When most people think of Indianapolis, they think of one of two things. They either think of the Indianapolis Colts professional football team, or they think of the Indianapolis 500 car race. Indianapolis is proud of both of those things, but the city is more than just that.
Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana, its largest city with around 750,000 people, which makes it the 14th largest city in the country, and the second largest capital city in America. It’s right in the middle of the state, which of course makes it a great centerpiece for all things nice about Indiana.
Indiana is an interesting dichotomy in that it’s a flatland area with less than 2% of water area, yet it’s got a very humid climate at times. It can also get very hot, sometimes having temperatures averaging in the high 80′s during the summer. It doesn’t get much snow or rain, but will have to worry from time to time about tornadoes. Therefore, you’re not going to be visiting Indianapolis because of its weather.
But there’s plenty to see and do. One of its main attractions is the Children’s Museum, which offers many great exhibits and hands on things for kids to play with. They even have an annual Halloween exhibit including a haunted house. There’s also a planetarium and a theater which puts on live shows.
Another attraction popular in the city is the Indianapolis Zoo, the largest zoo in the state, with more than 350 different animals. The special exhibit if the dolphin exhibit, which also has an underwater viewing dome.
Indianapolis is a city of action, though, which is what normally brings people to the city. Of course we already mentioned football, and we mentioned the Indianapolis 500. There’s also the Brickyard 400 car race, also held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year, and for awhile the city hosted one of the Formula One Grand Prix races each year. Indianapolis has been home to many NCAA basketball March Madness games, including the finals a few times. There’s also the yearly Indy Jazz Festival, a 3-day event which draws the top names in the world.
And something unique to Indianapolis is its designation of cultural districts, each one highlighting historical importance to the city. These six are:
- Broad Ripple Village
- Massachusetts Avenue
- Fountain Square
- The Wholesale District
- Canal and White River State Park
- Indiana Avenue
