White River State Park in Indianapolis IN 46204

There are so many things to do in Indianapolis. One of my favorite things to do in Indianapolis is going to White River Park. This is a picturesque venue which is a scenic place in itself.

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The only cultural urban park in the nation, it covers 250 acres of wonderful foliage.  It has the Central Canal, Military Park, and White River itself.  It likewise includes such cultural attractions as the following: Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn; White River Gardens; Victory Field, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art; the NCAA Hall of Champions; the Indiana State Museum; the IMAX Theater; and a terrific outside concert venue.

If you get the chance, you could either meander through this green arena by bicycle, by boat (they have kayaks and also pedal boats, you can rent them at Wheel Fun Rentals), and now in 2017 by Segway. Or if you don’t hate walking like me (just ask my girlfriend), you can walk on foot. Sucks to be you!

Central Canal

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Bathe in the Indy skyline as you pedal a boat or paddle your kayak.  Drift in your reverie through the reverie of Central Canal (it’s over one mile long).  Can’t afford to get to Italy but you still want a romantic sliver of solitude with your true love?

Get your better half and take that ride with Old World Gondoliers.

Indianapolis City Gondoliers, fully costumed, serenade you as you sip a glass of Hoosier champagne or simply soak in the scenery.

Included in the Indianapolis Cultural Trail are wide bike paths, as well as a romantic, secluded boulevard behind the Indianapolis Zoo.

Look out, biker ahead!  It’s not only the ideal place for your first kiss, but also offers bikers, joggers, pogo stick travelers, and walkers an ideal arena for exercise.  Or simply leisurely adventure.  Oxymoron?  Yes. But you’re a smart Hoosier if you travel this trail.


Shows of Mystery on The Lawn

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Right inside White River State Park is the live entertainment venues if Indianapolis Indiana. Indeed, Pollstar voted The Farm Bureau Lawn a Top 100 venue.

Everyone from The Moody Blues, John Mellencamp (who lives in Bloomington, Indiana by the way, just an hour south of Indianapolis city), to Soundgarden. Escape artist Bill Shirk got his start here.

And you might even get the chance of a lifetime to see local magicians in Indianapolis performing in Indy here at The Farm Bureau Lawn.

Victory Field

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Victory Field is the best Minor League Stadium in America. Don’t take my word for it. This is according to Sports Illustrated.

You can see downtown Indianapolis any way you turn when you’re inside Victory Field. It’s the greatest place to take the whole family to for a ball game.

Check in with your favorite teem at the NCAA Hall of Champions.  Attractions there give visitors the chance to really get into the game. You can even play a game of basketball with your nephews in the gym.

Eiteljorg Museum And The Indiana State Museum

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Within White River State Park sit the two best Indianapolis museums.  The largest museum east of the Mississippi is The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

My mother and I frequently visited this museum when I was growing up in Greenwood, Indiana just half an hour south of Indy.  It showcases traditional and contemporary art forms.

The Indiana State Museum includes science, art, and culture as a whole, and does that in honor of Indiana’s history.  The IMAX Theater is also in the Hoosier Museum.  The first time I ever saw a panoramic movie was here at the IMAX Theater, in Indianapolis Indiana. It was a movie about volcanoes, that’s all I can remember.


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The Indianapolis Zoo

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What makes the Indianapolis Zoo the greatest?  It’s the only one in Indianapolis city that is an aquarium, a botanical garden, and a zoo. In fact, it’s the only one in all of USA that is an aquarium, a botanical garden, and a zoo!

Isn’t that wild?!

You can see dolphins just as if you were under the sea, and you can see kodiak bears (my personal favorite bear) as if you were in the wild. Don’t be scared though, because kodiak bears are not indigenous to Indianapolis.

You’ll find them only in the zoo. The Indianapolis Zoo is also the largest zoo in USA. Personal true story, I was kissed on the mouth by a sea lion when I was about six years old. It was more like a punch in the face though, to be honest.

White River Gardens

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Not everyone loves a garden, but everyone loves butterflies. I guess some people just have to dig their toes into the earth and feel the flurry of butterfly wings on their necks to feel grounded.

White River Gardens is just as good as the Indianapolis Zoo. The gardens have more butterflies than flowers, if you can believe that. And if you’re in Indianapolis, you probably will believe that, because residents of Indianapolis tend to be superstitious (sorry Hoosiers but you are in the Bible Belt).