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Indianapolis

Clean-cut Indy is the state capital and a perfectly pleasant place to ogle race cars and take a spin around the renowned speedway. The art museum and White River State Park have their merits, as do the Mass Ave and Broad Ripple hoods for eating and drinking. And fans of author Kurt Vonnegut are in for a treat. A swell walking and biking trail connects it all.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Indianapolis.

  • Museum

    Children's Museum of Indianapolis

    It's the world's largest kids' museum, sprawled over five floors holding incredible exhibitions on dinosaurs, space stations and so much more. The museum is centered around a stunning 43ft sculpture by Dale Chihuly that teaches tykes to blow glass (virtually!); and the fantastic new 7.5-acre Sports Legends Experience is the outdoor playground of your dreams, with numerous fields and courts dedicated to all major sports. Within the context of children's museums, it's world-class.

  • Museum

    Indianapolis Motor Speedway

    The Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500 motor race, is Indy's super-sight. The Speedway Museum features some 75 racing cars (including former winners) and a 500lb Tiffany trophy. Limited availability golf-cart tours of the grounds and track ($50) are available from March to October (OK, you're not exactly burning rubber in a golf cart, but it's still fun to pretend while you take a lap!).

  • Museum

    Newfields

    The 152-acre Newfields campus houses the Indianapolis Museum of Art, home to a terrific collection of European art (especially Turner and post-Impressionists), African tribal art, South Pacific art, Chinese works, Robert Indiana's original pop-art Love sculpture and the largest gallery dedicated to contemporary and modern design in the US.

  • Park

    The Idle

    This questionably ambitious hidden green space lying off the Cultural Trail between Fletcher Place and Fountain Square might seem a tad strange, but you wouldn't be visiting Indiana if you weren't looking for Midwestern eccentricities. Landlocked between lanes of I-65/70, it features an accessible limestone trail leading to a viewing platform (complete with seats salvaged from old Bush Stadium in Indy) from where folks sit and ponder, watching the Crossroads of America fly by along the interstate. A rubberneckers dream!

  • State Park

    White River State Park

    The expansive park, located at downtown's edge, contains several worthwhile sights. The adobe Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art features an impressive collection of Native American works. Other park highlights include an atmospheric minor-league baseball stadium, a zoo, a 3-mile loop canal walk, gardens, Indiana State Museum and the NCAA Hall of Champions. The outdoor summer concert series (May to September) is also a fantastic day out (check website for details).

  • Museum

    Indiana Medical History Museum

    When you think 'horror movie asylum,' this century-old state psychiatric hospital is exactly what you envision. Included guided tours roam the former pathology lab, from the cold-slabbed autopsy room to the eerie specimen room filled with brains in jars. Tours start on the hour. It's a few miles west of White River State Park.

  • Museum

    Eiteljorg Museum

    This adobe museum features Native American basketry, pots and masks, as well as a realistic/romantic Western painting collection with works by Frederic Remington, Georgia O'Keeffe and an absolutely eye-popping Grand Canyon series (Wilson Hurley's October Suite).

  • Museum

    Dallara IndyCar Factory

    This shiny factory is a short walk from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indy 500 motor race, and provides a peek at how the fast cars are made. The wind-tunnel models raise hairs, as do driving simulators that let you feel what it's like to tear around the track at 200mph.

  • Museum

    Rhythm! Discovery Center

    Bang drums, gongs, xylophones and exotic percussive instruments from around the globe at this hidden gem downtown. Kids love the interactive whomping. Adults appreciate the exhibits of famous drummers' gear and the soundproof, drum-kitted studio where you can unleash (and record) your inner rock star.