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Top Attractions in Indianapolis

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis is the worlds largest childrens museum. It is located at 3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States in the United Northwest Area neighborhood of the city. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is 472,900 square feet with five floors of exhibit halls and receives more than one million visitors annually. Its collection of over 120,000 artifacts and exhibit items are divided into three domains: the American Collection, the Cultural World Collection, and the Natural World Collection. Among the exhibits are a simulated Cretaceous dinosaur habitat, a carousel, and a steam locomotive. The museums focus is family learning; most exhibits are designed to be interactive, allowing children and families to actively participate. Founded in 1925 by Mary Stewart Carey with the help of Indianapolis civic leaders and organizations, it is the fourth oldest such institution in the world. The current site became home for the museum in 1946; the current building was constructed in 1976, and has had six major expansions since then. The museum hosts thousands of activities annually, including plays at the Lilly Theater, classes and workshops for school children, traveling exhibits, and fund-raising events. With a 2008 budget of $28.7 million, it has 400 employees and 1500 volunteers. Its financial stability is ensured by a large endowment that was first established in the 1960s and is governed by a board of trustees.

Children's Museum of Indianapolis

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the world's largest children's museum. It is located at 3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, in the United Northwest Area neighborhood of the city. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is 472,900 square feet with five floors of exhibit halls and receives more than one million visitors annually. Its collection of over 120,000 artifacts and exhibit items is divided into three domains: the American Collection, the Cultural World Collection, and the Natural World Collection. Among the exhibits are a simulated Cretaceous dinosaur habitat, a carousel, and a steam locomotive. The museum's focus is family learning; most exhibits are designed to be interactive, allowing children and families to actively participate. Founded in 1925 by Mary Stewart Carey with the help of Indianapolis civic leaders and organizations, it is the fourth-oldest such institution in the world. The current site became home for the museum in 1946; the current building was constructed in 1976, and has had four major expansions since then. The museum hosts thousands of activities annually, including plays at the Lilly Theater, classes and workshops for school children, traveling exhibits, and fund-raising events. With a 2008 budget of $28.7 million, it has 400 employees and 1,500 volunteers. Its financial stability is ensured by a large endowment that was first established in the 1960s and is governed by a board of trustees.

Jazz Kitchen

The Jazz Kitchen is a prominent jazz club and restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana. The club showcases local, regional and national jazz acts. Opening in 1994 at the former location of The Place to Start at 54th Street and College Avenue, the Jazz Kitchen resides in Meridian Kessler/SoBro, Indianapolis. Voted one of the top 100 jazz clubs in the world in 2009 by Down Beat magazine, the Jazz Kitchen is owned by David Allee, son of jazz musician and composer Steve Allee. 2009 brought some significant changes to Jazz Kitchen. In 2009, the jazz club adopted a "smoke-free" policy. And in February 2009, the corporate partnership of the Jazz Kitchen, Owl Studios and the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation under the moniker Indy Jazz Fest Corp. took over production of the Indy Jazz Fest, an annual festival held in June. As a foodie destination, the Jazz Kitchen received an OpenTable’s 2012 Diner’s Choice award listing among the Top 100 Late-Night Dining Restaurants in the country The club features local and touring musicians. Many acclaimed musicians have performed at Jazz Kitchen, including Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Victor Wooten, Larry Coryell, Lavay Smith, Pharez Whitted, Jon Faddis, Kathy Kosins, Yellowjackets, Frank Glover, Joey DeFrancesco, Terence Blanchard, J. J. Johnson, Simone , Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Ray Brown .

Indianapolis Artsgarden

The Indianapolis Artsgarden is a glassed dome spanning the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. It serves not only as a pedestrian connector between the Circle Centre Mall and nearby buildings, but also as a venue for the display and performance of artistic and musical works. In addition, the Artsgarden houses the Cultural Concierge which provides ticket information, maps, and visitor guides for art events in Indianapolis. The structure, including the walkways connecting it to the adjacent buildings, is owned and operated by the Arts Council of Indianapolis. The Artsgarden was designed by Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects who also designed the adjacent Circle Centre Mall. Blackburn Architects collaborated on the design and execution. The $12 million cost was funded by Lilly Endowment. The floor of the Artsgarden stands 17 feet above the intersection. A series of arched steel trusses creates a graduated set of glassed vaults, the tallest of which is 75 feet above the floor and 95 feet above the street. The design yields a total free-span length of 110 feet within the dome. A total of 32,000 square feet of glass is used in the structure to give it an airy, open feel. The entire dome is set on two pairs of 185-foot plate girders that diagonally span the intersection. When initially constructed in 1995, the Artsgarden connected the second level of Circle Centre Mall on the southeast corner of the intersection with an upper level of the Claypool Courts on the northwest corner, while stairways provided access to the ground-level sidewalks on the northeast and southwest corners. In 2006 the Conrad Indianapolis was built on the site of the small park that had been on the northeast corner and the stairway there was replaced with a direct connection to the hotel. In 2011 construction was started on a connector to the 16-story PNC Center and Hyatt Regency hotel complex on the southwest corner. The owners of the complex in 1995 had declined to help pay for the connector; in 2010 an agreement was reached to split the $1.2 million cost, allowing fulfillment of the original concept of the Artsgarden. The connector was completed in January, 2012.

