INDIANAPOLIS


Let us start by saying that while we are huge fans of Indianapolis, we are not lovers of Indiana (Go CATS!).  We are no more than a three and a half hour drive from Indy so that makes it an easy place for us to visit.


We've traveled to Indianapolis several times and each time we find ourselves telling each other that we really love the city.  We've visited in the winter and woken up to six inches of snow, we've gone in spring and early fall.  Even though weather is always a factor, it's never changed our great experience.


A great thing about us visiting Indy is that we have some pretty awesome friends who call it home (for now at least).  We love our vacations with just the two of us, but it's also nice to share some weekends away with friends every now and then.

When we are in Indianapolis, we either stay with a pair of our sweet friends or we book a hotel downtown.  It just depends on what our plans are while we're there.  Sometimes we go for an easy getaway ourselves and sometimes the reason we go is to catch up with friends.


One of our favorite things about Indianapolis is that the city is very walk-able and easily accessible.  From our visits, we've got three recommendations of downtown hotels.  We had a bit of a mix up beginning our experience at Marriott, but the staff there was gracious and totally hooked us up.  Sheraton was smooth sailing and the Omni is the perfect location if you're attending something at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

350 W Maryland Street
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(317) 822-3500  

31 W Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 635-2000

Omni Severin Hotel
40 W Jackson Place
Indianapolis, IN 46225
  (317) 634-6664


Indianapolis has a handful of great restaurants.  We've been to two of their steakhouses and had the best experiences at both.  We ventured to St. Elmo for a date night during one of our weekend stays with just the two of us and again before a Taylor Swift concert that took us to Indy right before our anniversary.

Our dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House was with a couple of our sweet friends.  If we had to choose only one to recommend, we'd pick St. Elmo.  It's local to Indy (we love local) while Ruth's Chris is found in several cities.  The experience we had and the history of the restaurant speak for themselves.  


127 Illinois Street
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(317) 635-0636  
 2727 E 86th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 844-1155 


Both steakhouses fill reservations for dinner fast, so get yours in early.  We had a late dinner reservation at St. Elmo, which we always enjoy doing.  The second time we visited, we reserved about five months out.

Instead of showing up just in time for our reservation, we went early to grab a drink at their 1933 Lounge.  The atmosphere there was wonderful.  We'd recommend just ordering drinks and steering clear of the food menu (because you don't want to fill up before dinner).  Also, you HAVE to order the World Famous St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail appetizer at dinner.  No questions asked.  Order it!

Some other great nicer dinning options in the city include Capital Grille, Harry & Izzy's and Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse


Indianapolis is impressive to us for several reasons, but they do something special that we think is brilliant (and cool).  Devour Indy is known as a dining experience that allows diners to take advantage of three-course, value-priced menus at participating restaurants twice a year (winter and summer) for two weeks.  

Lots of their top restaurants participate so it's the best opportunity to get some fantastic meals at pretty stellar prices.  The full list of participating restaurants is listed on their website.  If you're planning to visit Indy, we encourage you to check out the upcoming dates.  You don't want to miss out on this opportunity if you're there and if you are, you'll need to make reservations.  Quick!  We will probably plan our next random visit to Indianapolis around the dates Devour Indy is happening, seriously.


There are tons of places downtown to grab a drink, but our favorite is Tastings.  Tastings Wine Experience is just that, an experience.  With over 200 wines, Tastings carries one of the largest selections in the world for wines-by-the-taste. The entire selection is available by the taste, glass, and bottle. 

It also has a menu of tapas, flatbreads & cheese plates... these are a few of our favorite things!  You grab a card, load it with money and swipe your selection.  You're only decision is what you want to try and how much of it you'd like to have.  We love trying wines by the taste.  Not only is it a great way to try different wines, but it's super fun.  Tastings has one additional location in Columbus, Ohio.


50 W Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 423-2400  


We've got a handful of recommendations for things to do and see in Indianapolis.  Make sure to see Central Canal, Monument Circle and the Soldiers & Sailors Monument.  If you're staying in the city, these are sights that you won't miss.  There's also a handful of great local breweries around.

Some of our favorite attractions in Indianapolis are The Museum of Art (Jessica's pick) and the NCAA Hall of Champions (Dave's pick).  If you are traveling with littles, you should check out the Children's Museum and the Zoo.  We've heard awesome things about both of these places.


Another absolute favorite thing of ours about Indianapolis is Broad Ripple.  Broad Ripple Village is a fusion of old and new, commercial and creative.  It has a variety of vibrant restaurants, shops, and nightlife spots.  The entire area is surrounded by established Indianapolis neighborhoods and nearby parks.  It is one the cultural districts known to Indianapolis, and we think it is such a gem.   


Other downtown cultural districts in Indy are Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Market East, Mass Avenue and Wholesale District and Canal & White River.  Broad Ripple is super dog-friendly (which Hopsen loves) and is just plain awesome.  If we ever settled in Indianapolis, that's exactly where we'd want to be.  It doesn't get much better than a dog-friendly coffee shop... right?


Indianapolis is home to the Indy 500 so attractions like the Speedway and Speedway Museum may be things you'd want to check out if you're into racing.  Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium also host a slew of sporting and special events throughout the year.  Check their calendars!


Indianapolis is a surrounding city that we look at for concerts, events and such that we want to see.  We visited overnight for Taylor Swift's Reputation Tour last month and had the absolute best time!

 
If it wasn't for a final four basketball game that didn't quite go our way, we'd really have only the best memories of Indianapolis.  Our expressions quickly went from Jessica's to Dave's.

Indianapolis is such a fun city for us to spend a night or two away.  The amenities of the city are great, but it is also an extremely easy city to handle.  Before you visit, make sure to do a little research on local spots!  There are so many cool places to hang out popping up everywhere in Indy. 

You can purchase St. Elmo cocktail sauce at several grocery stores in Indiana so stock up on a bottle before going home.  We always do!  It's typically located in the seafood department.


Parking overnight in Indy isn't outrageous like it can be in some other cities.  Use valet!  

Be open to checking out other areas right outside of the city (like Broad Ripple).  You don't want to miss out on these sweet neighborhoods when visiting Indianapolis. 

Since it is such a walk-able city, spend the extra cash and stay at a hotel right downtown in the middle of everything.  This makes the whole experience so much better (and easier).

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