A plan for Indianapolis

The population is roughly 882,000 (2022), making it the 16th largest city in the United States, and the metro area has about 2 million (#34).

When Indianapolis was founded, it was expected to be a "Great Inland Port", but the White River turned out to be non-navigable most of the year. The pay-off is that this desire for a port left the city with a gorgeous canal district, though the canal itself is only useful for recreational kayaks and paddleboats.

Today, Indianapolis is known as the "Crossroads of America" due to its centrality in America's Interstate Highway System.

In general, travel in and through Indianapolis is safe, clean, and logical. Visitors can always find something to do without becoming overwhelmed at a sprawling metropolis. In a few minutes, you can go from a sleepy and peaceful cornfield to a vibrant downtown. City planning is intelligible to outsiders with a grid system broken up by a few major diagonal streets, a large beltway loop (I-465), and a general lack of gridlock and traffic.

Climate

Indy is warm to hot in the summer, with average highs around 85 °F (29 °C) in June, July, and August. This is paired with a typical mid-western winter—January is the coldest month, with an average high of 34 °F (1 °C). Every few years, the winter gets sharp with significant snowfall and once a generation or so there is an ice storm or otherwise impassible winter weather event. Indianapolis exists within a tornado region but has never been impacted by major twisters. Travelers really only need to beware the occasional nasty winter and sometimes overly hot summer. Summer heat indices average around 88 °F (31 °C) during the day and 68 °F (20 °C) at night; though heat indices at or above 101 °F (38 °C) and 76 °F (24 °C) at night, are not unheard of on some particularly hot and sweltering days. The city has had two droughts since 1980, neither of which was disastrous.

Skyscrapers

The tallest building in Indianapolis is the Salesforce Tower, standing at 830 ft (250 m), followed by the OneAmerica Tower which is 533 ft (162 m) and the Regions Tower standing at a height of 504 ft (154 m). The fourth and fifth are the Market Tower 421 ft (128 m) and 300 North Meridian at 408 ft (124 m). Other skyscrapers include the BMO Plaza 401 ft (122 m) and the JW Marriott Indianapolis 376 ft (115 m), which is the tallest hotel in the state and the largest JW Marriott in the world. All skyscrapers are in a relatively compact cluster downtown.

Outdoors and landmarks

1 Indiana State Capitol, 200 W Washington St (just west of Monument Circle), ☏ +1 317-233-5293, touroffice@idoa.in.gov. Mon-Fri 8AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-2PM (closed Sun). Completed in 1888, this is the hub for Indiana's state government, housing the Governor's office, the state legislature (State Senate and Indiana General Assembly) and the State Supreme Court. The first state capital was in the Southern Indiana town of Corydon, and in 1825 it was moved to Indianapolis. Featuring Italian Renaissance, Greek, and Corinthian design, the building is made from primarily of Indiana limestone. Look up while in the Rotunda to see the amazing German stained glass window, take a guided or personal tour, or observe the government at work. Free. Vehicles can be parked in nearby garages or at metered spots. Automobiles that violate the metered time policy risk receiving a ticket and having their automobiles towed. (updated Jan 2024)

Festivals and events

May, The Indianapolis 500. One of the largest sporting events in the world. The westside of the city and Speedway gets swamped and if you like big crowds, loud cars, and tailgating, this is for you. One of several events leading up to it is the largest mini-marathon in the world, so if you're extra ambitious, come early and run for 13.1 mi (21.1 km) (or a more modest but still impressive 5 km (3.1 mi)).

Early June, Vintage Indiana Wine & Food Fest, Military Park, 601 W New York St, toll-free: +1-800-832-9463. Over a dozen Indiana wineries come together in downtown Indy, offering samples of their finest. Restaurants from the city participate as well, serving up samples too. Cooking classes show you how to cook with wine, and Indy's finest live music acts perform. There is a kid's activity area too for the under 21ers Though it's rather not that exciting for the little ones.

Late June, Eiteljorg Indian Market, Eiteljorg Museum, ☏ +1 317-636-9378. The Midwest's largest festival celebrating Native American culture and history. Craft and art fair, performances, food and more.

Late June, Old Settlers Day and Classic Car Show, E Southeastern Ave, Wanamaker. Since 1987, the small town of Wanamaker has celebrated its founding pioneers with a street fair of over 100 booths with art, craftsmen, antiques, crafts, food, entertainment, and games. A great classic car show features over 150 classic cars. The festivities include a free community fireworks display at 10PM.

Mid-July, Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration, Downtown, ☏ +1 317-925-2707. African Americans from all over head to Indy ever summer to celebrate life and culture. Lectures, community fairs, special events and don't forget the music—some of music's biggest starts come to town to celebrate. Everyone from Mary J. Blige to Public Enemy, Cameo to Barry White have made appearances. Traffic can be crazy and expect higher cover charges at nightclubs. Fun for the entire family.

Mid-July, Indianapolis International Film Festival, TBA Location, ☏ +1 317-513-9379. Indie films are hosted in non-pretentious environments. Meetings, parties, lectures, and of course films. The group also hosts films throughout the city, throughout the year.

Budget

Bakeries

1 Chocolate Cafe, 30 Monument Circle, ☏ +1 317-951-4816. South Bend Chocolate Company chocolate, sweets, coffees and sweet drinks. Check out the wall of celebrities who've indulged, and get educated on chocolate by the helpful and friendly staff. Watch fudge get made, sample the goods and enjoy the best hot chocolate in town. Vegetarian friendly.