Scottish Rite Cathedral

The Scottish Rite Cathedral is a historic building designed by architect George F. Schreiber, located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is owned by the Valley of Indianapolis Scottish Rite, an affiliated body of Freemasonry. It was built between 1927 and 1929 at the cost of $2.5 million. It was built with every dimension being evenly divisible by three (reflecting the three degrees in Freemasonry), with many being divisible by 33 (reflecting the degrees a member of the Scottish Rite can achieve). The Cathedral is one of the largest Masonic buildings, and has been described as one of the finest examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the United States The main tower features a 54-bell carillon and rises 212 ft (65 m) above Indianapolis. It also has a floating ballroom. Other features are patterned ceilings, ornate carved woodwork, and stained-glass windows. The auditorium has 1200 seats, and has been commended for the craftsmanship with which its fittings and decorations were made It also has a large pipe organ. The main entrance, known as the Tiler's Room, is a cube of 33 ft (10 m). It features both Masonic symbols and the signs of the Zodiac. The ballroom also embodies the number 33 by being 99 feet (30 m) square, pillars defining the dancing area as 66 ft (20 m) square, and the white oak floor panels are 33 in (840 mm) square. The chandelier has 200 lights and weighs 2,500 lb (1,100 kg). The ballroom was designed in an Elizabethan architectural style. In a 1996 poll, the Indianapolis Business Journal found the Cathedral to be the most popular historic building in the city, and the second favorite building of any type. In recent years it has received 100,000 visitors a year. The Valley of Indianapolis is the only Scottish Rite Valley in the nation with an orchestra in residence, the Scottish Rite Orchestra, conducted by Ill. Jeff Warbinton, 33˚. The Orchestra was founded in 1946. Guided tours are available on weekdays and the third Saturday of each month.

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 284 ft 6 in neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The monument is the first in the United States to be dedicated to the common soldier. It is also the largest outdoor memorial and the largest of its kind in Indiana. It was designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz and built over a thirteen-year period, between 1888 and 1901. The monuments original purpose was to honor Hoosiers who were veterans of the American Civil War; however, it is also a tribute to Indianas soldiers who served during the American Revolutionary War, territorial conflicts that partially led to the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, and the Spanish–American War. In the years since its public dedication on May 15, 1902, the monument has become an iconic symbol of Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973. The obelisk-shaped monument is built of oolitic limestone from Owen County, Indiana. It rests on a raised foundation surrounded by pools and fountains. Broad stone steps on its north and south sides lead to two terraces at its base. Stone tablets above the bronze entrance doors on the obelisks north and south sides bear inscriptions commemorating Indianas soldiers. An inscription above the tablets reads: "To Indianas Silent Victors." An observation deck is accessible by stairs or elevator from the interior. In addition to its commemorative statuary and fountains, made primarily of oolitic limestone and bronze, the basement of the monument contains the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum, a museum of Indiana history during the American Civil War. At the time of the monuments dedication in 1902, its cost was $598,318. It has been estimated that construction of a similar structure in 2014 would exceed $500 million. The memorial includes several notable outdoor sculptures, including Rudolph Schwarzs two massive limestone groupings of War and Peace, two smaller scenes named The Dying Soldier and The Return Home, and four military figures at its base. Three astragals, one by Nikolaus Geiger and two others by George T. Brewster, surround the stone obelisk. Additional sculptures include John H. Mahoneys bronze statues of George Rogers Clark, William Henry Harrison, and James Whitcomb, and Franklin Simmonss bronze statue of Oliver P. Morton. Brewsters 30-foot bronze statue of Victory crowns the obelisk. The Indianapolis monument is approximately 15 feet shorter than New York Citys 305-foot Statue of Liberty.

Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library is dedicated to championing the literary, artistic and cultural contributions of the late writer, artist and Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. It opened in January 2011 and is located in the Emelie Building, a structure on the National Register of Historical Places at 340 N. Senate Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana. The library serves as a cultural and educational resource facility, museum, art gallery and reading room. It supports language and visual arts education through programs and outreach activities with other local arts organizations to foster a strong arts network for both the local and national community. One of the goals for the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library is to help tourism to Indianapolis. Tourism officials from the city look at the library as a new attraction and reason for people to visit. The library is one of several efforts supported by the city and institutions such as the Lilly Endowment and Ball State University to expand the city’s cultural activities, alongside the Indianapolis Museum of Art and The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis. The Lilly Endowment Inc. granted the library a $50,000 grant and the funds will be used, in part, to provide for a citywide festival planned for 2013. Ball State University along with partner contributors granted the library $76,710 to digitize rare archival material and make the content more accessible to the general public via a digital display. The work involved with opening the museum was made possible by volunteers.

Indiana Historical Society

The Indiana Historical Society is one of the United States oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indianas Storyteller". Housed within the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, it is located at 450 West Ohio St. in Indianapolis, Indiana, in The Canal and White River State Park Cultural District with neighbors such as the Indiana State Museum and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. The Indiana Historical Society is the oldest state historical society west of the Allegheny Mountains. Since 1830, the Society has been Indianas Storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating the states history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, the IHS maintains the nations premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups, publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; and provides youth, adult and family programming, including Indianas participation in the National History Day Competition series. It also appoints and trains 92 county historians. The Indiana Historical Society opened a new 165,000-square-foot headquarters in downtown Indianapolis in July 1999, built on the site of the prior Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Indianapolis.

Skiles Test Nature Park

Skiles Test Nature Park, sometimes called Skiles Test Nature Area is a park on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The land had been owned by Skiles Test and was the site of the supposedly haunted house known as the House of Blue Lights. Skiles Test, a local business man, lived on the property from 1913 to 1964. The property once had a miniature railway and a pool with bathhouses, elevators, and highdives. In the 1990s, the park became the subject of controversy because it was being used as a tea room by local gay men, often in the sight of children. A teacher from New Castle, Indiana, was caught exposing himself to a student and arrested in 2004. In 2010 Big Car organized series of site specific art installations in the park including works by Cindy Hinant, Nathan Monk, and Lukas Schooler.

Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum

The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 284 ft 6 in neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years since its public dedication on May 15, 1902, the monument has become an iconic symbol of Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973. It is also the largest outdoor memorial and the largest of its kind in Indiana. It was designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz and built over a thirteen-year period, between 1888 and 1901. The monument's original purpose was to honor Hoosiers who were veterans of the American Civil War; however, it is also a tribute to Indiana's soldiers who served during the American Revolutionary War, territorial conflicts that partially led to the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, and the Spanish–American War. The monument is the first in the United States to be dedicated to the common soldier. The obelisk-shaped monument is built of oolitic limestone from Owen County, Indiana. It rests on a raised foundation surrounded by pools and fountains. Broad stone steps on its north and south sides lead to two terraces at its base. Stone tablets above the bronze entrance doors on the obelisk's north and south sides bear inscriptions commemorating Indiana's soldiers. An inscription above the tablets reads: "To Indiana's Silent Victors." An observation deck is accessible by stairs or elevator from the interior. In addition to its commemorative statuary and fountains, made primarily of oolitic limestone and bronze, the basement of the monument contains the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum, a museum of Indiana history during the American Civil War. At the time of the monument's dedication in 1902, its cost was $598,318. It has been estimated that construction of a similar structure in 2014 would exceed $500 million. The memorial includes several notable outdoor sculptures, including Rudolph Schwarz's two massive limestone groupings of War and Peace, two smaller scenes named The Dying Soldier and The Return Home, and four military figures at its base. Three astragals, one by Nikolaus Geiger and two others by George T. Brewster, surround the stone obelisk. Additional sculptures include John H. Mahoney's bronze statues of George Rogers Clark, William Henry Harrison, and James Whitcomb, and Franklin Simmons's bronze statue of Oliver P. Morton. Brewster's 30-foot bronze statue of Victory crowns the obelisk. The Indianapolis monument is approximately 15 feet shorter than New York City's 305-foot Statue of Liberty.

Indiana War Memorial Museum

The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. The five-city-block plaza was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and nation's veterans. At the north end of the plaza is the American Legion Mall, which is the site of the administration buildings of the Legion, as well as a memorial cenotaph. South of that is the Veterans Memorial Plaza with its obelisk. The centerpiece of the plaza is the Indiana World War Memorial, modeled after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Within is a military museum, the Shrine Room, and an auditorium. At the south end is University Park, the oldest part of the plaza, filled with statues and a fountain. On October 11, 1994, the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza was designated a National Historic Landmark District.
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