Indianapolis

July 9, 2007 8:46 AM

Three weeks in Indianapolis! Your travel tips, please?

I'm headed to Indianapolis in late October/early November for this seminar. Though there will not be a lot of free time, I want to make sure I do make the most of an opportunity to experience a new city. I've looked at this thread, but would like to add some more suggestions. Things I like:

-Live music, especially roots and alt.country
-Great food, especially in these categories: ethnic, chowhound/roadfood style, or unique bistro style
-Great pedestrian neighborhoods for walking around, people-watching, and shopping
-Outdoor activities and recreation spots for hiking, running, exploring, paddling, etc
-Daytrip destinations in the region
-MeFites to meet up with
-Bookstores
-Experiences I couldn't have anywhere else

I would normally ask for museums, but since we'll be visiting a bunch during the program I will probably want to avoid them during my off hours.

Thanks in advance for anything you're willing to share!

posted by Miko to travel & transportation (27 comments total)

There's a public velodrome in Indianapolis! Take your bike.
posted by OmieWise at 8:59 AM on July 9, 2007

If you like sports, a Baltimore Colts game might be fun.
posted by dhammond at 9:07 AM on July 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Take a day trip to Bloomington.

Home of Indiana Universityand thus a good opportunity for opera, art, sex, and sport.

White Mountain Ice Cream in downtown Bloomington is worth the trip!

Also try to sample the Tibetan food and culture in town. A couple members of the Dalai Lama's family live and taught in town, and there is a Tibetan Cultural Center nearby.
posted by minervous at 9:08 AM on July 9, 2007

You can meetup with me. (I do highly recommend the day trip to Bloomington, btw.)
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:24 AM on July 9, 2007

I was also going to suggest Bloomington, it's a little over an hour from there. With advance notice [and a good reason] you can look around the Kinsey Institute's library which is sort of interesting. I really enjoyed getting to see the Hoagy Carmichael room at the UI library and the music library had a lot of interesting ethnomusicilogy stuff. I usually don't care one way or the other about campuses, but I was really impressed at the UI campus in Bloomington, just incredibly lovely and the Libby Library houses some of the smallest books in the world.
posted by jessamyn at 9:27 AM on July 9, 2007

The Tibetan Cultural Center is a must-see. It's basically a stupa in the middle of a field, with absolutely nothing around it. We found it purely by accident driving around the assorted backroads on the edges of Bloomington.

The Indianapolis Zoo is fun, if you like zoos. The weather in central Indiana is still quite mild in October/November.

On the other hand, there's a reason they call it "Indian-no-place", you know.
posted by briank at 9:30 AM on July 9, 2007

I've looked at this thread, but would like to add some more suggestions...
Well...unfortunately, that thread pretty much sums Indy up.
For music, there's another place called Music Mill up on the northside that seems to snag some relatively good and eclectic acts.

Nearby the Music Mill is a little place called Cafe SantaFe that's pretty good. At least it's one of the best places in town to get anything close to authentic SW grub without all the froo-froo pretensions of trendier joints.

Seek out Yats for some really tasty cajun/creole grub.

For the occasional run, there is the Monon Trail. It's a paved "greenway" built over the route of a former train line. It runs 10.5 miles from the far north side of Indy, through Broad Ripple, and ends-up near downtown. There are other, smaller paths that branch off it near downtown. Though, in late October/early November, it could easily be a very wet and chilly run.

So...should we get a late fall Indy meetup on the calendars?
posted by Thorzdad at 9:30 AM on July 9, 2007

Oh yeah, if you're going to be the Indianapolis Museum of Art for the seminar anyhow - please to be sure to visit Edward Hopper Hotel Lobby. (And if the Indianapolis Museum of Art is not on the schedule it very definitely should be marked on your calendar.)
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:34 AM on July 9, 2007

If you have a free night you can rent a faux yurt at the TCC in bloomington. (Dalai Lama will be visiting Oct 23-28, btw.)
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:40 AM on July 9, 2007

When I was a kid, we used to visit my aunt in Indianapolis every summer. I thought it was the greatest place around. Well, time may have cured me of that notion, but I can still recommend a couple of things.

--Broad Ripple is an arty district with restaurants and funky shops.

--Butler University has some nice gardens which are very pretty to walk around.

