Help planning a long weekend in Indianapolis

We are planning/considering a long weekend in Indianapolis in early May. We%26#39;ll drive in from St. Louis and have Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday until mid-afternoon to enjoy the area. We are open to any suggestions. We enjoy live theater, museums and art galeries, classical music, good dining, shopping, etc. Thanks in advance for your input.

Help planning a long weekend in Indianapolis

Of course, at that time of the year, activities at the track tend to dominate - there will likely be practice sessions going on at the Speedway should you want to take in that bit of Indy culture.

But the White River State Park area will also offer much to do in a compact area - particularly if you have good spring weather for your visit. Although not necessarily world class (sorry fellow Hoosiers, but it%26#39;s not), the Indianapolis Zoo has much to see that is interesting on a nice spring day. And adjacent to it in the White River State Park are the Canal Walk (a relaxing stroll type of thing along Indy%26#39;s near west side), the IMAX Theater/Indiana State Museum complex, and a world-class western art museum, The Eiteljorg. There is a medium sized grassy amphitheater there as well, and in the spring and summer there are often big-name artists and up %26amp; comers as well signed on to play a late evening/night concert there. As well, the Indianapolis Indians - Indy%26#39;s AAA ball club plays in as quaint a ball park as you%26#39;ll ever see - a great way to just sit %26amp; relax after a day of walking around the White River State Park and as a pre- or post-dinner bit of entertainment.

The Mass Avenue area offers some of Indy%26#39;s better restaurants %26amp; clubs %26amp; bars, as does the Broad Ripple area about 10 miles to the north (personally, I like Ambrosia - the relatively recently reborn Italian restaurant in Broad Ripple for a great meal, followed by a stroll through the village area to find either a club that%26#39;s hopping with live entertainment, or a pub where we can sit and have a nice chat and share some drinks ...).

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs at the historic Hilbert (Circle) Theater on Monument Circle, and will be performing most weekends in early May. if you get seats, try to avoid seats under the balcony - the acoustics are poor there, but excellent elsewhere %26amp; the Symphony is EXCELLENT.

There are a number of very good to excellent restaurants in downtown Indy - both chains and locally owned affairs. Among the locally owned:

Elements - fine dining on Mass. Ave - nouveau cuisine

St. Elmo%26#39;s Steakhouse - classic steakhouse, featuring truly world famous shrimp cocktails

Scholar%26#39;s Inn - fine American cuisine on Mass. Ave.

Harry %26amp; Izzy%26#39;s - St. Elmo%26#39;s sibling and a bit more traditional restaurant just south of it%26#39;s older, historic brother.

Those are the ';sure bets';. There is a wonderful bar at The Rathskellar on Mass. Avenue (otherwise an average German restaurant) that is well worth visiting - classic bavarian beer house that is as close to an Irish pub in terms of the elbow to elbow socialization and entertainment that happens when the night gets rolling on. They have a GREAT selection of bavarian and locally brewed ales, porters, pilsners, etc.

I%26#39;ll let others chime in to add to this listing - have a great time should you actually decide to visit!

Help planning a long weekend in Indianapolis

Dave we%26#39;re now thinking about late April (25th). Thanks for your info. Someone had suggested we stay in the downtown area - close to shops, restaurants, etc. What are your thoughts? There is a Residence Inn on the Canal that I was considering. We%26#39;d prefer a location that would allow us to walk to shops, etc. Any suggestions?

I don%26#39;t know much about that Residence Inn, other than to walk past it - it appears nice, and is a relatively short walk to the Circle Center Mall and to the White River State Park.

I would strongly agree with those who advised you to stay downtown. But I%26#39;ll also caution that our downtown is lively when events are in town (major convention, sporting event, concert), but can look like a ghost town at other times - particularly if the weather is less than ideal.

The other hotels to check out:

The Conrad - the best in the city, at a premium.

The Westin - deals to be had, and a good hotel

The Omni - showing its age a bit, but deals to be had as well

The Canterbury - formerly the best (prior to the Conrad), also showing it%26#39;s age - but elegant nonetheless

The above are all located in the Circle Center Mall / Convention Center area, which is smack in the middle of just about everything (Mass. Avenue is about a 10 to 12 block walk to the northeast, but the White River State Park complex is only a 2 to 5 block walk away). The hotel reviews on this site strike me as pretty accurate, and will give you a better picture of the quality %26amp; affordability of each hotel.

Great. Thanks for your help.

If you like museums, you%26#39;d really enjoy the downtown canal area, where you can visit the State Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of Native American and Western art (GREAT collections and lots of activity!) and the Historical Society right on the same beautiful canal walk.

Broad Ripple (the neighborhood between about 56th and 70th and College and Keystone) is a funky little spot not to be missed. It used to be where rich city dwellers had their river cabins, and it still feels very small, eclectic and comfortable. There are lovely boutiques, lots of great restaurants, and lots of vintage clothing stores. It%26#39;s right on the river and Indy%26#39;s beloved Monon bike trail. Start at 65th and College. This is a real breath of fresh air to the feel of much of the rest of Indianapolis.

http://www.discoverbroadripplevillage.com/

You might also want to see the Indianapolis Museum of Art, always good.

Restaurants I enjoy are Palamino downtown and Agio on Massachusettes Ave.

You can google for everything we%26#39;ve listed here. Enjoy your time in my home city!

Wow, thanks for all the info. I%26#39;m beginning to think we should go for a week rather than a long weekend. We%26#39;ve booked a room at th Residence Inn Downtown on the canal. Hopefully the location is good (I%26#39;m using Marriott points so the rooms are free).

The downtown area has the most to offer within walking distance of everything. the bars, hotels, restaurants, museums. The NCAA hall of champions might be fun. Also the Indiana State museum, there is also a Western/ Indian museum nearby. I like the zoo and gardens. We are members. Check out Indy.org for some more great information.

Thanks to all of you for your help. We look forward to our trip. If you think of anything else please let me know. Thanks again.

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