Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and also the state’s largest city. Efforts to beautify and modernize the city have brought Indianapolis into the 21st century as a world-class destination for everything from business meetings and trade conventions to backpackers making their way across the States. Indianapolis is widely hailed as the "Racing Capital of the World" because of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 at the Brickyard, and as the "Amateur Sports Capital of America" for hosting the NCAA Hall of …
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The population is roughly 882,000 (2022), making it the 16th largest city in the United States, and the metro area has about 2 million (#34). When Indianapolis was founded, it was expected to be a "Great Inland Port", but the White River turned out to be non-navigable most of the year. The pay-off is that this desire for a port left the city with a gorgeous canal district, though the canal itself is only useful for recreational kayaks and paddleboats. Today, Indianapolis is known as the "Crossroads of America" due to its centrality in America's Interstate Highway System. In general, travel in and through Indianapolis is safe, clean, and logical.
Outside of the walkable Downtown and some Cultural Districts, you'll need a vehicle to navigate the urban sprawl. The public bus system is fairly clean and efficient but routes are sometimes complex, and substantial portions of the metro area are inaccessible. Outside of peak hours, waits can be prohibitively long. Bike lanes alongside major roads have been constructed in the early 2010s, so cyclists will be sharing the road. On highways, the general speed limit is 55–70 mph (89–113 km/h). On city streets, if no speed limit is posted, assume that it is 35 mph (56 km/h). Indianapolis generally lacks the aggressive driving, bad roads, and congestion associated with major U.S. cities.
The tallest building in Indianapolis is the Salesforce Tower, standing at 830 ft (250 m), followed by the OneAmerica Tower which is 533 ft (162 m) and the Regions Tower standing at a height of 504 ft (154 m). The fourth and fifth are the Market Tower 421 ft (128 m) and 300 North Meridian at 408 ft (124 m). Other skyscrapers include the BMO Plaza 401 ft (122 m) and the JW Marriott Indianapolis 376 ft (115 m), which is the tallest hotel in the state and the largest JW Marriott in the world. All skyscrapers are in a relatively compact cluster downtown. 1 Indiana State Capitol, 200 W Washington St (just west of Monument Circle), ☏ +1 317-233-5293, touroffice@idoa.in.gov.
May, The Indianapolis 500. One of the largest sporting events in the world. The westside of the city and Speedway gets swamped and if you like big crowds, loud cars, and tailgating, this is for you. One of several events leading up to it is the largest mini-marathon in the world, so if you're extra ambitious, come early and run for 13.1 mi (21.1 km) (or a more modest but still impressive 5 km (3.1 mi)). Early June, Vintage Indiana Wine & Food Fest, Military Park, 601 W New York St, toll-free: +1-800-832-9463. Over a dozen Indiana wineries come together in downtown Indy, offering samples of their finest. Restaurants from the city participate as well, serving up samples too.
1 Chocolate Cafe, 30 Monument Circle, ☏ +1 317-951-4816. South Bend Chocolate Company chocolate, sweets, coffees and sweet drinks. Check out the wall of celebrities who've indulged, and get educated on chocolate by the helpful and friendly staff. Watch fudge get made, sample the goods and enjoy the best hot chocolate in town. Vegetarian friendly. 2 Heidelberg Haus, 7625 Pendleton Pike, ☏ +1 317-547-1230. Enjoy this German bakery's treats and sweets. German-born owners who have served great German eats since the 1960s here in Indy. Real Black Forest Cake, sausages, potato salad, and more. Check out the gift shop with great German beer-lover gifts.
Hubbard & Cravens Coffee Co.. Two locations, H&C has their own warehouse where they custom-roast all their own beans and import over 20 types of coffees. Considered the finest coffee in town by some. 1 , 4930 Pennsylvania Ave (Broad Ripple), ☏ +1 317-251-5161. (updated Mar 2022) 2 , 6229 Carrollton Ave (Broad Ripple), ☏ +1 317-803-4155. (updated Mar 2022) 3 Monon Coffee Company, 920 E Westfield Blvd, ☏ +1 317-255-0510. Independent coffee shop, free wireless access. To drink and get into bars you must be at least 21. Bars close at 3AM; 12:30AM on Sundays. Alcohol can be bought in stores on Sundays from Noon to 8 PM.
Indianapolis is a generally safe city, but some areas of the city are prone to crime. The downtown center of the city is very safe, but the inner-loop (inside I-465) suburbs can be dangerous in certain areas. The biggest exceptions to this are Northern Indianapolis (directly north of downtown) and much of the Eastside, particularly the Far Eastside. The Near Eastside is made up of a patchwork of neighborhoods which are generally safe and have historic buildings interspersed with some urban blight as a product of White Flight. The Near Eastside has been recovering in the 21st century and the break-up of some organized crime rings in the 2010s has had an uneven effect on crime.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Indianapolis typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 16 rainy days.
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