--If you're not museumed out, you might try Oldfields-Lilly House and Gardens (maybe just the gardens...) or the children's museum. (I don't know what kind of museums you'll be seeing during the day, so maybe these might be a nice change of pace.)
posted by Madamina at 9:45 AM on July 9, 2007

The World's Largest Ball of Paint is only about 40 miles away in Alexandria. You can even add your own coat of paint.
posted by Gungho at 9:57 AM on July 9, 2007

Slippery Noodle Inn downtown for blues and booze (Dillinger and his gang used to shoot up the walls there for fun!)

The Canal Walk downtown is pretty lovely these days, and it leads you right to Circle Center Mall if you want to browse.

Broad Ripple near Glendale by day still retains some of its artsy off-the-wall appeal, in spite of attempts to gentrify it. Lots of small shops with unusual goods to browse, and Holland's Bakery still sells duck bags so you can feed the ducks right out back. At night, it's a pub crawl if you're into that sort of things, with several live music venues (The Vogue, The Jazz Cooker,) and a few comedy clubs if you're so inclined.

Nightlife downtown is a bit of a pub crawl, but during the daylight, go to the Monument Circle (it's smack in the middle of the city, you can't miss it.) Right down Ohio Street is a farmer's market, daily, best fresh food there is in the world!

President Benjamin Harrison's house is right underneath the freeway downtown, which is pretty neat to poke around.

Check out Crown Hill Cemetery. It's one of the classic Victorian-age garden cemeteries- third largest in the country. Interred there are the inventor of the Gatling gun, the gentleman who played Uncle Remus in Disney's Song of the South, president Benjamin Harrison, and poet James Whitcomb Riley, among others. There are beautiful statuary there, it's a real step into the past.

If you want to wander around in 1837 for a day, Conner Prairie living museum on the north side is a great way to spend an afternoon. It's a hands-on museum, so if you ever wanted to dip a candle, try to spin some wool, play authentic games from the 1800s and more, this is the place for it.

If your hotel doesn't have a pool, there's a natatorium downtown that's open to the public- originally built for the Pan Am Games, and now one of the US Olympic swim teams' practicing spots.

And I don't know where you live now, but we have one of the few remaining, functioning, drive in movies on the southside, the Tibbs. It's three screens, a triple feature on each screen, and you can mix and match movies if you're so inclined.

We also have an IMAX at the Children's Museum downtown, as well as a full-sized planetorium. Don't let the name put you off, the Children's Museum has a lot of fantastic exhibits, including an antique miniatures collection, and a full sized steam train inside!

The Indiana Fairgrounds have all kinds of things going on, depending on the time of year. If you're here in early August, you can visit the world's largest State Fair. During the rest of the year, different conventions and expos take place there, so check out a newspaper to find out what's happening during your stay. And, the antique Hook's Drug on the fairgrounds is still in operation, complete with an old fashioned soda fountain, and a soda jerk to run it.

There's lots more to do in Indianapolis, but those are definitely some of the highlights.
posted by headspace at 10:29 AM on July 9, 2007

One of my favorite places to eat in Indy is a mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant called Hunan. Not much in the way of atmosphere - but sublime Chinese food.

Despite the frightening appearance of their Web page, Bonge's Tavern, is awesome. The food is excellent (read the reviews) and it's worth the drive to "> Perkinsville, IN just to buy a sweet t-shirt.

For Italian food, go to: Mama Carolla's Old Italian Restaurant.

The Broad Ripple Brew Pub is fun and check out the The Rathskeller.

Completely agree with the previous comments: Bazbeaux Pizza and the Slippery Noodle are good.

Finally, you will want to have Bagel Fair for breakfast.
posted by LakesideOrion at 10:37 AM on July 9, 2007

There's plenty of nice outdoor activities in central Indiana. I live in Bloomington, so the ones I know best are around here.

Lake Monroe is a big recreation destination near Bloomington. I know you can rent boats and stuff, but I've never done it and I'm not sure where you would go for that. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, though. There's also a beach and camping and stuff like that. This link might help too.

Brown County is a lovely place to spend a day. The main town, Nashville, is pretty touristy and full of antique shops. Not really my thing, but somebody's thing. What I like in Brown County are the winding back roads among lovely bluffs and forests and valleys. Brown County State Park is very well maintained and has some nice hikes (up to 5 miles) and pretty spectacular scenery. It can be a little busy on weekends. Yellowwood State Forest is pretty great as well, and a little less trafficked. The Story Inn is some kinda famous attraction off down a back road somewhere. I've driven past it on my way to offroad adventures in the Lake Monroe backwaters, it looks kinda nice if you're into that sorta thing.

Morgan-Monroe State Forest is a good place for more rugged backcountry hiking and camping. The only map I've found online is here - it's a little hard to read, but that adds to the adventure, right? Anyway, I really like hiking at Morgan-Monroe. It tends to be quiet.

