Indianapolis - Part 2

Indianapolis is such a fabulous tourist city that I could go on and on and on about it...and I did in Part 1...and there's more here.

Indianapolis is full of beautiful parks and monuments. Holliday Park includes trails, an arboretum, and what looks like an ancient Greek ruin but is actually the remains of a demolished New York skyscraper, the St. Paul Building in Manhattan. Ruins of any sort are irresistible to me and this site (despite being fenced off during some needed restoration) is magnificent.

“The Races of Man” sculptures, constructed in the 1890’s, previously "supported" a New York skyscraper. 

More sculptures in Holliday Park

Garfield Park includes a fabulous Chinese pagoda, a conservatory (small fee), and a sunken garden. I felt like I was at a European estate in this beautiful garden.

Pagoda built in 1903

Monument Circle, in the heart of downtown, is the place to go for great views of the city, colossal monuments, a variety of architecture, and some delicious ice cream. (I always like a good chocolate milkshake when I’m doing a lot of walking – or any other time.)

Stop for a treat on the Circle at
The South Bend Chocolate Company

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 284-ft tall neoclassical treasure in the center of Monument Circle. It was built between 1887 and 1902. Inside, head downstairs for the Civil War Museum and head upstairs (330 steps), or take the elevator (for a small fee), to the top for great views of the city. There are also several other monuments nearby.

A view from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Buildings on Monument Circle have curved facades

A short walk from Monument Circle takes you by University Park to the 5-block Indiana World War Memorial Plaza. It includes the Indiana War Memorial, Obelisk Square, and the American Legion Mall (with the American Legion National Headquarters and a museum).

Depew Memorial Fountain (1919) in University Park

Fountain at the base of the 100-ft black granite obelisk (1930) in Obelisk Square/Veterans Memorial Plaza

The Indiana World War Memorial, modeled after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 

The War Memorial honors the Indiana men killed in World War I. This grand building includes an art deco lobby, a theater, a military museum, and an impressive Shrine Room at the top.

The Artsgarden is also near Monument Circle. This glass enclosed area creates a bridge between buildings on all four corners of an intersection. It connects to the Circle Centre Mall near the food court, so it’s a good place to sit and eat lunch. It has a unique view, being right on top of the road. Free lunchtime concerts and art exhibits are held here throughout the year.

The Artsgarden spans a downtown intersection

A little further north in downtown, in the Old Northside Historic District, you can tour the home of the 23rd President of the U.S. (1889-1893), Benjamin Harrison. Every year the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site has a new exhibit on display in the 3rd-floor ballroom and it's included with the house tour. When I visited, the exhibit was “Death in the White House” and consisted of all sorts of interesting artifacts related to the four assassinated presidents and the four others that died while in office (including Harrison’s grandfather, William Henry Harrison, who caught a cold at his inauguration and died after just one month in office).

Benjamin Harrison built the 10,000-sq-ft home in 1868. 

President Harrison's traveling desk

White House china on display

Harrison died here in 1901.

I am not a car racing fan, but I love a behind-the-scenes tour no matter what it is about! So, that’s how I ended up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum inside the oval of the “The Greatest Race Course in the World” in the town of Speedway, Indiana (yes, it became a separate town in 1926 and is completely surrounded by Indianapolis). In addition to a huge collection of race cars, the museum provides a regularly scheduled 90-minute VIP Grounds Tour. (It costs extra but it is a reasonable price as far as behind-the-scenes tours go.) A bus takes you for a drive on the famous track and around the garage area and Gasoline Alley. You get out at the Pagoda where you go inside the Media Center, stand on the Victory Podium, and kiss the bricks at the start/finish line (it’s a tradition, so I did it). I learned so much fascinating history here – it was super interesting, especially for something that I previously considered boring!

You drive in under the racetrack

The Hall of Fame and Museum, located inside the racetrack oval

The Pagoda

The Media Center, inside the Pagoda

On the racetrack

Tradition dictates kissing the bricks. Those bricks were hot! The track was originally all brick, thus its nickname "The Brickyard."

Winner of the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 - The Marmon "Wasp"

When I moved to the South I discovered the joy of exploring historic cemeteries - art, architecture, gardens, and history all in one spot. Indianapolis has an outstanding historic cemetery, Crown Hill Cemetery, founded in 1864. I would love to go on one of their public walking tours. Notables buried here include President Benjamin Harrison and John Dillinger.

Crown Hill Cemetery gate, 1885

A few more cool places that I would like to see more of …

The Madame Walker Theatre Center is housed in the former headquarters and manufacturing plant of Madam CJ Walker Hair Care and Beauty Products. Walker was the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S.  Born in 1867 in Louisiana, she was the first child in her family to be born outside of slavery. Married at 14 and widowed at 20, with a 2-year-old child, she eventually became an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. The Walker Center has featured the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Patti LaBelle as well as local jazz greats. Its intent is to “ensure that we do not forget the significance of Madam CJ Walker, Indiana Avenue, or African-American cultural arts.”

Madam CJ Walker Hair Care and Beauty Products building
 It is now the Madame Walker Theatre.

The Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium is located on the grounds of Butler University. I want to go back for one of their public tours. It was closed when I was there, but I did enjoy a short hike around the adjacent lake to the Holcomb Memorial Carillon and I got to checkout the architecture of other university buildings.

There is still so much more I want to see in this city, including the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the NCAA Hall of Fame, the Dallara IndyCar Factory, and the Indianapolis Art Center. These are all on my list for the next time I visit.

Indianapolis also has its share of Roadside America attractions!