Since the announcement was made that Super Bowl XLVI would be held in Indianapolis, Circle City residents have been sprucing up the city, organizing and preparing for the big event. It is indeed an honor and a privilege to host Super Sunday. However, Indianapolis is an awesome place to visit year round.
Here are some events and attractions that give visitors a better view of what Indianapolis has to offer.
Start your engines
In Indy, we love our sports. We stand behind our Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever, relax with the family at Indianapolis Indians games, go nuts over the Indianapolis Colts and count down the days for the Indy 500 race. Known as the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indianapolis 500 is where the world’s greatest IndyCar Series drivers compete for the coveted Borg-Warner trophy. Taking place at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world’s largest single-day spectator sporting event is an event that has to be witnessed in person at least once in your lifetime. This year’s Indy 500 will be Sunday, May 27.
For more information, call (317) 492-6747 or visit indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
Scat singing to a saxophone
From historic venues like the Madame Walker Theatre to traditional concert spaces like the Murat Theatre at Old National Center, Indianapolis has various places that music lovers can go to hear their favorite local and national bands. Most notably, Indianapolis is known for its rich jazz history. Popular clubs such as The Chatter Box or the Jazz Kitchen offer live jazz nightly, but Indianapolis’ annual Jazz Fest is the jazz event of the year. The lineup features popular artists and each year this mid-September event gets better and better.
For more information, visit indyjazzfest.net.
Black and proud
Indianapolis’ Black community is vibrant and strong. Visitors coming into the Indianapolis International Airport may notice signs for the Sam Jones Expressway, named after Sam Jones, the first president of the Indianapolis Urban League. Visitors can also take a look at Indianapolis’ Black History at the Crispus Attucks Museum which houses treasures from the first all-Black high school in the state of Indiana. Visitors can also head to Indianapolis July 12-22 for Indiana Black Expo’s 42nd annual Summer Celebration. This event set the standard for Black expos around the country and features ecumenical services, free concerts, expo halls filled with vendors, business workshops and more. If you’ve already got something planned for the summer, maybe you can come to Indy in October for Circle City Classic, which highlights the best in education and football from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
For more information, call (317) 925-2702 or visit ibeonline.com.
A day at the museum
You can tell a lot about a city by its museums. Several call Indianapolis home and are each spectacular and unique. Visit White River State Park that contains the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Indiana State Museum and the NCAA Hall of Champions. Travel north of downtown and check out the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The city even has smaller museums such as the James Whitcomb Riley Home Museum and Morris-Butler House Museum and the new Kurt Vonnegut Museum.
Indy is also the home of the nationally recognized Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Visitors in town for the Super Bowl who live near Indianapolis can grab the kids and take a short drive to the museum to see “The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head,” an interactive, educational exhibit focused on early childhood learning. This exhibit runs through May 6.
For more information, call (317) 334-3322 or visit childrensmuseum.org.
