Indianapolis Travel Guide, Indiana

Indianapolis is one of the biggest cities in the world not accessible by water. Situated on barely inhabited marshes, Indianapolis began life in 1821 and due to its location, the city had terrific commercial advantages: more than sixty car manufacturers had their business settled here as well as food, paper and pharmaceutical industries, including the giant Eli Lilly Corporation.

The city designated as the country's unofficial amateur sports capital, is home to "amateur" events like the Pan-American Games and national Olympic trials that stand proud besides the glamorous Indianapolis 500 car race - "the most televised annual event in the world". Another event that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city in May and August is the Brickyard 400.

Many world-class sports facilities were constructed in recent years, Conseco Fieldhouse downtown being one of them.

Indianapolis offers an unrivaled combination of high quality hotels, top-class museums and a zoo - and its old downtown landmarks have become cultural, shopping and dining complexes. The tasteful shopping and entertainment complex called Circle Centre is the nerve center of Indianapolis downtown. But there are other spectacular attractions. Take for example Indianapolis Artsgarden an eight-story glass rotunda illuminated with fairy lights and suspended over the busy Washington and Illinois intersection, a performance and exhibition space and a walkway to Circle Centre and several downtown hotels. Other renowned landmarks include the Monument Circle, and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument that offers a spectacular view of the city to those who climb its steps.

Add to those options such attractions as: small wood-frame cottages(once home to nineteenth-century artisans), the cobblestone streets, the tree-shaded Lockerbie Square Historic District full of picturesque charm,,the Indiana State Museum that gives a useful insight into the state's history through exhibits on everything from geology to sport, the spectacular Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art where tribal artifacts from all over North America are displayed, and you have the makings of a lively and sophisticated city.

For hose who like green spaces the city offers the White River State Park, which is also home to the Indianapolis Zoo and the lush new White River Gardens. In the park's southeast corner stands the superb new Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians, the farm team for the Cincinnati Reds.

Indianapolis entertainment offers many options especially if you get to Massachusetts Avenue where along with some good bars and restaurants, the 3000-seater Murat Centre provides a special venue for gigs and Broadway musicals; and if you head north to chic Broad Ripple Village you’ll experience a world class ballet.

Great fun, great memories, great nights with Indianapolis entertainment!