You can rent a canoe for a nice afternoon at Griffey Lake on the North edge of Bloomington, and, if you're into lake beaches, Riddle Point Park at Lake Lemon has the best one in the area. Though, come to think of it, both activities will probably be closed down by October.

Bloomington has a grand assortment of ethnic restaurants that I'm sure anyone can tell you about. In Indianapolis, I'm told the Bosphorus Cafe [warning: music] is pretty great, and Shapiro's Deli is seriously to die for. If you're into reubens, anyway.
posted by thirteenkiller at 10:47 AM on July 9, 2007

Wow, I've lived here for almost ten years and I didn't know about half of this stuff. I guess that's what I get for spending all of my time at work or at home :)

I would suggest seeing the Scottish Rite Cathedral, just north of downtown. It was built by and is used by Scottish Rite Freemasons. Even if you don't care about Masonry, the building itself is stunningly beautiful.

You might want to head to the west side to see the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is where the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 are held. (There's also a nice golf course in the middle of it.) The museum is interesting if you have even a passing interest in racing.

I second the Children's Museum if it is not already part of your itinerary. We take our kids there often and my wife and I have just as much fun as they do.

There's a Shapiro's in Indy, too. I think it is at the intersection of Meridian and McCarty, in the shadow of Eli Lilly headquarters. thirteenkiller is right. You can't get a better reubin.

If you like steak (this is Indiana, after all), I would guess that many people would tell you to go to St. Elmo's or Ruth's Chris. Both of those places have good steak but they are both overpriced and over-hyped. You want to head south from downtown on Meridian until you see a restaurant on the west side of the street with fiberglass cows in front. (Stay with me folks, I know it sounds tacky.) You have arrived at Bynum's Steakhouse. All of the steaks are thick and excellent and the prices are very reasonable.

I'm totally down for a central Indiana meet-up. All ten of us can get together and have lots of fun!
posted by SteveTheRed at 12:55 PM on July 9, 2007

If you go to Bloomington, find 4th Street. Lots of great ethnic food choices. No waiting, since it's the summer and half of the town is at home.

Follow-up to thirteenkiller:

Four Seasons for boats on Lake Monroe.

If you spend much time on the windy, hilly, forested roads of Brown County, please do the speed limit and watch the road. I wouldn't want to see a fellow mefite's police report (Or, worse, one from the coroner's office) find it's way to my desk. That said, Nashville is a pretty little town.
posted by toomuchpete at 2:44 PM on July 9, 2007

Minor correction to headspace: The IMAX theatre is at the Indiana State Museum in White River Park, which is downtown. I found the state museum to be a little on the dull side, but the IMAX often has some great stuff. The Children's Museum, which is excellent, is at 3000 North Meridian, which is not quite downtown. They usually put up a pretty good haunted house around late October. Also, City Market has been undergoing rennovations for some time now and has been mostly closed. I'm not sure exactly when they're planning to open again.

For non-museum-related entertainment, the Garfield Park Conservatory is quite nice for a peaceful stroll through the greenhouse. Should you go to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, be sure to tour the gardens there as well. Victory Field, also downtown, is the home of the Indianapolis Indians and (at the time it was built; not sure now) the nation's largest minor league baseball stadium.
There are quite a few state parks within easy driving distance from the city; Brown County has been mentioned-- one of the best places in the state to see the leaves changing colors in the fall, Turkey Run has many nice hiking trails, and Shades State Park is a little more off-the-beaten-path (and a bit less overrun in the fall).

The city isn't very pedestrian friendly; the state of public transportation is absolutely decrepit; outside of the downtown area it can be quite pedestrian-hostile. Farther out, you find some towns like Fortville, Noblesville, Zionsville, and Southport that have a bit more of the 'old world' downtown feeling, but the usual suburban cancer of strip malls and big box stores is busily infesting the city and all surrounding communities for fifty miles in any direction. Massachusetts Avenue (Mass Ave) is the odd diagonal spoke in the downtown grid where all the hipsters go when they're downtown. It sits on a see-saw between an unoriginal vague sense of urban hipness and rampant slimy development-- the last place in the city to find a good cup of coffee got bulldozed off of Mass Ave last year to make room for a Starbucks.

Hilbert Circle Theatre is a wonderful bit of old architecture (obviously) on the Circle. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs there, check their schedules to see if they're playing anything interesting. The Indiana Repertory Theatre puts on a good show every now and again; the top floor is the home of the Indiana Roof Ballroom, which is an absolutely breathtaking place to hear a Big Band (if your visit coincides with their limited schedule).

