Indianapolis in February
February 3, 2024 7:34 AM Subscribe
We are going to visit my sister-in-law in Indianapolis during the week of President's Day. I haven't been to Indianapolis in over 30 years. Just what the hell is there to do that will make the week bearable?
Also if you like doughnuts, Jack's doughnuts had the hugest apple fritters I've ever seen and they were very good. First watch was pretty good for more general breakfast foods.
posted by Eyelash at 8:35 AM on February 3, 2024
posted by Eyelash at 8:35 AM on February 3, 2024
I was in Indy for a wedding in 2022 and while some of the historic downtown areas were a ghost town, it was a lovely city with some pretty awesome transit infrastructure, like actual protected bike lanes and a bus rapid transit line. I didn't even have time to do all the things I wanted to do! I really enjoyed the Canal Walk and Indianapolis Zoo. If I could go back I would also check out the Kurt Vonnegut museum, and Newfields/Oldfields/the biergarten. Definitely don't recommend walking around at night, though; I'm a city mouse and I don't put a whole lot of stock in people saying places feel "dangerous/unsafe" but it just felt...creepy and eerie.
posted by capricorn at 9:09 AM on February 3, 2024
posted by capricorn at 9:09 AM on February 3, 2024
The Rathskeller restaurant/beer garden, the Inferno tiki bar, Atomic Bowl duckpin bowling, and Kuma’s Corner for burgers.
posted by Huggiesbear at 9:53 AM on February 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by Huggiesbear at 9:53 AM on February 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
Columbus, Indiana is 45 minutes away. Cummins Engine and then others provided grants for architects for municipal and some other buildings, so if you like architecture, it's a good place to visit. Indianapolis is a big city, sprawly, has museums and a zoo. Purdue and other colleges also have cultural options. The weather may be well in the 50s, great for walking or biking, and it's flat.
When I visit family in nearby Ohio, I always go to Half-Price Books, and have to pack to leave room, I always find a great selection at excellent prices, and it feels like a real bookstore. If you are someplace with sauerkraut balls on the menu, make the jokes, then try them. I love them. Indy has Skyline Chili, as in Cincinnati Chili, and you should try it. You may or may not love it, but it's local cuisine. They have craft breweries, too.
I think it's safe-ish and time for meetups to re-commence, so maybe plan a MeFi event and meet locals who know all the good and bad stuff.
posted by theora55 at 11:54 AM on February 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
When I visit family in nearby Ohio, I always go to Half-Price Books, and have to pack to leave room, I always find a great selection at excellent prices, and it feels like a real bookstore. If you are someplace with sauerkraut balls on the menu, make the jokes, then try them. I love them. Indy has Skyline Chili, as in Cincinnati Chili, and you should try it. You may or may not love it, but it's local cuisine. They have craft breweries, too.
I think it's safe-ish and time for meetups to re-commence, so maybe plan a MeFi event and meet locals who know all the good and bad stuff.
posted by theora55 at 11:54 AM on February 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
Knowing what part of the city you’re going to be staying in might help focus things for you. For instance, if you’re all the way in the northern suburbs, a great trendy area like Fountain Square might be a bit of a trek, relatively speaking.
That said, I will always strongly recommend the IMA to anyone visiting for a few days. It’s a small gem of an art museum.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:15 PM on February 3, 2024
That said, I will always strongly recommend the IMA to anyone visiting for a few days. It’s a small gem of an art museum.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:15 PM on February 3, 2024
- Eat at Milktooth, outrageously good
- Duckpin bowling at Atomic Bowl, and wander around Fountain Square while you are there
- There's a pile of museums including the Kurt Vonnegut one and iirc a pretty good art museum
- Zoo
I had a weirdly great time in Indianapolis. Keep your expectations reasonable and you will too. There are many worse cities to spend a week in
posted by goodbyewaffles at 2:21 PM on February 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
- Duckpin bowling at Atomic Bowl, and wander around Fountain Square while you are there
- There's a pile of museums including the Kurt Vonnegut one and iirc a pretty good art museum
- Zoo
I had a weirdly great time in Indianapolis. Keep your expectations reasonable and you will too. There are many worse cities to spend a week in
posted by goodbyewaffles at 2:21 PM on February 3, 2024 [2 favorites]
Do317 click on events for calendar to get specific day.
if you like weird stuff, the Indiana Medical History Museum has a good rep.
President's day is a free day at some museums but it will be full of parents with kids. Go very early or late. The Art museum is closed Mon. so check hours before you go.
The Garfield Conservatory (also closed Mon., don't know why) is a cheap and pleasant way to kill some time. There's a small waterfall with some koi underneath. It's in Garfield park just south of downtown. There's also an art center in the park that's free. It's a couple minutes from the conservatory so I usually go to both.
There's a lot more food choices than 30 years ago. Check out yelp for recs. The west side is closest to the airport and has more kinds of food. Lafayette Rd. and 38th is the epicenter. It's kind of the united nation of food.
posted by stray thoughts at 5:15 PM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
if you like weird stuff, the Indiana Medical History Museum has a good rep.
President's day is a free day at some museums but it will be full of parents with kids. Go very early or late. The Art museum is closed Mon. so check hours before you go.
The Garfield Conservatory (also closed Mon., don't know why) is a cheap and pleasant way to kill some time. There's a small waterfall with some koi underneath. It's in Garfield park just south of downtown. There's also an art center in the park that's free. It's a couple minutes from the conservatory so I usually go to both.