2 Heidelberg Haus, 7625 Pendleton Pike, ☏ +1 317-547-1230. Enjoy this German bakery's treats and sweets. German-born owners who have served great German eats since the 1960s here in Indy. Real Black Forest Cake, sausages, potato salad, and more. Check out the gift shop with great German beer-lover gifts. The decor is filled with antiques and German decor. Authentic as hell and a great destination for simple basic German eats. Vegetarian friendly.

Long's Bakery (two locations, see below). Grab a doughnut from this Indy institution. Visit the location just off 16th Street, not far from the track or the second location in Southport on the southside. (updated Mar 2022)

3 , 1453 N Tremont St, ☏ +1 317-632-3741. (updated Mar 2022)

4 , 2301 E Southport Rd, ☏ +1 317-783-1442. (updated Mar 2022)

5 Rene's Bakery, 6524 Cornell Ave, ☏ +1 317-251-2253. Small house in North Broad Ripple owned by pastry chef A. Rene Trevino. Freshly baked, menu changes daily. Scones, croissants, muffins, cookies, truffles, eclairs, tortes, tarts and breads. Weekly bread selection includes Walnut Rye, Multi-Grain, Raisin, White, Brioche and Challah. Great place for a quick snack or to pick up a lovely breakfast. It's just a bakery—no seating—but when the weather is nice you can sit outside or relax on one of the many benches on the Monon Trail.

6 Ripple Bagel & Deli, 850 Broad Ripple Ave, ☏ +1 317-257-8326. Broad Ripple's only locally owned deli—with the only steamed bagel sandwich in town. Hippies work the counter and the bagels are fresh. Look for the giant bagel clock over the door. Vegan friendly.

7 The Flying Cupcake, 423 Massachusetts Ave, ☏ +1 317-536-0817. Regular, filled and jumbo cupcakes with a menu that changes daily, or sometimes hourly. Alternative locations at 5617 N. Illinois Street, E. 82nd Street, and Carmel. Vegan and gluten-free options available.

Coffee

Hubbard & Cravens Coffee Co.. Two locations, H&C has their own warehouse where they custom-roast all their own beans and import over 20 types of coffees. Considered the finest coffee in town by some.

1 , 4930 Pennsylvania Ave (Broad Ripple), ☏ +1 317-251-5161. (updated Mar 2022)

2 , 6229 Carrollton Ave (Broad Ripple), ☏ +1 317-803-4155. (updated Mar 2022)

3 Monon Coffee Company, 920 E Westfield Blvd, ☏ +1 317-255-0510. Independent coffee shop, free wireless access.

Booze and cocktails

To drink and get into bars you must be at least 21. Bars close at 3AM; 12:30AM on Sundays. Alcohol can be bought in stores on Sundays from Noon to 8 PM. Age requirements vary and are listed below.

4 Alley Cat, 6267 Carrollton Ave, ☏ +1 317-257-4036. A dive bar in Broad Ripple, down an alley. No windows, smoke-ridden, and open at 7AM for breakfast till 3AM for dinner. A great jukebox, legendary bar staff, numerous pool tables, and the hardest drinks in town. Sometimes bands play too. A place you know will never change. Vegetarian friendly. 21+

5 Broad Ripple Brew Pub, 842 E 65th St, ☏ +1 317-253-2739. British-style pub in Northern Broad Ripple. It was the first brewpub in town, and is the oldest microbrewery in the state. If E.S.B., India Pale Ale, Lager, Porter and Bitter falls into your vocabulary then this is a place for you. Good food—Scotch eggs, bangers and mash, and a good vegetarian menu. Friendly and familiar bar staff. Indoor and outdoor dining makes this one of the busiest lunch and dinner spots in the area. They also have real darts (not plastic). All ages.

6 Chatham Tap, 719 Massachusetts Ave, ☏ +1 317-917-8425. English-style pub that features hi-def TVs playing soccer (err, "football") all day and night. A nice selection of high end beers and a mix of bar style food with more gourmet takes on classics. They serve some of the best fish and chips in town to a mix of hipsters, post-work yuppies, gays and jocks.

Outside of the walkable Downtown and some Cultural Districts, you'll need a vehicle to navigate the urban sprawl. The public bus system is fairly clean and efficient but routes are sometimes complex, and substantial portions of the metro area are inaccessible. Outside of peak hours, waits can be prohibitively long. Bike lanes alongside major roads have been constructed in the early 2010s, so cyclists will be sharing the road.

By car

On highways, the general speed limit is 55–70 mph (89–113 km/h). On city streets, if no speed limit is posted, assume that it is 35 mph (56 km/h). Indianapolis generally lacks the aggressive driving, bad roads, and congestion associated with major U.S. cities. The city planning is largely logical and follows a grid pattern with some exceptions. A handful of streets cut across the city north–south and only a few (10th, 38th, 82nd/86th, and 96th) go across east–west. Washington Street is the main east–west through street, which bends to the south on the westside and Meridian runs north–south far past the boundaries of the city. Due to the flat terrain of central Indiana, you can see downtown from most spots in the city. If you are desperately lost, you can at least get your bearings by looking for the handful of skyscrapers.

Indianapolis is a generally safe city, but some areas of the city are prone to crime. The downtown center of the city is very safe, but the inner-loop (inside I-465) suburbs can be dangerous in certain areas. The biggest exceptions to this are Northern Indianapolis (directly north of downtown) and much of the Eastside, particularly the Far Eastside. The Near Eastside is made up of a patchwork of neighborhoods which are generally safe and have historic buildings interspersed with some urban blight as a product of White Flight. The Near Eastside has been recovering in the 21st century and the break-up of some organized crime rings in the 2010s has had an uneven effect on crime.