Ohio Weekends > Indiana > Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the United States and is best known as the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the Indianapolis 500 race is held every year. Indianapolis is also home to the Indianapolis Colts NFL team and the Indianapolis Children's Museum, the largest museum of its kind in the world.

The city is gaining a reputation as a convention city, with many diverse activities organized around the RCA Dome and convention center. We found the downtown area to be well-organized, with lots of hotels and restaurants around all of the major attractions. Indianapolis boasts an upscale mall, the Circle Centre anchored with Nordstrom. Adjacent to the Circle Center is the Indianapolis Artsgarden, a fascinating glass-enclosed performing arts center suspended over the downtown traffic. During the month of August, the Indiana State Fairgrounds is host to the Indiana State Fair, with steaming buttered corn and savory pork chop sandwiches.

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We took weekend getaways to Indianapolis in July 2000 and July 2001 to see the Drum Corps International Midwest Championships at the RCA Dome. We also walked a few blocks to the White River State Park.  Although both are located in the park, we have not yet visited the Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens.

When staying in downtown Indianapolis, we recommend the Crowne Plaza, which is connected to the RCA Dome for easy access, even in bad weather. This hotel features deluxe rooms in actual train cars. If you are staying on the north side of town, try the recently-opened Staybridge Inn and Suites.

There are many opportunities in Indianapolis to avoid chain restaurants and discover locally-owned restaurants. For casual Mexican dining, we recommend the Chile Colorado at Cazabe, a new casual Mexican eatery in Carmel. For cozy, authentic Italian, we enjoyed dinner at the moderately upscale Amalfi restaurant.

We look forward to future visits to Indianapolis, a great town for a getaway weekend.

Indiana State Fairgrounds
1202 E 38th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
(317) 927-7500

RCA Dome
Home to the Indianapolis Colts and many other events.

White River State Park

Amalfi
1351 W 86th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
(317) 253-4034

Cazabe Mexican Restaurant
13710 N Meridian Street
Carmel, Indiana
(317) 705-9867

Crowne Plaza
123 W Louisiana Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
(317) 631-2221

Staybridge Suites
9780 Crosspoint Boulevard
Indianapolis, Indiana
(317) 577-9500

Circle Centre Mall
49 W Maryland Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
(317) 681-8000

Indianapolis, Indiana
official web site

Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce

Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.

Indianapolis Star
The local newspaper

Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Bureau

WFYI 90.1 FM
public radio station