Downtown hotel vs. Airport

Greetings We will only be in Indi for one night on a Saturday. Trying to decide between staying at a downtown hotel or an airport hotel.

Is there much to do in the evening downtown? And/or are there malls/restaurants near the airport area?

Also, is it easy to get into/out of the downtown area? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Downtown hotel vs. Airport

There is typically a fair amount to do in downtown Indy on a Saturday night. Particularly if there is an event (Pacers game, Indians game, major convention, etc.) going on that night - and there usually is.

The airport hotels are lacking IMO. It%26#39;s well worth the 15 to 20 minute drive from a downtown hotel to stay in a far nicer hotel with MANY more dining and entertainment options available. If budget isn%26#39;t a huge issue, The Conrad is the place to stay. As budget begins to creep in, The Cantebury, The Westin, The Omni, and several others all come into play. There are good hotel choices for any budget downtown. And there are dozens of very nice chain and locally based restaurants from which to choose.

A particularly nice evening would be to take in an afternoon or evening Indianapolis Indians baseball game (AAA team in a great little ballpark right downtown), catch dinner before or after and then either a movie (IMAX or otherwise) or a show (Indiana Repertory Theater, White River State Park amphitheater, Conseco Fieldhouse, or just a walk around the White River State Park complex. All within easy walking distance.

If you give a specific date, I%26#39;m sure others will chime in with specific events that might interest you.

Downtown hotel vs. Airport

Oh, ... there are NO malls around the airport - and only one decent restaurant (but it%26#39;s VERY good - The Chanteclair in the otherwise substandard Holiday Inn).

Go DOWNTOWN!

... I just can%26#39;t leave this alone.

There is a brand new airport terminal nearing completion - scheduled for opening later this year I believe. There has been VERY little invested in hotels, restaurants, ANYTHING around the current terminal for about ten years, knowing this new terminal will be opening.

We all look forward to the new terminal, and the new business and industry that will grow up around it. But for now, the Indianapolis Airport is a pretty dreary place.

Definitely downtown. If you have a car parking on the street is free on the weekends (unless marked No Parking)or there are plenty of parking garages

Wow, thank you all for the good advice! We booked the Hyatt Regency for Saturday 4/5 (this weekend). I think the White River Park looks great - we%26#39;ll definately go there.

Can anyone recommend a good local site where I can find out what else is going on this weekend? Like, live irish music? There is this band we know from Indi called Slainte (?) that we%26#39;d love to see.

Thanks again for your help!

Oh yea - one last thing ... I see that our hotel is connected to a mall/shopping area. Does anyone know if there are movie theatres or a Lucky Strike there? That would be fun also.

Yes, you%26#39;re connected directly to the Circle Center Mall (well, you have to go thru a gerbil tube or two) - and they have a nice set of movie theaters on their top floor.

There are several very good Irish pubs around the city. One is right across from Conseco Fieldhouse (where the Pacers play, about 4 blocks from the Hyatt) - and that pub, Coach%26#39;s Tavern, has a house band that%26#39;s very good. There is also a new pub in Carmel, Brockaway%26#39;s Public House, that typically has very good live Irish music on weekends - they%26#39;ve modeled themselves after pubs like the Stags Head in Dublin (Temple Bar).

Don%26#39;t know of any websites that provide this level of detail, but this one gives the kind of typical overview of those events registered with the ICVA:

http://www.indydt.com/eventstemplate.asp

The Irish pub opposite Conseco Fieldhouse is Andrus O%26#39;Reilly%26#39;s on S. Pennsylvania. Also downtown is Claddaugh Irish Pub near Union Station. Other places downtown for music (not Irish) are Slippery Noodle on South Meridian St., the Chatterbox on Mass Ave., and the Rathskellar at the Atheneum on E. Michigan St. The Mass Ave. area is great for strolling, eating, and drinking with lots of restaurants and bars, as well as the Phoenix Theatre, ComedySportz, and Theatre on the Square.