Location: Indianapolis
Top Things to do in Indianapolis
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What to do and see in Indianapolis, Indiana (IN): The Best Nature & Parks
High-speed, history and good old Hoosier hospitality are a few reasons to put Indianapolis on your list of great getaways. Sports is another. From the legendary Indianapolis 500 to the Pacers and the Colts, the city offers ample opportunities to view professional and amateur sporting events, take part in athletic events and visit sports museums. At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hall Of Fame Museum you can tour the famous track (try to reserve tickets if there is a race in town) or visit the museum dedicated to automobiles and auto racing. Other sporty museums include the NCAA Hall of Champions. To get in on some of the action, head to SportZone which features six acres of indoor athletic facilities the whole family will enjoy. Those less interested in sports, or with kids in tow, can still find tons to do in and around the city. History, art and other cultural attractions abound. Visit the Children's Museum or checkout the zoo. Stroll along cobblestone streets past 19th-century buildings in the Lockerbie Square District or visit any number of historic landmarks. Known as the "Crossroads of America," more interstate highways bisect Indianapolis than any other city in the country, making it an exciting and easily accessible destination.
Restaurants in Indianapolis
1. Indianapolis Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,446 reviews
With a collection of more than 54,000 works of art, an early-20th-century estate, 152 acres of gardens and grounds, including an outdoor art and nature park, the IMA campus offers experiences that feed both the heart and mind.
Reviewed By 732lancel - Denver, United States
IMA has an excellent and very large collection. I focused on the contemporary and modern collection and was very impressed. What is exceptional about IMA, is that in addition to the main complex, the museum is situated on 100 acres of park, including sculpture gardens, AND the Lilly country home, with extensive formal and informal gardens. What a treat!!!!!
2. Indianapolis Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,453 reviews
The Indianapolis Zoo is located in White River State Park, conveniently located in beautiful downtown Indianapolis with easy access to walking and biking trails into the city. The Zoo is also just minutes from multiple interstates to make travel convenient for out-of-town visitors. Triple accredited as a zoo, an aquarium and a botanic garden, visitors can experience all of these attractions for one admission price. Open year-round with 64 acres of indoor and outdoor habitats, the Indianapolis Zoo is home to nearly 1,300 animals of approximately 230 species as well as 47,000 plant specimens.
Reviewed By 932all
My husband and I and our 3 married children and their families (17 total) visited the Indy Zoo to celebrate our 40th Anniversary. We greatly enjoyed our day at the zoo....the dolphin show was a highlight as well as the Butterfly Kaleidoscope and the Dog Show. The "climbing" gorilla was fun to see. The zoo was very clean and we hope to visit it again in the next year.
3. Eagle Creek Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 335 reviews
Reviewed By Beachykeen7684
Always a wonderful park to visit for hiking, biking and getting out of the house. Social distancing adventures. Creeks to stomp in and nature to quietly observe. Indianapolis Gem.
4. Fort Harrison State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 136 reviews
This 1700-acre park is chock-full of activities and history, housing a former World War II prisoner-of-war camp. Recreation includes fishing, bicycle trails, walking and jogging trails, horse trail rides and hayrides, picnicking and a nature center. Knowledgeable naturalists answer your questions and offer guided hikes and talks.
Reviewed By DKPuck - Muncie, United States
This is a beautiful park in an urban area, but you wouldn't know it when you are in the park. The park is large with several excellent hiking trails, walking trails, and views of the river and beach. Parking is sufficient, but it can be busy on a nice weekend. We came on a very nice Saturday. There was a line to get in the park, but once through, there was plenty of parking and most people are not on the non-paved hiking trails. A great state park that you should definitely visit!
5. White River Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 59 reviews
Reviewed By MomOfBoysTravel - Indianapolis, United States
We have a Zoo membership and with that we are able to visit White River Gardens as well. We took a day and just visited the Gardens and the Butterfly exhibit and it was so beautiful. I would come here weekly if I had time to do so. Outside we heard frogs near the lily pads, saw a birds nest and all the gorgeous plants. The only thing I wonder is why the fountains weren't working. Years ago when we visited the fountains squirted water out and the day that we visited (late May) the fountains weren't on. There was a fun activity center on the *inside* that included sensory play activities for little children, books, things to see, etc. The lady inside said that they change out things in there every now and then so while I have a picture here of a sensory bin and magnetic shapes, there might be other activities at different times.