If anyone else knows of any good bookstores around, I'd love to find them, too.
posted by leapfrog at 2:47 PM on July 9, 2007

Good bookstore in Bloomington: Caveat Emptor
posted by thirteenkiller at 4:49 PM on July 9, 2007

Check out the Indiana World Academy of Skating right downtown (across the plaza from the Crowne Plaza Hotel). Check out the "high freestyle" ice training sessions-- you can get the schedule from the pro shop in the basement. They train several US and world high level competitors, and it's free to go in and watch.
posted by nax at 4:50 PM on July 9, 2007

There is a new IMAX theater at Showplace 16 on the south side close to the aforementioned Bynum's.

There certainly is a lot of music and activity based things that go on all the time, but they are probably mostly pretty generic. When you get into town make sure to find yourself a NUVO (free newspaper found at random stores around the city) and you can do spontaneous planning.
posted by Phantomx at 6:34 PM on July 9, 2007

Even though I barely post I too would be up for a meetup.

Maybe a bit long for a day-trip, but Clifty Falls is a beautiful park with atypical-to-Indiana geographic features (relatively large canyons and falls)
posted by Phantomx at 6:40 PM on July 9, 2007

Go fossil hunting. Anywhere is good. If you stay in central/north Indiana, you have to find a rock cut or stream bed. In Southern Indiana, you can just pick them up on the ground. Those limestone cuts on the way to Bloomington are chockful. There are some decent rock cuts north of Blgtn but the really great ones are around the 37/50 interchange in Bedford - south and west of Bedford. Almost all of those fossils will be Ordovician more or less - crinoids, bivalves, and coral.

If you really want to drive very far, drive all the way to the end of SR 37 where it intersects I64 (a few miles past SR 64) - there's a great clover leaf there with huge rock cuts where you can actually get past the Ordovician layers into the Permian - which means you can find trilobyte fossils! Also, in general, the further south you go, the more likely you are to find crinoid heads.

There's also a state park across the river from Louisiville (2 hrs from Indy) that, if the river's down, has exposed fossils.

Related - head south and look for geodes. They range from pea sized to watermelon sized but are usually knobbly rocks around fist size. Find a hammer and a concrete pad and break them open. Be amazed. Realize that they're so common, there are houses that are made not out of brick, but out of geodes.

You can go caving, especially around Bloomington. The blgtn caves are the wiggle on your belly in the mud kind. There are caves almost on the Kentucky border which are big enough to walk through and Tourist Experiences.
posted by arabelladragon at 7:19 PM on July 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Seconding Caveat Emptor...though when I asked what I should beware, the guy behind the counter didn't really have an answer for me--remember Scarlett O'Hara nearly named her store that on Rhett's suggestion in the novel. Fourteen years ago the last screenings of films were around 8 pm in Indianapolis; I don't know if that's still the case.
posted by brujita at 9:29 PM on July 9, 2007

If you haven't booked your hotel yet, you've got to stay at the Crowne Plaza Union Station hotel. It's an historic train station, and some of the rooms are actual Pullman cars, named after and decorated in the style of various historical figures.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:05 PM on July 9, 2007

These are excellent suggestions. I'm really looking forward to my visit now. And look what else I found while checking out the velodrome! Yee-ha.

I'll definitely spend one of the days off in Bloomington. Seeing the university is a priority, because there is some chance that I may pursue their world-reknowned folklore doctorate one day.

I will most certainly post a meetup thread when the time gets closer.
posted by Miko at 8:45 AM on July 10, 2007

should you like live jazz (dunno if that qualifies as "roots" but i think they had some dixieland on occasion): i used to hang out a lot at the chatterbox, which is small, hot, dark and loud, just like it should be. plus you get to write on everything.

hiking: turkey run, brown county, and shades state parks are the best, with the latter being my favorite due to its lesser-known-ness.

when i was a kid my dad would take everyone in our family out for birthdays and stuff like that to enrico's, which is a dark, weird little italian restaurant tucked away down some crappy alley across the street from the mall i used to ride my bike to when i was a kid. but it's really quite good.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 6:06 PM on July 10, 2007

If you're going to Indiana University anyway, you should poke around the Lily Library. Their collections are open to the public, and there are some really interesting ones, including Japanese mechanical puzzles, the Orson Welles and Sylvia Plath papers, sheet music (more entertaining than it sounds!), and a huge comic book collection.
posted by beelerspace at 7:39 AM on July 11, 2007