Indy

My first time in Indianapolis I was surprised at how small the downtown area is. It’s not a large city, and the downtown area drops off into suburban neighborhoods VERY quickly, which I found unusual. However, the central Indiana area has enough cool things that it has become an overnight trip for us more than once!

Downtown

  • Downtown Indy has some great bike trails and walkable areas. The Canal Walk was a fun adventure in both the winter and spring. The bridges crossing the canal are cute, and are covered with murals underneath, and string lights illuminate the canal at night. 

  • On my second visit to the city, I came specifically to ride the trails. We did the Monon trail, which connects Carmel, IN (about a 30 minute drive north of the city) to downtown, and also the Cultural Trail, which loops through downtown, runs past the zoo, and along the canal.

  • The Central Library branch of the Indianapolis Public Library is a cool building, which is obviously free to go in and browse around. It provides a mix of traditional and modern architecture, plus large windows and city views on the top floor, and of course lots of books. 

  • One of our favorite restaurants is FortyFive Degrees. It’s known for sushi, but also has AMAZING dinner plates and drinks. I really like the lettuce wraps. We’ve made Indianapolis a pit stop on other trips just so we could get dinner here.

  • From FortyFive Degrees you can take a cute (and short) walk up Massachusetts ave to Pins Mechanical Co in the Bottleworks district. This location is smaller and much less grand than the ones in Columbus, but is in a very cool building that used to be a Coca Cola factory. String lights cross the street at night in the summer, and the whole strip feels like a step into a classy scene from a 1960s movie. 

  • Cafe Patachou is a great place for breakfast in downtown, and City Market is a cool indoor stop with lots of food and grocer vendors.

Carmel

  • As much as there is to do in downtown Indianapolis, the town of Carmel is an adorable suburb, only about 30 minutes drive north. It’s definitely worth a stop to walk through the city, or bike the Monon Trail. 

  • Along the Monon Trail is The Waterpark. Although we didn’t get to visit, it looks like and incredibly fun neighborhood pool waterpark, and I hope to make it back to check it out! Next to the waterpark is the Westermeier Commons Playground & Splashpad, which is free.

  • My favorite thing in Carmel is Indie Coffee Roasters dachshund-themed coffee shop. The location is adorable inside and out, has great coffee, and features my favorite kind of pup!

I haven’t done much exploring in central Indiana outside these two areas. I’d love to hear more recommendations in the area, let me know if you find other cool spots or suburbs!