6. White River State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 466 reviews
White River State Park is an extraordinary park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, offering 250 acres of vibrant green spaces, waterways, trails, and attractions. The park boasts world-class attractions and destinations that offer distinctive experiences for every visitor. Enhancing the health and well-being of visitors is the mission of WRSP by providing cultural, entertainment, and recreational benefits to millions of Indiana citizens and visitors from all over the world.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
White River State Park is a 250-acre urban park located on the western edge of downtown Indianapolis that features many attractions, including the Indiana Central Canal and cultural, educational and recreational points of interest that make the park a go-to destination for one and all. Located at 801 West Washington Street, it also is a luscious piece of green space, trails, trees and waterways that provide locals and visitors with an opportunity to take a leisurely stroll through the park. Along the way, you can visit the Historic Pumphouse that opened in 1870, the Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, the NCAA's Hall of Champions, the Indiana State Museum, the IMAX 3D Theatre, the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial, the Historic Washington Street Pedestrian Bridge that opened as part of the National Road in 1916, Military Park, the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana State Capitol building, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Victory Field and the Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn, named one of the top 100 outdoor concert venues in the world. Over 3.5 million people visit the park annually. For trivia buffs, it is noted that one of the proposed focal points of the park, the Indiana Tower, was never constructed.
7. Garfield Park Conservatory & Sunken Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 140 reviews
Garfield Park Conservatory within Garfield Regional Park, is a 10,000 square foot tropical rainforest conservatory. The grounds include a 3 acre Sunken Garden and fountains and a Children's Garden.
Reviewed By DayTrip825203
just a wonderful place to experience. They have plants and beautiful vegetation from all over the world, small animals and insects to marvel at, and a lovely waterfall to enjoy. Also make sure to walk through the sunken garden.
8. Holliday Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 169 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Indianapolis is bigger than you think it is. Indiana's state capital covers 368 square miles with more than 2 million people living in the metropolitan area. But there is plenty of green space, lots of parks. One is Holliday Park. Located at 6363 Spring Mill Road, on the city's north side, it is a 94-acre park that features a 13,000-square-foot Nature Center, one of the city's finest playgrounds, more than 3.5 miles of hiking trails, the ruins of a late 19th century building, lush gardens, a rock garden and an arboretum with over 1,200 individual trees labeled by species. And walk along the banks of the White River. The park is part of the country estate of John and Evaline Holliday, who donated the land to the city in 1916. Today, during all seasons, hikers explore the trails looking for wildflowers, birds, deer and beaver, kids revel in the playgrounds, trying to scale the rock climbing wall or one of three slide towers, visitors relish the beauty and landscaping of the gardens and anglers fish for bass and bluegill. From a historical standpoint, I was most interested in the ruins of of the St. Paul Building, which once stood at 220 Broadway in New York City. After it was torn down in the 1950s, a competition was held to find a new home for the facade of the building and three massive statues called "the Races of Man" made of Indiana limestone that were designed by noted architectural sculptor Karl Bitter. Indianapolis won, proposing to place them in Holliday Park.
9. Indianapolis Cultural Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 133 reviews
Reviewed By P3902RQwilliamp
The cultural trail links most of the significant sites throughout downtown together in a cohesive and fun pathway that allows one to walk, jog or bike more safely through what was once a fairly risky ride in some places. The trail is set with decorative block and brick and has bike racks, bikeshare bikes and now firms are placing motorized foot scooters on the rail. Its really fun and allows one to connect to Indy's other trails easily via the Monon.
10. Benton House Historic Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Benton House is one of the most historic houses in Indianapolis. Located at 312 South Downey Avenue, in the historic Irvington neighborhood, the two-story, Second Empire-style brick dwelling with a mansard roof was built in 1873 and was the home of Allen R. Benton, a two-time president of Butler University. The 10-room house sits on a stone foundation and features an entrance tower, ornate windows, fine woodwork and oak floors. It is the only house on Indianapolis' East Side that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1973) that is open to the public. However, despite the house's impressive history and trappings, what attracts most visitors to the property are the unique gardens with their display of pre-1900 heirloom plants, thousands of daffodils, including some hybridized between 1977 and 1897 that are in bloom in early April of each year. Other spring bloomers include ground-hugging species tulips: T. biflora (1776), T. humilis (1860), T. marjoletti (1894) and T. turkestanica (1875). Walking the grounds offers visitors an opportunity to see what amounts to a botanical display garden or fernery or greenhouse that also features as crocus, snowdrops, peony, poppies, blue bells, wild ginger, cultivars, Tiger Lilys and other flowers, some first brought to this country during the colonial period. If you enjoyed the gardens at Garfield Park, the Lilly House, White River State Park or the Indianapolis Museum of Art, you owe it to yourself to visit the Benton House.