There's a lot more food choices than 30 years ago. Check out yelp for recs. The west side is closest to the airport and has more kinds of food. Lafayette Rd. and 38th is the epicenter. It's kind of the united nation of food.
posted by stray thoughts at 5:15 PM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
When I visit family in nearby Ohio, I always go to Half-Price Books, and have to pack to leave room
there are 4 half-price books in the indy area - the ones on 86th and 82nd streets are the best
posted by pyramid termite at 6:14 PM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
there are 4 half-price books in the indy area - the ones on 86th and 82nd streets are the best
posted by pyramid termite at 6:14 PM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
The IMA also has the world’s best grey rectangle. We went to it with that recommendation, and I’m really glad we did.
posted by nat at 8:31 PM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by nat at 8:31 PM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
The Benjamin Harrison House is worth walking through and doesn't take long. They will have special event stuff going on on President's Day so if you're in town on President's Day that might be a good way to do something low effort for a couple hours. Keep in mind that it's just an old house. Depending on who is working - it can be either very interesting or just like "okay, we just walked through a house." (I like old houses so I'm all for it as a way to spend some time.)
The IMA is better that you'd expect. I'm kind of constantly and consistently amazed by what is there and I'm a member and have spent more time there than most people. (Unfortunately my favorite Lee Krasner painting is not currently on display so I can't recommend seeing it.)
The Kurt Vonnegut museum is worth checking out as long as you realize it's small but densely packed. I end up going a couple times a year. Sometimes they have special events.
There is some great Indian food on the southside. There is a large population of Chin also on the southside so you can find amazing Burmese food along South Madison Avenue. There are also some pretty great Mexican restaurants dotted throughout the city.
If you'd tell us what kind of things you like to do it might be easier to pin down more specifics because Indy is small but also quite spread out.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 10:22 PM on February 3, 2024
The IMA is better that you'd expect. I'm kind of constantly and consistently amazed by what is there and I'm a member and have spent more time there than most people. (Unfortunately my favorite Lee Krasner painting is not currently on display so I can't recommend seeing it.)
The Kurt Vonnegut museum is worth checking out as long as you realize it's small but densely packed. I end up going a couple times a year. Sometimes they have special events.
There is some great Indian food on the southside. There is a large population of Chin also on the southside so you can find amazing Burmese food along South Madison Avenue. There are also some pretty great Mexican restaurants dotted throughout the city.
If you'd tell us what kind of things you like to do it might be easier to pin down more specifics because Indy is small but also quite spread out.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 10:22 PM on February 3, 2024
You can pretty easily do the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and the medical museum in an afternoon.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 10:24 PM on February 3, 2024
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 10:24 PM on February 3, 2024
Also, if you’re an auto racing fan of any sort, a pilgrimage to IMS is a must. I mean, it’s Indy. The museum is small, but usually well-stocked with a rotating collection of historical racing machines. Just be aware, the drive down 16th Street from downtown to the speedway is...um...not the best view of Indianapolis. Maybe approach from the west from I-465.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:18 AM on February 4, 2024
posted by Thorzdad at 5:18 AM on February 4, 2024
We stopped at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and had a blast if there are youngsters in the mix. There are a few racecar elements but it hits the stride of fun and educational easily. If it’s open/the weather supports it, their outdoor mini golf course is challenging and designed to resemble actual professional golf holes. There were indoor and outdoor admission options. We budgeted 4 hours and shifted things to stay for 8 with the outdoor component (June 2019)
If you’re just driving by, it’s the building with the long- neck dinosaur peeking in the top floor.
posted by childofTethys at 11:13 AM on February 4, 2024
If you’re just driving by, it’s the building with the long- neck dinosaur peeking in the top floor.
posted by childofTethys at 11:13 AM on February 4, 2024
If you've got a car, Carmel is about 30 mins. north. It has a walkable core full of interesting-looking non-chain restaurants. I was there in April in perfect weather, might be a bit more blustery this time of year. But I consider it the model for upper-middle-class sustainable American suburbia, which means we're unlikely to see more places like it show up anytime soon, so it's worth seeing this place.
Lots of museums in downtown Indy. And of course all those American-Stalinist capitol buildings, but they wouldn't have changed in 30 years.
posted by morspin at 12:26 PM on February 4, 2024
Lots of museums in downtown Indy. And of course all those American-Stalinist capitol buildings, but they wouldn't have changed in 30 years.
posted by morspin at 12:26 PM on February 4, 2024
If you're into photography at all, Roberts Camera is a lovely camera store with a nice new selection, but more importantly a large film and used section. The high value used stuff gets listed online too, but I always liked going to dig through the bins of stuff not worth eBaying, you can find decent camera bags, cheapo film cameras, filters, and other fun stuff.
There's also a Micro Center that just opened in Indy if you like computer stuff, I'm still miffed it opened right after I moved away.
posted by zekesonxx at 9:23 PM on February 6, 2024
There's also a Micro Center that just opened in Indy if you like computer stuff, I'm still miffed it opened right after I moved away.
posted by zekesonxx at 9:23 PM on February 6, 2024
« Older Physically (but digitially) find a wifi-connected... | GI Bill $; ROTC $ - What does it cover? Newer »
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by Eyelash at 8:30 AM on February 3, 2024 [1 favorite]