I worked with who was a transplant from New York City only knew that song "Indiana Wants Me" which he sang every time he saw me and of course figured I obviously must love that song. They were all very nice people but they didn't know anything about Indiana or the Midwest in general other than Chicago is here and there are some big lakes. A couple didn't even realize the Great Lakes are so big you can't see across them. I've found most people that come for visits are from other areas of the Midwest.

[theurbanfiles]

Well people really are quite clueless when it comes to geography, and it really seems to show sometimes. I told people down in Florida where I live now that I was from Cleveland, and they asked whether I lived on a farm... lol, so glad that STEM is the only thing that matters and Social Sciences "apparently" don't. I guess all of those people don't really know what they are missing out on. But what's unfortunate too is it seems like even so many people in the Midwest (or in general) don't even know what they're missing out on in their own backyards. I'll talk to some people back home, and usually when I'm back visiting I'll try more area restaurants/museums/parks/etc. within a week/two than many of them have EVER set foot in.

Edit: I find it amusing what some people's perceptions of Detroit area are compared to reality, even those that are highly educated. At least Minneapolis I feel like has a reputation as a hipster paradise, but many probably think that Minneapolis is up in the northwest somewhere (actually).

[ShellNic]

Originally Posted by lotr1967

Born and raised in Indiana. Lived there for 39 years. I became a history major at U Indy because of my love for Indiana History. I worked in the marketing department at the Indiana State Museum immediately after the grand opening at the new site. If you spend any money at all on site seeing, let me please suggest spending on a ticket to the Indiana State Museum. Absolutely worth every penny you will spend. It isn't your normal state history museum. Trust me on this. And if you get a combo ticket for IMAX, it is truly one of the best IMAX theaters in the country. Everyone had great suggestions. I back them all up. There's more than corn in Indiana. Have a fantastic trip!

I agree! My husband and I moved to Indy last summer for a job (from Dallas, TX) and we love it here. About 3 weeks after we moved, we got a membership to the museum and we just love it. And no kidding about the IMAX...recently saw "Jerusalem". Utterly fantastic!

We've seen several exhibits which are really interesting, but then we go for a walk outside and just can't get over how beautiful it is...even on a fairly grey March day (our last visit). We really do love the museum though!

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

Well people really are quite clueless when it comes to geography, and it really seems to show sometimes. I told people down in Florida where I live now that I was from Cleveland, and they asked whether I lived on a farm... lol, so glad that STEM is the only thing that matters and Social Sciences "apparently" don't. I guess all of those people don't really know what they are missing out on. But what's unfortunate too is it seems like even so many people in the Midwest (or in general) don't even know what they're missing out on in their own backyards. I'll talk to some people back home, and usually when I'm back visiting I'll try more area restaurants/museums/parks/etc. within a week/two than many of them have EVER set foot in.

Edit: I find it amusing what some people's perceptions of Detroit area are compared to reality, even those that are highly educated. At least Minneapolis I feel like has a reputation as a hipster paradise, but many probably think that Minneapolis is up in the northwest somewhere (actually).

Holy cow, ain't that the truth??? When I first moved to Texas and told people I was from Seattle, Washington, they seriously thought I meant Wash. DC...crazy. People don't know geography at all and I guess I've just always wanted to know where I am, where I'm going and where you're from! I love maps and can't get enough going to new places!

When I moved to Indy, my husband and I started taking drives after work. Then we branched out and started taking day trips on the weekends. We haven't come close to exploring every place we want to but it's interesting when I talk to many of my coworkers. Most of them don't even know the places we've been to and they've lived here their whole lives.

And from my perspective, when you drive from Dallas to El Paso for example, that takes about 12 hours. In Indiana, you can make it from one side of the state to the other and back in that time...it's really fantastic how many places we've been. Can't wait for my busy season at work to be over so we can start up our trips again!

This thread has been great though...my parents are coming next month and I've already decided where we're going to visit based on ideas here! So enjoyable...thanks!

[theurbanfiles]

Glad that my dozens and dozens of questions have been helpful! LOL! I agree. I think that there were several midwest cities that capitalized on that with the whole "Best Location in the Nation" Mantra. And as somewhat corny as that is, it's true! That's probably the one thing I miss most being down here. From Indy itself, day trips (which I think technically can be anywhere within 3 hours), include Chicago, Springfield, Bloomington, Cincinnati, Mammoth Cave, Indiana Dunes, Dayton (NMUSAF), Columbus... Geesh.. That list right there makes me green with envy, and there are still others!

[ShellNic]

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

Glad that my dozens and dozens of questions have been helpful! LOL! I agree. I think that there were several midwest cities that capitalized on that with the whole "Best Location in the Nation" Mantra. And as somewhat corny as that is, it's true! That's probably the one thing I miss most being down here. From Indy itself, day trips (which I think technically can be anywhere within 3 hours), include Chicago, Springfield, Bloomington, Cincinnati, Mammoth Cave, Indiana Dunes, Dayton (NMUSAF), Columbus... Geesh.. That list right there makes me green with envy, and there are still others!

Yes, I've gotten lots of good suggestions here! THANKS!

Day trips are awesome...and we still have a long way to go. I just did a trip mile thing and found out that Niagara falls is only about an 8 hour drive. It's fair to say that our lives changed once we moved here...and lots of cool things to plan for.